British Airways Direct Entry Pilot
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 898
Likes: 73
From: UK
There are no restrictions for internal fleet moves, beyond the type and engagement freezes, so you can go directly from 777 to 350 when your freeze is up, provided you have obtained the necessary seniority.
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 100
Likes: 122
From: UK
Is there any reason why any experienced Captain wth the requisite hours wanting to join BA and get themselves on the MSL wouldn't have EF DEC ahead of a direct entry RHS job?
Appreciate that the T&Cs aren't market leading for a Captain but if the alternative is paypoint 1 RHS then...?
Appreciate that the T&Cs aren't market leading for a Captain but if the alternative is paypoint 1 RHS then...?
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 183
Likes: 41
From: UK
Is there any reason why any experienced Captain wth the requisite hours wanting to join BA and get themselves on the MSL wouldn't have EF DEC ahead of a direct entry RHS job?
Appreciate that the T&Cs aren't market leading for a Captain but if the alternative is paypoint 1 RHS then...?
Appreciate that the T&Cs aren't market leading for a Captain but if the alternative is paypoint 1 RHS then...?
Granted when I joined EF didn't exist, but if it did I would have joined mainline RHS 777 over DEC BAEF.
Horses for courses!
Joined: Jan 2025
Aviation Qualifications: SLF
Posts: 166
Likes: 137
From: Mars
There are people considering forgoing an LHR command in favour of the ease of staying RHS for the last 10 to 15 yrs of their career, never mind going to Gatwick to up the ante for less pay.
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 112
Likes: 7
From: Neverland
Joined: Sep 2022
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 328
Likes: 183
From: Perpetually circling OCK for some reason
4 years in company. That’s it. Plenty of 2 stripers walking around at the moment with thousands of jet hours and an ATPL, as well as command experience. It’s a bit much IMHO (particularly as the cadet second officers wear two stripes too), and it means that during the pre briefing coffee the “where were you before?” is quite a loaded question.
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 103
Likes: 2
From: UK
Is it worth doing any of the various online mock tests for the Eagle test itself, even if they are not fully accurate against the real thing? Or better to just read the instructions carefully on the day and take it for what it is.
Joined: Jan 2025
Aviation Qualifications: SLF
Posts: 166
Likes: 137
From: Mars
4 years in company. That’s it. Plenty of 2 stripers walking around at the moment with thousands of jet hours and an ATPL, as well as command experience. It’s a bit much IMHO (particularly as the cadet second officers wear two stripes too), and it means that during the pre briefing coffee the “where were you before?” is quite a loaded question.
I get asked by the genuinely curious with whom it's all a pleasure to discuss and culminates in a sincere "great to have you here" atmosphere. A lot are also curious how my previous operator did certain things and we'd have some great conversations. An insignificant minority are made nervous by the 2 stripes however and interact with me notably different. This becomes more obvious on 3 crew trips where the other FO has 3 stripes. Arguably the "best" captain I have flown with so far didn't ask at all. It may or may not be a coincidence that he was a seriously competent operator. The other end of the spectrum are the ones who see 2 stripes and take from it that it is their duty to redo your line training. Of the 3 experiences of this nature, 2 admitted to having failed trainer bids .. can't think why.
For what it's worth to those looking to join and total clarity, the CRM is to an exceptional standard and any bad experiences are the outliers. It is simply an incomparable environment to my previous loco where every 3rd day you'd be wondering how the other person wasn't in a straight jacket.
Last edited by bda321; 3rd February 2026 at 21:09.
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 182
Likes: 29
From: where I lay my hat
It's a policy which I think is misguided, and is a deterrent to attracting experienced pilots, especially experienced jet captains. And where I fly, there is some correlation between stripes and past experience, so it's not a question that needs to be asked. The people I know who swallowed their pride and swapped 4 for 2 BA stripes, found it an irritating time, with much lip biting required. Another colleague who had to make the same 'double demotion' to go to KLM decided not to go. I used to fly with many ex BA captains, and on avergage, found their deep down CRM poor - patronising, verging on autocratic, though superficially genial. Admittedly, that was many years ago though.
Joined: Apr 2010
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 399
Likes: 17
From: Utopia
Unless you’re a computer whiz kid, I’d highly recommend https://www.skytest.com/ for the capacity test. It’s a decent representation of the actual test (though that’s a bit harder in my opinion) and will show you the various elements and the best way to prioritise. It’s really about workload management and task prioritisation. You will make errors, but better to miss a ‘fuel check’ than have a TCAS RA!
Good luck!
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 70
Likes: 5
From: UK
It's a policy which I think is misguided, and is a deterrent to attracting experienced pilots, especially experienced jet captains. And where I fly, there is some correlation between stripes and past experience, so it's not a question that needs to be asked. The people I know who swallowed their pride and swapped 4 for 2 BA stripes, found it an irritating time, with much lip biting required. Another colleague who had to make the same 'double demotion' to go to KLM decided not to go. I used to fly with many ex BA captains, and on avergage, found their deep down CRM poor - patronising, verging on autocratic, though superficially genial. Admittedly, that was many years ago though.
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 291
Likes: 26
From: Hundred Acre Wood
I was thinking exactly the same. If you’re that bothered about a little bit of fabric on your shoulders, you need to have a word with yourself.
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 21
Likes: 7
From: Mordor
Stripes are usually an external indication of experience. A skipper on first meeting an FO is going to have a different first impression if they have two stripes compared to three despite it having increasingly less bearing on actual experience. It’s something worthy of discussion when almost every other operator uses two to denote a position such as cadet/second officer or experience <1500/<3000hrs, and given how low commands are going I presume there are now many 2 stripers sitting in the left seat during their upgrades.