Good luck to them I say. I wish I had the opportunity of a cadetship when I was starting out.

It's no surprise to me that these guys are doing well, they're young, keen and haven't had GA operators crush their sole. They've just been through all the 7 subjects and IREX, so they're fresh, and bound to be more up to speed than many others.

Welcome aboard I say. The only thing I'm not happy about is there seems to be an attitude that they all walk on water, whereas the direct entry guys are all a bunch of slack idiots. It's a shame. Surely there's benefit of having both groups in the pot...

The first Cadets in Groundschool consisted of the first 6 to graduate. They were the first to graduate because they had previous experience (most had at least a ppl). As far as the remaining 4 dozen or so, well they may take somewhat longer. Most will eventually graduate, but the initial timeline of 8 months has proven to be a wild exageration. Onya' Jim!

Initial reports of their performance in the class room have however been excellent. CTOT340 has correctly identified why. The Sim is next, and provided they maintain their grasp of procedures, and they possess sufficient manipulative skills, then they should do well there also.

Will they solve REX's crewing difficulties. Definitely not, and most here know the reason why. I also wish them the best, but the shortcut to the right seat of a regional turboprop will come at a price. Whether the Cadets are ultimately comfortable with that price will also remain to be seen.

Lets see how they go flying into places like King Is and Wynard on dark stormy night with a captain who doesnt want to be there...in a bucket A model....after pulling 10 peoples bags off and being abused as they hop onbaord the a/c.....

welcome to rex........

and lets no forget, getting paid less than a full time check out chick!!

Salary sacrifice
 

Don't forget, out of that disgraceful wage, the cadets have to salary sacrifice to repay the training 'loan' back to REX.
They will very soon realise that not only are they : 1) bonded for a very, very long time as an FO with NIL upgrade prospect, but 2) they are taking home less than all the other lowly paid FOs due to their training loan repayments.
The shine wears off all too quick. I, like all others, wish them well.

REX Pilots, What's it like?
 

Are there any current or 'use to be' REX pilot's that could give me some info. The reason im asking is because I obviously aspire to be a commercial pilot and love REX...
So;

• What is it like working for Rex, do you enjoy it?
• What is the training, recruitment and testing process? e.g, simulator.
• How many hours were you hired on?
• How often do you fly (hours), your rank and days on days off?
• What aircraft do you fly?
• and if you dont mind, How much money p.a

If you think your answers are to private for public use, you can always PM me...:)

Thanks guys for any info, if I'v missed anything (I have a million Q's) let me know.:ok:

If you really are age 16, I understand where you are coming from - even if it was nearly half a century ago that I was your age!

However, do a search in these forums on Rex and any other company you may be interested in. You will soon learn that Rex pilots in particular are not a happy group of campers. Do not part with any money for so-called 'cadetships' with ANY operator until you really do your homework.

But when you trawl through the forums and read lots of negative stuff, don't be disheartened. Despite the whingers and whiners out there, flying still beats working for a living. Just be careful to pick the right path.

this is going to get ugly...

Lamb of God,
There are other forums that are covering this topic pretty well at the moment, but I'm happy to answer your Q's here.

Working for Rex is fantastic!! Morale is at all time highs, with the pilot group expecially sticking together through the current EBA negotiations. The FO's are over the moon that they get to give a large portion of their profit share to the Capts, and recieve alot less than the companies valued FA's.

The training process is second to none. You are almost trained to the very high standards the company hold. If your really lucky you will be trained well enough to pass a check, but this is rare and there are no guarente's. If you are in the majority and require extra training, you may be lucky enough to receive that training within about a month of failing the check, which is obviously awesome.

The recuitment process is pretty well straight forward. Turning up usually clinches the deal. The guys getting in at the moment have a wide range of experience....anywhere between 350 to 500 hours. The guys at the lower end of the scale usually get in cause they have 10-20 hours ICUS in a seminole or something similar....it's amazing how a bit of twin time makes all the difference.

Rex pilots currently get to fly 6 days a week!! which explains the chipper mood amongst the crew. Sometimes you get to fly with a Capt that has just come off his/her RDO, so he/she is really fresh and dosen't need a quick nap during the cruise....talk about fun times!! Most of the Capts have over 1500 hours and have been in the company for at least 6 months, which is just what you want when your a new FO thats a bit light on the hours. It's just such a good set up.

Rex fly Saab 340 aircraft. They are a great regional airliner however the company does like to think it's as complicated as a space shuttle to fly...but there is no need to worry, the extra training you receive after you fail your checks sorts that out!...How cool is that!!!!

The topic of pay is a sensitive one, but lets just say that the pilots are remunerated in such a way that they can comfortably maintain the life style they enjoyed in GA for the 3 or 6 months that they did it.

So all in all lifes pretty good at Rex. Just keep an eye out for the head of check and training. He's the dude that has his shirt perfectly ironed and doesn't have a hair out of place, infact he often looks like a card board cut out of himself!! His personal skills are second to none and if your really lucky after you fail your check he'll ring you up with a motivational speech that will take your breath away....truely amazing stuff.

Gee, and to think Rex lost over half it's pilots over the past 12 months....makes you wonder doesn't!

Wow, and I thought that somebody would have something negative to say.

FRQ CB

Care to suggest where they should go? I would guess 95% of rex F/Os and plenty of captains have an application with every airline in the country. Trouble is no one is hiring now... So just watch the exodus start when the big boys are "poaching" again.

As for confronting certain people... Well for those who do want to get out I suggest trying that. It will be entertaining! :D

Mudflat, if had to work for REX I want you to be my mentor!

Top work mate and look forward to meeting you in DJ oneday;).

Upgrade?
 

I have seen a few posts in regard to the cadets and them being unable to be upgraded to captains at some stage in there careers?

My understanding is you require 250 hours PIC of which 150 can be ICUS to be upgraded. This taken into consideration why wouldn't the cadets be able to upgrade at some stage down the track?

It's all back in previous posts aviator23, but here goes...

• Minimum req's for ATPL (amongst other things of course) 250 hours command of which 150 may be ICUS. Ergo.. 100 hours must be "Real" command. No dual, no ICUS. REX Cadets finish their course with approx 70 hours "Real" command. 30 hours short of the minimum. No ATPL, no command on the SAAB
• REX have a "LOW" capacity AOC. Do not confuse the command requirements for the ATPL with the requirements of the AOC. Two completely different things. However under the provisions of the AOC, pilots must have at least 500 hours multi command under Instrument Flight Rules to qualify. This may be ICUS, but at present the only way a candidate can log such is by sitting in the LHS under the supervision of a qualified Check &/or Training Captain in the RHS. Many will try to tell you otherwise, but the logging of ICUS without a structured syllabis is only permitted from the RHS for the purpose of hours towards the ATPL! CASA have come to realise this to their embarresment.

These are just 2 barriers to Cadets ever holding a command at REX. Whether or not these issues are ever resolved, only time will tell. One thing is for sure, if a certain REX senior pilot tells you it's all been taken care of, make sure you count your fingers after you shake his hand :E

I suppose the only thing to do would be to obtain the additional 30 hours command, get out of Rex and try to obtain a position with another airline??

If only it was that easy...

captaincy
 

hey krust.......just letting you guys know that the solo rate the are charging at mangalore is 115 an hour......so they have offered us to finish an additional 30 hours vfr or ifr if we so desire......this means for 4000 extra you have the required hours to gain captaincy

also atpl's are encouraged......one of the boys did all his atpls prior to gradutaing in the first group.....

its all about how committed you are.......

anyways

its not as bad as people say:ok:

what the?
Doing an extra 30 hours to be able to gain captaincy...are you on drugs? You cannot possibly leave the flying school with the required hours to hold a command on the Saab 340. (full stop - let me emphasize that). There is a large gap between the hours cadets will have and the hours cadets will need to hold a command and they can't be filled just from sitting in right hand seat alone. There needs to be a formal training process in place which is not in existence now...

strathmore dave,

i've got a 1976 Datsun 120y for sale, it's only got 450000km's and is in ripper condition....(only a little rust around the chasis)

and i only want $4000 grand for her.....interested?

Givemore Dave,.....
 

.....what is another $4000 on top of $80,000? Sounds like a bloody good deal. On top of that, you get command of a Saab in no time!

Once you're told a myth enough times, you start believing it. And by the way, CASA has approved ICUS from the right seat today, all you have to do is turn up for work and keep the hopes alive.......and if all else fails, you can pay a little more to buy hours from the REX cadet school.

And if you ever fly with Capt Krusty, please don't tell him that you're logging ICUS from the right seat, just do it quietly with alot of discretion. And that's because you're not starting/shutting down the engines, steering the aircraft, completed/ing a structured CASA approved Command training program,etc......and most of all, he isn't paid a single cent more to be supervising you in any shape or form.

Good luck with it.

Crikey Chipmunk, I'm not that much of an ogre! I do however agree with what you said.

Pretzal, the extra 30 hours will only give the candidate the minimum command time (exclusive of ICUS) required to hold an ATPL. Lots more to get re: the requirements for the AOC and all the other ATPL requirements.

My estimate, 4-5 years at best. That of course depends on CASA agreeing to water down the existing regs! :rolleyes: