thank you!

airBaltic rostering?
 

Any news regarding the airBaltic rostering system? Will there be any improvement over the current 5/2 system?

I have just checked my last 3 shedules (1,5 month) and it has been 5/2 5/3. I think you should expect that for some time. But then they might need you to fly some more during the summerschedule.
rgds.;)

I am not sure about the schedule for the F50 pilots.

hi all.
I have been lucky enough to get invited to a testday at AirBaltic.
Does anyone know what to expect and what to prepare for ???
I guess a lot of the questions in the written test is similar to those on 737.org but how detailed is the technical inteview ????
Cheers all

hi topper!

May i ask what your hours are (roughly)?, just to get an idea of what they are asking for. Or if you know from others you may have met there.

Thanks in advance!

Don't worry about hours. Many who have recently started on the 737 bring around 250 hrs in the logbook and just finished their ratings.
The questions are similar to a type rating exam multiple choice. Few are a bit tricky, few are quite simple. Just as a hint from my side:
- Study the airconditioning system a bit, esp. switch position for bleeds on/off takeoff
- Take a glance at the emergency exit lights, what powers them, what happens if some of the elec power is lost,
- Look at the elec system roughly, you dont need to be an expert but as i recall there were some questions (look at the power sources for the stby busses...)
- Isolation valve, how operated, what is electrical, what is pneumatic
- Fuel pumps, AC or DC powered
- Fire Detection and Extinguishing system....what is DC powered, what is AC powered

If you run into troubles during the questionnaire, just as a hint, try to analyze by yourself what is really needed in an emergency or abnormal situation and what power sources are needed to run. It helps once in a while to differ between AC and DC powered systems.
Take a look at the flows (no matter how you learned it), it gives you a picture about normal switch positions and when they are used.

And BTW, we run short of 737 pilots with rating (as far as i know) and the pile of rated people is decreasing, the number of aircraft and routes increasing.

Hope that helped a bit :E
Best Luck, hb

Aiaiai
 

Ah yes the lovely March schedule. How I loved it.
But April brings us some nasty suprises doesn´t ey?

hbiwe

thanks for your hints!
anyways i were asking about the hours because i dont have a tr on the 737 nor am i planning to get one (at least SS) so i would like to know what hours do people have those getting a job on the F50.
thanks in advance to those who may answer the question!

Recent jobs on the F50 has been given to pilots with limited experience, but in the region between 400-1500 hours.. Don't expect to be invited if you haven't got a 737 TR og atleast some experience.. But give them a try anyway, you've everything to win and nothing to lose...

Good luck
/BAP

Enjoy
 

Folks, a mate worked for AB a while back, he ahad a great time, said it was the best flying hes ever had, so anyone lucky enuf to get a contract....go for it any enjoy:ok:

Sounds good, I'm sure I will enjoy it too :ok:

Guys, Guys, Guys

Are you drunk or stupid or what? Listen to what flying eagle and black coffe no sugar says. This outfit will hire next to none experience co-pilots and let them do the work of a line training captain, training captains!!!

VHF1, If your friend was working there a while ago and found it soooooo good, then why the hell did he leave? VHF1 are you BT management or plain stupid, or both? (it is combinable, I've been told)

The story that I have heard is that ALL experienced co-pilots are leaving because of horrible rostering, statsi management and the fact that they are tired of risking their certificates flying with those no-good
kamikazes (apparently there are quite a few exeptions). I have heard that app 10-12 have left or will leave and that's out of 25-30. Yes, that is some where around one third possibly half of the co-pilots on the 737!!
I doubt that it's because it's so good there.

That's what I've heard from a friend of MINE who actually WORKED THERE and left because of the above mentioned reasons.

There are plenty of other opportunitys out there, don't go make your self black listed to the rest of the industry

SF

Wooops!

Sorry vhf1, just checked your profile. But your friend must be drunk:}

I know my friend is:ok:

Drunk Vs stupid
 

My dear Mr. splitflaps,

No is the answer to your question, Im neither drunk nor stupid. I stand over what I wrote in my earlier post, that a friend worked for AB and enjoyed it. You ask why he left, well try a winter in minus 30 and you wont be asking the same question next spring. It was his first job and got his hours up and back to the U.K. to a major. I still say gofly and enjoy...This is JAA land, there are mechanisms with which to sort out non standard/ dangerous practices. I strongly urge anyone involved in such to use the system to rid the industry of these mavericks..if indeed they still exist.

Just for the record, I am not AB management, nor have I ever worked for them, in any capacity whatsoever.

Regards.

VHF1

So if he worked for AB that must have been Air Berlin then, since Air Baltic would be BT :} sorry, couldn't hold back that one... excusez moi :E.

Yep, April already has it's ups and downs...desperate times are ahead. From all the Pro's and Con's comments, take it in the middle and that's what you get. The grass is always greener somewhere else...

No where is perfect, lets not get too carried away.
I'm looking at BT as the perfect first job and will move onto (hopefully) bigger and better things later on, but as a lower houred guy there simply ARE not that many jobs out there...... some of us can not be picky.
As long as the aircraft are safe, things are legal and I get paid in line with my position, I will be happy to take the rough with the smooth.
BT seem to be trying to improve and it depends on the way you look at the situation. Some people seem happy, some are not..... that's just life.

hehe........

Nice to see so many different point of views.

I have allready stated my considerations about BT and I have tried not to descripe it to personal.

Working for BT is off course good as a first FO position. Thats it!
But I only think that a few pilots can see them self working in easteurope for an easteuropean company for a longer time.
I will always think positive about BT after I am finishing here (I have 2 weeks left :} )
But that is because it was my 1st airlinejob and due to very nice foreign FOs.

Yes things are improving. At least that is what I am telling myself! But mentality is different and things take a long time. I am not planning to waist my time seeing it through!

For you new Fos starting I wish you the best and enjoy the time. Use the other FOs if you have questions (operational, personal etc) . We are all in the same situation. You can be sure that a lot of the FOs know more about the A/C, IFR procedures etc........ than the captains.

happy nightflying to Baku, Tblisi and Telaviv ;)

regards
Mikkel

Thanks Flying Eagle.

If anyone had told me I would have my first paid flying position as a 737 FO I would have thought them crazy, so I'm delighted just to be here.

I couldn't get those varied destinations flying from the U.K., I can't wait ........... although I'm sure the novelty will wear off lol

I'm grateful to BT for giving me the chance others would not.

Winglet80.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and I am happy for you as you seems to like your situation. I have read your posts and I find it hard to believe that you are Swedish, you don't have a very scandinavian attitude towards the prloblems that people is writing about. If you are Swedish you would understand some Danish as well and I urge you to have a look at the danish pilot forums. This forum is not in english so people who are cereful about speaking their mind ( remember the Russian airforce guy from a previous post?) dare to be a litle more specific and out spoken.

I have been stunned more than once when I have talked to my friend in BT (whom I have known for 15 years and did my pilot training with). The keywords in BT seems to be submission. We are pilots for christs sake if you as a co-pilot don't say no when the captain is doing something stupid ( and after all the stories that I have heard it seems to be every other flight) then who will, the pax in 14c? submission can be very dangerous.
Especially in a company that seems to have substandard captains ( as my friend put it, a lot of them is really good but the lowest standard is terribly low). Flight dispatch seems to be glitching too, and have very high expectations on the pilots accepting questionable planes. dangerous if nobody dares to say no.

Negative points is another interesting thing that really cracked me up. I just couln't believe what i heard.:eek:

Having heard all the stories (all true i am sure) I urge you guys to listen to flying eagle. DO talk to each other about the situation, it is not whining.

Having said that. Of course BT is an exellent first job. Lots of exciting destinations, a fair amount of flying and excellent social life. I have witnesed that myself, in riga and I do have that T-shirt. I know nothing about Vilnius. But it seems to me that you shouldn't waste your time there, in BT that is.

Finally. Why don't any of the present or previous pilots post here? why is it always a friend? or a friend of a friend. A couple of reasons me think. The following employer (s) will ofcourse look at your cv...bla, bla
It's not a good thing to have worked for a bad airline so keep quiet.
Second I have heard that BT management is pretty good on bad mouthing previous employees even if they have done a good job! can't see why they would be nicer if the employee has stirred up things and started rumours. If a former or present BT pilot wuold write something here it would not really be a rumour, more like facts. When a friend posts (and all pilots likes to have the best stories) it's only a rumour, hence the name of this brilliant page. Every thing here should ofcourse be treated as a romour, but where there's smoke there's fire!

To all of you guys who has just landed a job there, the warmest of gratulations. As always in the aviation world, do speak up if some thing seems fishy. This is expected of you once you get a job in a real airline.
Best of luck