Allow me to clarify, what I meant by "retirement" was based on the experience and IR requirements, this taken into consideration with the salary essentially means that its either a vocational position or a senior line pilot who wants to leave the jets/lines, it goes without saying that RFDS is not a easy retirement position in the that sense of the word.
<I certainly know that its some of the best (read challenging) flying to be had anywhere in the world>

those requirements put RFDS firmly outside the reach of anybody who has not already given a decade or so of experience to another career path (within aviation) like the lines, so that given,
you'd be hard pressed to keep a family, a house, et cetera and manage to fly for RFDS, because without a line position you'd not make the minimums, and if you had a line position and a young family, then why risk the jump to RFDS ? You'd be a fool to swap it for the uncertainty of the RFDS, especially at the award rate quoted.

confused ?????????????

There are a fair number of pilots that haven't come from "the lines" within the aeromedical fratternity. Get good solid time,(read night, outback flying, black hole approaches and IF) and you can det in .
You can also do all this with a young family

Qld section have several young pilots with less than 5000 hours.
Over time quite a few move on to the airlines.
On the other hand there are those who have made a career of the RFDS.
The conditions are a lot better than any charter outfit. Perhaps not a 'cushy' as airlines - but a lot of pilots do not want to fly for the airlines.

Hurlingham. You say a lot of pilots don't want to fly for the airlines? My guess is that 95% of pilots would love to fly with an airline, but for various reasons cannot get a guernsey.

centaurus
cannot quote percentages - but I know of a lot of pilots over the years who have never applied for nor had any interest in applying for the airlines

Given the high qualifications asked for this position.

Who applied?

Who got the job?

What experience did the succesful applicant have?

Sadly this is a job that I would aspire to, but am only about 60% of the way there on the qualifications!!

I personallly think that the qualifications asked for in this add were far above what would be required to be competent in this position. More to the point even further above anything that would be specified by CASA!!

Cheers, HH.

:ok:

Some of the RFDS pilots with whom I had the pleasure of flying might have given the airlines a go, but many are also the sort of people who want to do more in aviation than go from Cessnae to Boeings in their 20s and stay there.

There is a wonderful enjoyment in bush flying at the highest level (in terms of skill and aircraft) and to boot it is often an incredibly satisfying job, although it does have its moments.

In the current aviation climate, some career diversification is also an advantage. For those who do move on to the airlines having well respected turboprop time would definitely help the prospects of those who may be the victim of any future AN style job losses.

7gcbc...I am very sure that you would be aware that the advertised job would not be at 60K. And at that level of the company, I don't see the position as 'uncertain'.

CS

ps. TQ - the voice is most definitely not a he...and no, she is not here with me, I think moving below the tropic of capricorn was enough for her!

pps. nighthawk and sunny 77, no birdstrikes...might be some questions asked if there were! :ooh: Back home now, so more photos to come once the slides are scanned. ;)

7gcbc

What the fcuk is the "uncertainty of the RFDS" supposed to mean ? These days RFDS job security is safer than half the major airlines. Just what "award rate quoted" are you referring to ?
RFDS SE section all work to EBA's with varying salaries depending on years of service, salary sacrifice arrangements etc. I know RFDS pilots who are NOWHERE NEAR 60 yrs of age who have met the requirements. I also know RFDS pilots who have a family & a house so me thinks you are very confused???
If you are aspiring to be a line pilot with the RFDS I suggest you get out there and "do the hard yards" to gain the necessary experience, there is no quick fix, you either cut the mustard or you don't !

fair points snake, I cannot disagree with you at all.

On first review of this post, it did look, and perhaps incorrectly so that RFDS requires "god" like experience to join.

Hard yards agreed, thats why I'm working on the missus and family to move to 51 Deg North and 0 deg west, not enough options here to get the experience and also keep kids jumpy boingy healthy and pay the great aussie 75 times your income mortgage :D

uncertainty = risk, either financial (cost), physical (oops that rock), compliance (government) , local (government again)., safety (oh dear government again)

Having lived in SA a while back , I can tell you I have never seen the like of small minded beaurocratic idiots anywhere in the world, and I am not kidding, I see no reason to believe that RFDS operations based in Port Agutta or ad-dull would be exempt from the "Ad-dull-ade" syndrome of nit-piking and terminal criticism death...

besides JAA won't hurt a bit.