CSA China Southern!
 

Hi there,
I am going to Guanghzou for selection process and looking for info about that company. Anybody here who has some piece of knowledge???
They are part of Sky Team so ther should be some company culture but who knows....;)

Many thanks

China Southern is one of the better Chinese airlines but it is still a Chinese airline.

Read some of my posts to get an idea of what it is like to fly for a Chinese airline.

The only information I can give is - don't trust the Chinese. They don't honour their contracts, they cancel your days off and they are not safe to fly with.

Find another job !

Hi,
that's your personal experience?

Thanks :ok:

CSA info
 

If you want first hand info PM me or skype matt wuillemin

Some trials and tribulations but overall working okay ...

If you can get 18000 per month tax paid , for 80 hours work on a heavy crew everywhere such that you spend half your time in a bunk , let me know where it is !

And safety wise... Just got a 250 uSD bonus for all employees for ten million accident free hours.., not sure what and accident defined as but sounded good to me

WJA :bored::ok:
..

Woodja,
Can you produce a document from the Chinese Tax Authority showing that you have paid in the vicinity of $12000 per month? Not a letter from the company saying they have paid said amount.

Without documentation that proves you are paying taxes somewhere, as far as Uncle Sam is concern, he would want his full share:ugh: if they don't provide you with proper documents, it is not a net salary.:=

Reply
 

Seen the reports on the tax thingy from the guys who have been here longer than me and contract states as much ... Not tested it but working on the article 15 para 3 of the tax law ...looked at by a few QCs which said should stand scrutiny i am lead to believe.. But who knows ... Until actually served the ungreased baseball at by the ATO one never knows...:8:8

china southern
 

Hi
Does anyone know how many expat pilots work at China southern airline at the moment?
Thanks

Well, there'll be two openings after this. My understanding was that it was a local crew, but I'm not certain.

China Southern so cheap they wont deice - Airline Pilot Central Forums

Send this report the chinese CAAC in ZGGG,they will crucify the crew!,chinese or not.
It is certainly not the airline being cheap,they are anal about safety,it is the crew irresponsability.

Possible reasons not to de-ice in China.

1. Crew has newspapers covering the cockpit windows most of the time. They don't know it is snowing outside.

2. Crew is watching movies on their IPADs. They don't know it is snowing outside.

3. Crew is smoking so much they cannot see outside the windows, assuming they don't have newspapers covering the cockpit windows.

4. All of the above.

And more-

5. Neither crew member even know there is an Fcom section devoted to cold wx ops because their 'training' captain didn't know either.

6. No-one from dispatch told them to deice.

De ice
 

Last week ex CDG was around zero deg for the early mornng departure... Lots of deicing going on around the ramp but clear skies etc.. Our wing had some clear ice and frost etc which concerned me during walkaround. We transferred the outers before refuel ( which seems a bit new to the chinese crew- see fcom cold fuel ) as they always land with outers full as fuel is never an issue.

I mentioned to the chinese captain about deicing and he seemed keen to take my advice without a problem.. As it was we both asked the air france engineer his thoughts and he said it was fine to go as it was pretty mch gone by departure.

Point ... Csa guys seem okay taking advice to do safe thing with out issue. Having said that the newspapers on windows then using weather radar to avoid buildups rather than MK1 eyeball during a day flight seems odd to me....?

Otherwise, the 330 operation seems pretty reasonable to me ( ozzi expat captain 12 years with Emirates , so got a reasonable benchmark to work with )

Honestly I like the way Csa dont get wrapped around axles over use of correct coloured bic for paperwork etc myself...

And they seem keen to take foreign pilots suggestions on board , especially the first officers...for intelligent use of systems / decisions etc.

Overall i feel pretty safe:ok::(

There are some things the Chinese do incredibly well. A few things, they could teach the rest of the world. For instance, if you work for a Chinese airline, the Chinese run their airports more efficiently than anything i have ever seen. They have fewer staff on the ground, and less ground support equipment, than I have seen anywhere. Or maybe it is just that it is next to a terminal that would do the world's largest international airport proud, but the airport has only 1 runway?

But............

In some ways they are way off in left field. All the airbus guys in China, not just my airline, use Auto on the radar exclusively. I have seen a bunch of airbuses divert from an airfield with nothing but light rain (all the Boeings landed),and more humorously, I have watched airbuses ask for radar vectors around terrain features, on VFR days. Wuhan, in particular, always shows up as a big red thunderstorm at about 120 miles if you are using auto on the radar. I watched as aircraft ahead of me asked ATC for radar vectors around Wuhan, and my FO asked me if I wanted to do the same. I flipped the radar to manual, and pulled his newspapers off his front window. We went straight through "it". Clear air.

I saw this many,many times.

WXRDR
 

Yes, "auto /+ 8 gain seems to be the order of the day...rather than MAN / CAL -2.5 tilt etc and yes have seen a few attempts to drive around islands etc!

Still, cant blame them for starting with it in the former position then refining for actual avoidance but that seems not to happen all the time...

WJA

Maybe they followed their sops by the book,not less than XXXX vertical clearance using manual tilt;-)

USMC Probe
I have to disagree with you on this, but then again, I've only been here 8 years::{:ugh:

I find that in China there is at least twice if not three times the amount of personnel found in either the US or Europe..... perhaps a side effect of cheaper labor?

On all other points you are spot on.

Cheers
Colocolo

I found it just the opposite. Like I said, maybe it is just because the airports are so big and spread out, even though most have only 1 or 2 runways. If they have 1 runway they usually have 1 very hard working supertug pushing back all the airplanes on the airport, driving like a Chinese taxi driver between aircraft. But he gets the job done incredibly quickly and efficiently. You know it is your turn to push when the chain smoking tug driver comes racing up the front of your aircraft. Brilliantly efficient IMHO.

The opposite end of the sprectrum for me is Heathrow. I haven't been there since O4, but I used to go there all the time. They could take the ground support equipment and personnel, spread them across 3 other London Heathrows, and still have extra stuff. There was so much equipment on the ground you parked the aircraft not between yellow lines, but between ground support equipment. ORD isn't much better.

USMCprobe
......
Would that be ZJSY? :)
You are correct, there are a few airports where this happens, but in general there are many tugs available and are all manned.
Commonly for a flight (1 aircraft) I have observed and counted ( to the best of my ability:8) at peak 23 to 25 persons "attacking" the aircraft. These people include mechanics (engineers), loaders, cleaners, gate agents, jet bridge driver, guards, servicing trucks, fueling personnel and assorted supervisors. The amazing part is that this is not only my aircraft being "attacked" but 6 or 8 other aircraft at the same moment.
Do not misunderstand me, I think it is great. But cannot recall (my memory fails sometimes:confused:) in the last 25 years seeing this on a daily basis in either the US or Europe.

Off subject. The size and quantity of new airports in this place is just incredible. Now, the "size" and "quantity" of pollution is outright frightening:eek:

Cheers

Colocolo

Hi
 

I have passed the screening just now and we should be the first group for A320.
There are a few pilots on the 777/A330 from Japan,Korean and Spain up to 30.
Will know more later on.

Take care

Which agency?
 

Saw the BAA add for CSA 330 skippers. Am thinking about applying. Have heard to stay well clear of Top Flight. Which agency would be best to apply through? Many have the job on offer.

Which agency
 

I am working with Parc and I have to say they are the best. Parc representative was there during all stages of screening and gave us very good support :ok:

Holiday, you may wish to revisit your statement after the story on Parcs involvement in the 'Caac doctors incapacitate a foreign Captain' is revealed. For anyone undergoing aircrew medicals in the Prc, it makes riveting reading. Parc doesn't fare too well.

Holidays,

Thank you for replying. I will apply via the BAA advert. or maybe Parc. The other options are Top Flight, Rishworth and a few others.

CS

CSA interview
 

I have an interview with CSA in another month and would really appreciate a PM so I could talk to somebody there. And before I get slammed by the know it all's, I spent 2 years in China, and I've flown in Asia for 20+ years so I'm not new to this game. It is what it is and I have not been lucky enough to have my legacy carrier hold together long enough for me to retire, thus I need to explore all the avenues yet open to me. Yes, the medical in China is tough and getting worse now with the Brain MRI/MRA but.....

So, if you could give me a PM, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

330 fleet - 8 MEL based captains (2 more started training last week), 3 CAN based captains.
A bunch of Japanese 777 guys also.
Extremely high number of interview/medical/ATPL failures unfortunately.
Overall a good gig. In hindsight, extremely glad to have made the jump. Positives considerably outweigh the negatives.
As someone mentioned, so long as you can roll with the punches, all is sweet.

List B countries...
 

Hi there,
I have received bad news from CSA that I can't continue....The main reason is list B!!! What is the list B : there are a lot of countries which had a problem with CAAC in the past or present regarding licence verifycation/safety issue and possible threat for public safety in China.
So before your mission to China check that with your agency if you are on list A or B......otherwise you'll spent a few money for nothing "like me"!

Keep blue side UP :)

Holiday, sorry to hear about that. I'm surprised they didn't have this info during the selection process if its such a problem. But, the fact that you made it through is a testament you're now physically fit for the next space mission.

I did have a question about the timing between you doing the interview and then getting the bad news. It seems like its been about three months. Did you end up sitting at home all this time waiting for a class?

The reason I ask, I've been invited to be probed and humiliated but I can't sit around for months.

It's going to be a good year and as a 320 Captain, more opportunities will show themselves. I spent two years flying in China and if you have anything else, take it.

Hi Jaz
 

Thanks to god that I am employed still. Yeah, you are right it's about three months after screening. They told me that situation has changed and right now they can't accept pilots from list B! Of course I'll continue with job hunting :ok:
I meet a few foreign pilots and all of them said if I can work here you have to be patient. Normally it takes 6-7 months to get a job :ugh:

Take care

CSA cancels
 

Ok, it appears CSA just cancelled the 320 interviews about a week before they were to happen. Can anyone else confirm this?

I sounds like the company doesn't have it's act together yet if they ever will.

I would try Shenzhen for the 320. I would say that they have had their act together better than any other 320 operator in China as far as hiring expats for the last couple of years. It can change tomorrow.

This statement will probably make no sense to someone who never worked in China. If the office that handles the recruitment of expats doesn't know what they are doing, they will screw up most of the recruiting. And it will cost you your potential job, through no fault of your own.

This permeates every facet of your job in China, from the food you eat, to your medical, training etc.

Thanks
 

Yes, you are right about that and I'm sure there is a few of us that will be looking into that. I know Shenzhen Air has been managing expats for a long time.

Holy crap - from not accepting licenses way after the successful screening to cancelling screening last minute I am getting some bad vibes - got a 777 screening soon - and well - not keeping high expectations!!

CSA - info
 

If you want some info on the sim PM me... I am 330 but some of my mates have done the 777 recently... be prepared for a bit of a workout, but nothing too tough ... if you can get into a sim and practice some dual hyd failures, and NPAs not using Lnav Vnav then that might help too...

Wodja - check your PM. Cheers

Hi,are you flying A330 for CSa.in GUANGZHOU? Can I ask you for help to buy the book-- Flight Technique Analysis for Professional Pilots(by Les Kumpula)? I fly 737 there. I don.t understand how to pay it on the net .:ugh:

CSA
 

Any infos on the working environment from B744 skippers?
Which destinations their 744 fly?
Many thanks.

FLYZHZ.. goto Flight Technique Analysis for Professional Pilots Book, eBook, Les Kumpula, CCH Publishing Co., ISBN-13 none, Aircraft Technical Book Company, Aviation Books and Video Resources your book is now can be downloaded as a EBOOK...

and its cheaper too....

BAA
 

I've been searching high and low but can't find the website for Business Aviation Australia. Can anyone PM me if you have it? Thanks!