Airtanker

[brit bus driver]

a couple of A330 mates with VA and BA

I'm afraid BA has no A330s....

The failure rate of ex RAF pilots may just be a bit higher though.

SM - what a load of old tosh you spout. As a few have said on here, going from a 'legacy' flight deck to a modern EFIS environment is indeed a piece of pi$$. Going back is not quite so straightforward though!

[Justanopinion]

I wonder whether Jeppesen will actually show something of their alleged MilPlanner AAR product at ARSAG2011, or continue to hide behind Uncle Spam's convenient ITAR excuse-wall?

The elephant in the room is still being ignored.

[D-IFF_ident]

McDonalds napkins and crayons - the planning system of the future.

[BEagle]

At least that might work - and wouldn't generate a "Computer says No" message and associated AAR refusal......

[Dan Winterland]

"Children of the magenta god'' need not apply. The tracks on an Airbus ND are green and the the magenta crowd will have the wrong rating!

[Deeply Concerned]

Please excuse a civil pilot on your military forum. As an A330 captain firmly in the civil world, I might actually be interested in swopping my 4star hotel for a tent in Kandahar to actually do something a little more interesting. Hours of routine flying on the Atlantic can be a little uninspiring after a while.

Can anyone advise, is the requirement for full time crew, or can you be a part time reservist? Maybe I'm missunderstanding 'sonsored reservist'.

Also, could someone clarify what is ITAR, and what is meant by 'children of a magenta god' please?

PS I can't see anyone having any difficulty converting analog to glass/fly by wire, not an issue.

[Art Field]

Tanker Captains Prayer. Whatever the problem is, I need an answer which is darned close but I need it NOW!

[Trim Stab]

'children of a magenta god' please

You are obviously an Airbus pilot! On just about any other civvy glass cockpit, as is generally known here, the aeroplane flies itself entirely without human input along the purple line between chocks off to chocks on. Unless, of course, it goes tech then it is blind panic stations for us civvy pilots as we have to actually fly by hand until we can get it to work again.

I think it is a different colour on Airbi, but same principle.

If you want to understand better the "sponsored reservist" commitment, there is plenty of information about the commitment on the Air Tanker website. It is a bit like being in the TA/RNR/RMR/RAuxAF except that it is contractually compulsory. So you might, in extremis, have to accept "orders".

Having said that, can anybody explain why Air Tanker reservists will not simply become part of the RAuxAF - was there some legal impediment to this route?

[Arty Fufkin]

Dear Deeply Concerned,

I should hereby like to formally accept your kind offer to swap accommodation. In fact, there's no reason why it should stop there. Please PM me a picture of your wife and we can talk further.

Yours,

A Fufkin

[Tourist]

Arty.

Thank you for making the first funny post on Pprune in far too long!

[Justanopinion]

Deeply concerned welcome to the military forum

ITAR - ITAR regulations dictate that information and material pertaining to defense and military related technologies (for items listed on the U.S. Munitions List) may only be shared with U.S. Persons unless authorization from the Department of State is received or a special exemption is used. U.S. Persons (including organizations) can face heavy fines if they have, without authorization or the use of an exemption, provided foreign (non-US) persons with access to ITAR-protected defense articles, services or technical data.


May be worth ringing Air Tanker and visiting Brize Norton to speak to the regular tanker crews for info on day to day life. The company has a few ex RAF working for them

[Trim Stab]

Arty Fufkin does indirectly raise another valid point -

experienced, keen, civvy A330 pilots like DC are possibly more valuable to Air Tanker and the RAF than trying to convert jaded, hacked off ex AT RAF pilots to the A330...

[Cpt_Pugwash]

Deeply C

Just for completeness,.. ITAR - International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

[Lockstock]

experienced, keen, civvy A330 pilots like DC are possibly more valuable to Air Tanker and the RAF than trying to convert jaded, hacked off ex AT RAF pilots to the A330...

Or conversely, the RAF might be better converting healthy, experienced AT pilots with a strong military ethos and buckets of airmanship, rather than Air Tanker recruiting unfit, military wannabees with nothing more than a few years spent flying down an airway on autopilot.

[Trim Stab]

unfit

LOL!

Are you trying to pretend that the average RAF AT pilot, in his skintight piss-soaked growbag, is "fit"?

Air Tanker have a good plan - attract the experience of civvy A330 pilots, and mix with the experience of military AAR pilots. Seems like a good ethos to me.

But as you admit, there are fat, useless, cynical, jaded pilots in both worlds.

[Lockstock]

But as you admit, there are fat, useless, cynical, jaded pilots in both worlds.

Errr no, I don't recall admitting that.

But if you recognise it in your world...?

[LFFC]

Deeply Concerned

When it was described to me, the concept of Sponsored Reserve was as follows: You would be a full-time employee of Airtanker, flying their aircraft in peacetime wearing civilian uniform and operating on the civilian register for civilian or benign military tasks. However, in wartime you would be "called up" and operate the same aircraft on the military register for risky military tasks.

Not sure if that's still the plan, but someone will probably correct me if I'm wrong.

[BEagle]

For those with minimal Internet search skills:

Sponsored Reservists AirTanker

You will note

Sponsored Reservists (SRs) are legally obliged to undertake regular military training*

*minimum of 27 days per year

Hmmm......

[cessnapete]

To get pilots from the Airlines I would think you would have to pay at least double the RAF F/Lt salary.
That will make for a good atmosphere on the flight deck ie ''Why are you getting paid twice as much as me for the same job?'' !!

[LFFC]

Interesting to see the age restrictions in that advert. I know that the military are exempt from age discrimination regulations, but Airtanker are a civilian organisation.