My adventure in the Top End
My biggest advice to you is to keep your identity anonymous on here. It will not be too hard to work out who you are judging by your car, your age and previous occupation. When starting out the industry seems vast, in actual fact it is very small and after a few seasons you will know almost one guy in every company in Australia as people move on.
While pprune is a great resource, operators despise it as quite often their businesses are put through the wringer on here, sometimes founded, sometimes unfounded.
Most Pilots in the industry have heard of pprune, many read yet don't contribute and others keep away from it. Only a small percentage of the guys on here who contribute represent the amount of guys who read it.
Don't mention the 'p' word to an employer, don't let them ever work out who you are. Don't mention dates, things that have happened to you, etc etc etc. Always speak in a general round about way.
Sometimes your views/opinions can be misused or taken out of context and used by people who seek to overtake/under cut or have an agenda against you for their own reasons. For as many great people in the industry there is just as many who are not.
Good luck and enjoy your journey. The topend is a wonderful place to be.
While pprune is a great resource, operators despise it as quite often their businesses are put through the wringer on here, sometimes founded, sometimes unfounded.
Most Pilots in the industry have heard of pprune, many read yet don't contribute and others keep away from it. Only a small percentage of the guys on here who contribute represent the amount of guys who read it.
Don't mention the 'p' word to an employer, don't let them ever work out who you are. Don't mention dates, things that have happened to you, etc etc etc. Always speak in a general round about way.
Sometimes your views/opinions can be misused or taken out of context and used by people who seek to overtake/under cut or have an agenda against you for their own reasons. For as many great people in the industry there is just as many who are not.
Good luck and enjoy your journey. The topend is a wonderful place to be.
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Thanks for the advice GG. I figured those who are reading this and meeting me would have no problem working things out. In the end though, I am careful with what I say here. My intention is really just to document my experiences and hopefully help out others like me down the track.
Sure, I hope no operators take anything I say out of context. I reckon it would be a damn hard job to take anything I've said so far out of context, but I guess anything can happen! Thanks for the advice!
I guess I shouldn't disclose on here that I'm a tall, blonde female. Now no-one will be able to figure out who I am! :-p
Sure, I hope no operators take anything I say out of context. I reckon it would be a damn hard job to take anything I've said so far out of context, but I guess anything can happen! Thanks for the advice!
I guess I shouldn't disclose on here that I'm a tall, blonde female. Now no-one will be able to figure out who I am! :-p
Sprucegoose
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I guess I shouldn't disclose on here that I'm a tall, blonde female.
Seriously though everybody reads PPRuNe, but most aren't willing to admit they post. If you follow a simple rule and don't write anything you wouldn't say to someones face then you shouldn't have a problem!
Many on here know who I am!
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Well, I left A and am now at B. Again, great place. If nothing else, I'm loving discovering this part of the country!
Again, have come across some really helpful people here, with pointers and advice about who to contact and try. Unfortunately, they're nearly all people/places I have contacted (or am on my way to see). I really am discovering how small the industry is....
Anyway, it's been useful and shortly I am off to C. I'm not expecting much and therefore do not have my hopes high. But you never know - and if anything, it's just on the road to more places!
I have heard from a couple of operators that having a instrument rating would be helpful up here. Makes perfect sense given the weather, but it's an expensive thing to do when a) it's not tax deductible, and b) even with it, there's no guarantee of a job afterwards anyway. It's quite an investment. However, maybe for others who are yet to get their CPL and want to get some sort of rating/endorsement whilst building up the hours - that would be a worthwhile path.
I am going to start having to make decisions about work 'back home' shortly. At some point I will need to accept my adult responsibilities, but not just yet!
Post note: one thing I find amusing about this place (the NT): before I bought a car in Darwin I checked with the MVR (motor vehicle registry) twice - once on the phone and once in person - to confirm that I can transfer registration even though I don't have NT residency. I was told it's not a problem, they just 'lock' the rego so I can't renew it unless I have residency by then. All good. I buy the car, and head to pay stamp duty and do the paperwork. Different MVR, and this time I'm told that it can't be done because I don't have NT residency. I need to do it in my home state. Well, that's not happening any time soon! The long and the short of it, because the seller will send in their disposal form, there is nothing more for me to do. The bonus? given that I can't transfer the rego, I don't have to pay stamp duty. Bloody idiots!
Again, have come across some really helpful people here, with pointers and advice about who to contact and try. Unfortunately, they're nearly all people/places I have contacted (or am on my way to see). I really am discovering how small the industry is....
Anyway, it's been useful and shortly I am off to C. I'm not expecting much and therefore do not have my hopes high. But you never know - and if anything, it's just on the road to more places!
I have heard from a couple of operators that having a instrument rating would be helpful up here. Makes perfect sense given the weather, but it's an expensive thing to do when a) it's not tax deductible, and b) even with it, there's no guarantee of a job afterwards anyway. It's quite an investment. However, maybe for others who are yet to get their CPL and want to get some sort of rating/endorsement whilst building up the hours - that would be a worthwhile path.
I am going to start having to make decisions about work 'back home' shortly. At some point I will need to accept my adult responsibilities, but not just yet!
Post note: one thing I find amusing about this place (the NT): before I bought a car in Darwin I checked with the MVR (motor vehicle registry) twice - once on the phone and once in person - to confirm that I can transfer registration even though I don't have NT residency. I was told it's not a problem, they just 'lock' the rego so I can't renew it unless I have residency by then. All good. I buy the car, and head to pay stamp duty and do the paperwork. Different MVR, and this time I'm told that it can't be done because I don't have NT residency. I need to do it in my home state. Well, that's not happening any time soon! The long and the short of it, because the seller will send in their disposal form, there is nothing more for me to do. The bonus? given that I can't transfer the rego, I don't have to pay stamp duty. Bloody idiots!
Last edited by Krazy; 2nd Feb 2010 at 09:12.
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Just for a laugh?
Is A Mitchell ST.?
Is B Langtrees, Redhouse or Pinkhouse in KAL.?
Time will tell.
Theres always the longrass. The fabled spinifex princess.
Goodluck
M
Is A Mitchell ST.?
Is B Langtrees, Redhouse or Pinkhouse in KAL.?
Time will tell.
Theres always the longrass. The fabled spinifex princess.
Goodluck
M
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Go to Broome. No rating required. Not right away anyway.
"I guess I shouldn't disclose on here that I'm a tall, blonde female", then if u add: and crashed and puts out..............You will get a job for sure.
No disrespect to all hard work working honest ladies up there. Or even the dishonest ones........It is not your fault.
"I guess I shouldn't disclose on here that I'm a tall, blonde female", then if u add: and crashed and puts out..............You will get a job for sure.
No disrespect to all hard work working honest ladies up there. Or even the dishonest ones........It is not your fault.
Mate your a commercial pilot now, any flying that "you" pay for is tax deductible. The confusion is that it's not GST exempt (unless you do it prior to CPL test).
Any training you undertake must be for progression in the existing company. You can't do a MECIR and claim it as a tax deduction to gain employment at another company if your company does not require it.
Same goes for ATPL subjects, or anything else.
Silly Old Git
The bonus? given that I can't transfer the rego, I don't have to pay stamp duty. Bloody idiots
I would be very, very careful my friend, with regard to third party insurance
Have a biffo, worse kill someone sleeping on the road, and you will have lawyers crawling all over you like flies
I would be very, very careful my friend, with regard to third party insurance
Have a biffo, worse kill someone sleeping on the road, and you will have lawyers crawling all over you like flies
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Mate your a commercial pilot now, any flying that "you" pay for is tax deductible. The confusion is that it's not GST exempt (unless you do it prior to CPL test).
In order to get a tax deduction....
You must have incurred the expense in the course of earning your assessable income...
Self-education expenses are expenses that you incur when you undertake a work-related course to obtain a formal qualification from a school, college, university or other place of education.
The course must have a sufficient connection to your current employment, that is, the course:
* maintains or improves the specific skills or knowledge you require in your current employment, or
* results in, or is likely to result in, an increase in your income from your current employment.
You cannot claim a deduction for self-education expenses for a course that does not have a sufficient connection to your current employment even though:
* it might be generally related to it (see example 1), or
* it enables you to get new employment.
The course must have a sufficient connection to your current employment, that is, the course:
* maintains or improves the specific skills or knowledge you require in your current employment, or
* results in, or is likely to result in, an increase in your income from your current employment.
You cannot claim a deduction for self-education expenses for a course that does not have a sufficient connection to your current employment even though:
* it might be generally related to it (see example 1), or
* it enables you to get new employment.
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Well, having left location B I am now in C. Again, I am loving the countryside. It may sound kinda corny, but it's really nice to see so much of the country I've grown up in! This place is so large there always seem to be new places to see.
On the job front however, things aren't looking overly promising. There are definitely a lot more pilots than there are jobs out and about. Sure, if the hiring in the larger companies goes ahead in the coming months, there may be more jobs available at the lower end of the scale, but who really knows if that's going to happen.
I have received a couple of leads through PMs, and I thank you for those. A couple are proving potentially promising (whatever that means) and others are dead ends. Some may, if anything, just get me some free flying on weekends. A wishful thought for now.
I am making a big effort of talking to operators/CPs on the phone prior to arriving in town and meeting them in person. The idea is twofold: 1 - less of a surprise to them. 2 - they might tell me to not waste their time (and my time), which makes my route planning a lot easier if I know there is no point going to certain locations.
One thing I am hearing more and more of is the time requirements. I have spoken to a few places today where their requirements are as low as 250 or 300 hours (of course I have also spoken to some who have 400 and 500 hour minimums). My point being, I feel a bit positive that there are some with hour requirements that aren't as high as I first thought they would be. Not that I'm saying getting another 100 hours is easy (nor cheap), but it's something to think about.
What I have realised in all this is the dog eat dog nature of things. I know that for me, personally, it is hard (in fact downright bad for my mental health) to not be working in something mentally stimulating. So whilst I admire pilots who will wait in a location for up to 12 months for a job, working at Coles or a servo in the mean time, I don't think it's something I can do. 10 years ago, I reckon I could. Today, I think it would really be damaging to my health. I'm sure there are others like me out there who have come from a life of working 40 stimulating hours a week. It's not easy to all of a sudden do nothing with your time. Unfortunately, I think that might bode badly for people in my shoes. But in the end, I'm pursuing this career for happiness - and there is no point becoming a mental wreck on the road to happiness now is there?
On the job front however, things aren't looking overly promising. There are definitely a lot more pilots than there are jobs out and about. Sure, if the hiring in the larger companies goes ahead in the coming months, there may be more jobs available at the lower end of the scale, but who really knows if that's going to happen.
I have received a couple of leads through PMs, and I thank you for those. A couple are proving potentially promising (whatever that means) and others are dead ends. Some may, if anything, just get me some free flying on weekends. A wishful thought for now.
I am making a big effort of talking to operators/CPs on the phone prior to arriving in town and meeting them in person. The idea is twofold: 1 - less of a surprise to them. 2 - they might tell me to not waste their time (and my time), which makes my route planning a lot easier if I know there is no point going to certain locations.
One thing I am hearing more and more of is the time requirements. I have spoken to a few places today where their requirements are as low as 250 or 300 hours (of course I have also spoken to some who have 400 and 500 hour minimums). My point being, I feel a bit positive that there are some with hour requirements that aren't as high as I first thought they would be. Not that I'm saying getting another 100 hours is easy (nor cheap), but it's something to think about.
What I have realised in all this is the dog eat dog nature of things. I know that for me, personally, it is hard (in fact downright bad for my mental health) to not be working in something mentally stimulating. So whilst I admire pilots who will wait in a location for up to 12 months for a job, working at Coles or a servo in the mean time, I don't think it's something I can do. 10 years ago, I reckon I could. Today, I think it would really be damaging to my health. I'm sure there are others like me out there who have come from a life of working 40 stimulating hours a week. It's not easy to all of a sudden do nothing with your time. Unfortunately, I think that might bode badly for people in my shoes. But in the end, I'm pursuing this career for happiness - and there is no point becoming a mental wreck on the road to happiness now is there?
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joke?
If you cant handle standing infront of a checkout for a few hours what makes you think you can handle making a landing into a rough as guts strip, overweight, in heavy weather, low in fuel and with the 'runway lighting' dissapearing?
It's the mentality of a pilot who chooses operate overweight in to a possibly unsuitable landing site (especially overweight!) while low on fuel and in weather conditions below minima that leads to airlines using psychometric testing.
Those sorts of flight conditions aren't mentally stimulating. They are just high risk & scary. It's not the same. With experience most pilots recognise and choose to avoid putting themselves in risky situations. Doesn't stop their flying from being mentally stimulating. The challenging part is how to get the flight done safely & legally while *avoiding* the risk.
Those sorts of flight conditions aren't mentally stimulating. They are just high risk & scary. It's not the same. With experience most pilots recognise and choose to avoid putting themselves in risky situations. Doesn't stop their flying from being mentally stimulating. The challenging part is how to get the flight done safely & legally while *avoiding* the risk.
Last edited by Tinstaafl; 6th Feb 2010 at 20:12.
All good guys, he's a tool who doesn't even have a CPL, he's tried to pass himself off as 'Dennis the heavy jet captain'.
QF, just to let you know, you've just become my pet project...
QF, just to let you know, you've just become my pet project...
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So it is not just me.. is it ?
QF does have several persona's or alter egos.
Sorry for the thread drift, - but of course they all do eventually anyway.
All the best up North.
I may be able to help out with accommodation in Darwin, at a push.
PM if you want... i also work about a little up there. May have some info also.
QF does have several persona's or alter egos.
Sorry for the thread drift, - but of course they all do eventually anyway.
All the best up North.
I may be able to help out with accommodation in Darwin, at a push.
PM if you want... i also work about a little up there. May have some info also.
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a question or two?
Hey, like Krazy, I'm heading up from Perth up to Broome with a few stops in between. Looking like this March, not the best timing but had to apply for leave etc from my current job and cheapest tickets etc.. got a couple of questions for you guys (some of whom seem to be in the know about Oz - i'm a kiwi...)
Is the time of the year going to make quite a big difference??
Does having 500 hours make a significant difference to employment chances as opposed to a 200/250 hr fresh cpl?
MEIR will have lapsed...will this make a big difference?
Does it help to chat with them and see if there's a possibility that they'll give me a call if something comes up later in the year? Does this even happen??
Thanks for your help in advance, I'm trying to make the most of the time I have there so any advice is appreciated.
If i've posted in the wrong forum let me know and i'll remove and repost...
Is the time of the year going to make quite a big difference??
Does having 500 hours make a significant difference to employment chances as opposed to a 200/250 hr fresh cpl?
MEIR will have lapsed...will this make a big difference?
Does it help to chat with them and see if there's a possibility that they'll give me a call if something comes up later in the year? Does this even happen??
Thanks for your help in advance, I'm trying to make the most of the time I have there so any advice is appreciated.
If i've posted in the wrong forum let me know and i'll remove and repost...
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I'll leave huey's discussion to the other thread where it's taken hold. In the mean time, I spent most of the day travelling again in order to follow up a couple of leads. I agree with what everyone (especially those who have 'been there, done that') is saying: find a place and stay there if you can. This definitely seems to be the way to get a job in the current climate. I don't necessarily advocate this as being the way things should work, I am saying that this appears to be the way things do work. At least at the moment.
I have a suspicion after talking to some senior people in GA, that things aren't always like this. ie., there are definitely times when supply doesn't far exceed demand like at the moment, and during those times, hiring could work a little differently. But these are the times we find ourselves in, so this is what we must do.
It's not easy though to say to yourself you are going to hang around somewhere where you know for a fact there are many more pilots than there will be jobs. Sure, some pilots will leave, and sure, people will (I assume) get hired on their merit - so some are obviously better than others. But it is a hard thing to do.
For now, I still have leads (and I use that word EXTREMELY loosely) to follow up. Unfortunately a couple were at point Z and a couple at point Y. Opposite directions. But, I can only go one step at a time.
One thing I have found is that all the people here (as in the North West of this country) in my situation are all pretty friendly and you can't go wrong meeting them and making new friends!
I have a suspicion after talking to some senior people in GA, that things aren't always like this. ie., there are definitely times when supply doesn't far exceed demand like at the moment, and during those times, hiring could work a little differently. But these are the times we find ourselves in, so this is what we must do.
It's not easy though to say to yourself you are going to hang around somewhere where you know for a fact there are many more pilots than there will be jobs. Sure, some pilots will leave, and sure, people will (I assume) get hired on their merit - so some are obviously better than others. But it is a hard thing to do.
For now, I still have leads (and I use that word EXTREMELY loosely) to follow up. Unfortunately a couple were at point Z and a couple at point Y. Opposite directions. But, I can only go one step at a time.
One thing I have found is that all the people here (as in the North West of this country) in my situation are all pretty friendly and you can't go wrong meeting them and making new friends!
Sprucegoose
Join Date: Sep 2000
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One thing I have found is that all the people here (as in the North West of this country) in my situation are all pretty friendly and you can't go wrong meeting them and making new friends!