BA Direct Entry Pilot.
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Llanfairtwiddlytwiddly
Age: 44
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The two I know of are both leaving it.
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Botswana
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How old are they though? If they’re less than 30 and their true endgame is BA long haul then imho it’s a foolish decision. Their seniority will jump far quicker on SH as opposed to being endlessly junior as a LH pilot doing six low credit crap trips missing virtually an entire week of sleep in the calendar month.
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: uk
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You have a short time window to accept or decline then they just contact next on the pool list.
Many people going down to MSL 3750 coming out of SH freeze and release for aspirational LH bid.
350 fleet will have nine aircraft end 2020.
Many people going down to MSL 3750 coming out of SH freeze and release for aspirational LH bid.
350 fleet will have nine aircraft end 2020.
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Dublin
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Botswana
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Also known as the “what type rating is on their licence” field. It’s utter nonsense. The BA sim has always been about being able to demonstrate the ability to pass a Type Rating on a Long Haul fleet.
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Sussex
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Not anymore. The BA sim is now about whether or not they think you should go into the A320 only hold pool or the LH hold pool and it depended on your performance in the sim and total experience levels, but not type rating. This was said to me explicitly during my sim check last summer.
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Dublin
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I was told this directly by someone carrying out the interviews so would be surprised if they were lying. How else do they decide to offer some the choice of LH/SH and some SH only?
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Botswana
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No I’m not disputing what you’re saying it’s absolutely correct, it’s a recent “change”. My cynical mind is just suspecting that it’s being used as a convenient tool to be able to coerce someone into taking a SH position by making it look as though that candidate has somehow failed to make “the grade” for long haul. The truth is that the BA sim has always been pass/fail with a long haul conversion in mind so have they suddenly dropped the standard?
It’s also a complete nonsense from the POV that, other than your seniority number, there is no further assessment from inside the company to “Long Haul Suitability” once the engagement freeze is over so someone who has five years of SH behind them when doing the BA sim but assessed as “unsuitable for long haul” isn’t really going to be any significantly more or less suitable after another five years. So as I say it’s a convenient tool for the company to get more people onto SH.
It’s also a complete nonsense from the POV that, other than your seniority number, there is no further assessment from inside the company to “Long Haul Suitability” once the engagement freeze is over so someone who has five years of SH behind them when doing the BA sim but assessed as “unsuitable for long haul” isn’t really going to be any significantly more or less suitable after another five years. So as I say it’s a convenient tool for the company to get more people onto SH.
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: uk
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LH suitability is your ability to demonstrate effectively that you can operate the sim which in this case is 744 to a high standard.By this I mean close to LPC standard.It used to be 2000hrs but the process has evolved.
The assessor has to ask himself will the candidate be able to cope with maybe just two or three landings a month with extremes of weather possible.If in doubt revert to SH until they have built up enough competency to cope with the aforementioned scenario.
The assessor has to ask himself will the candidate be able to cope with maybe just two or three landings a month with extremes of weather possible.If in doubt revert to SH until they have built up enough competency to cope with the aforementioned scenario.
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: The Peaks
Age: 45
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LH suitability is your ability to demonstrate effectively that you can operate the sim which in this case is 744 to a high standard.By this I mean close to LPC standard.It used to be 2000hrs but the process has evolved.
The assessor has to ask himself will the candidate be able to cope with maybe just two or three landings a month with extremes of weather possible.If in doubt revert to SH until they have built up enough competency to cope with the aforementioned scenario.
The assessor has to ask himself will the candidate be able to cope with maybe just two or three landings a month with extremes of weather possible.If in doubt revert to SH until they have built up enough competency to cope with the aforementioned scenario.
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: UK
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Pretty much as I saw it. In fact in the sim brief the instructor asked what rumours we had heard about the session. To clear it up he said you have to prove you will not be a financial liability to BA and pass the TR and line training without fuss. Secondly, do you have the ability to handle a heavy off the bat (based on virtually no candidate arrives with 747 experience). If you check the LH box your hold pool says hold pool, if you don't it says A320 hold pool (apparently).
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: surrey
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Samsonite Avenue
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Whilst I am unaware of the criteria that are used to determine if they can shorten a type rating course based on previous experience, those with widebody experience will probably be earmarked for a widebody type from the outset. This would reduce the availability of widebody courses for those without experience and who may be hoping for a course.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: London
Age: 45
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Rosters in BA are completely different to what you probably experienced before. They are a very personal thing since we can put so many preferences into the system. Sharing a junior roster would therefor not be of any use since you are most likely unable to find out what the owner (once the roster is published in BA you become the owner of your roster, it therefor doesn't change anymore and is pretty much written in concrete, on average I had 1 roster change every other year) their rostering preferences are.
For example I'm relatively senior on SH and if you look at my roster you would probably be disgusted, I work pretty much every weekend. For me on the other hand weekends are not important and preventing them is not something I put in my preferences. The same goes for consecutive days off, early/lates, tours/daytrips, destinations, etc., etc.
With regards to SH rosters expect to have limited control on your roster the first year. If you want one weekend off and that is your only preference you probably get it. If you want a weekend off, LIS night stops, lates and only three day tours you will fail until you get around 50% seniority. At the current rate of recruitment getting to 50% seniority should take you about 2-3 years. What I'm trying to say with the previous example is the more senior you get the more picky you can get with your preferences till the point were you are no 1 on the list were you litterly write your own roster.
On LH you get the same, with the difference being that every unfrozen pilot who joined the company before you once they move to your LH fleet will slot in more senior to you. To get to 50% seniority on LH could therefore easily take up to 8-10 years.
Last edited by Jumbo2; 8th Feb 2020 at 11:10.