British Airways Direct Entry Pilot

[SierraHotel83]

Has anyone picked up a sim slot on the 747 in Feb? I’ve heard it may be a possibility…

[maxed-out]

Good evening all,

I was wondering if there is anyone on this thread involved with the training department who would be happy to answer a question I have?

Currently busy with the application process BA Long Haul and will do my Capacity test soon. I am eligible to apply under the “ Hold an EASA ATPL licence and meet the “Third Country CPL and ATPL licence conversion requirements” set out by the UK CAA (route 3, 4, 5 or 6).” I had a U.K. licence before.

As it wasn’t clear in the application section, my question is this: If successful, do I need to convert to a U.K. CAA Licence before the Type Rating start date or is the BA training, type rating and skill test used to “open” my U.K. licence? The CAA guidance isn’t really that clear. The reason I am asking is because if I have to pay for for a sim slot on my current type, to convert to a UK licence via UK examiner LST, it’s going to be eye watering.

Very long winded, sorry. Happy to also take a PM so as not to clog up the discussion here.
thank you

[wtsmg]

Originally Posted by SierraHotel83

Has anyone picked up a sim slot on the 747 in Feb? I’ve heard it may be a possibility…

I'd be very surprised if they're still paying to run sims for an acft type they retired nearly 4 years ago. I can think of a few 744 operators who probably would have liked to buy them after covid.

[bylgw]

There are still two 747 sims sitting in the sim hall.

[garethkeenan]

Originally Posted by wtsmg

I'd be very surprised if they're still paying to run sims for an acft type they retired nearly 4 years ago. I can think of a few 744 operators who probably would have liked to buy them after covid.

Originally Posted by bylgw

There are still two 747 sims sitting in the sim hall.

And they’re often used by those operators

[wtsmg]

Fair enough!

[Airbus Airhead]

Originally Posted by SierraHotel83

Has anyone picked up a sim slot on the 747 in Feb? I’ve heard it may be a possibility…

Did they follow up your email confirming it was now airbus? I was sent 74 paperwork in the original email and then they contacted with airbus details. Mines in late Feb

[Phantom4]

Originally Posted by Airbus Airhead

Did they follow up your email confirming it was now airbus? I was sent 74 paperwork in the original email and then they contacted with airbus details. Mines in late Feb

AA,are you able to fly the 320 with director off,no bird,manual thrust and handle a Notech Event???
Thats what you are tasked with if you get the 320 or 380,good luck.

[takeoff320]

Hi all,
- i've just completed my capacity test so anyone who has questions ... feel free to DM me
- secondly, does anyone know how long the fleet freeze is on the 320 LHR?
Thanks in advance

[Alrosa]

Easier said than done I know as I did my sim assessment on the 747 - but it is worth reminding folk they are NOT expecting you to fly the aircraft perfectly, nor is the assessment about how accurately you can fly an unfamiliar aircraft raw data and handle some minor distractions.

It’s more about “managing” the flight as a team - non technical skills are what it’s really about .

If you search the really old threads re previous sim assessments at BA, you’ll see people passed with average raw data flying skills….some people were fast on speed, others became unstable on approach etc…but they worked together to fix it ! if the other guy is struggling or their capacity bucket is full, offer guidance and manage the workload together etc.

Put another way, you could fly the aircraft perfectly and to test pilot standard but if you let the other guy sink or ignore them you ain’t going to pass.

Conversely you can make handling errors, become unstable and go around - but if you’ve worked effectively with the other guy to manage the distractions and problems - well that’s possibly going to paint you in a much better light .

Unlike some other airlines, BA put the emphasis on teamwork in their sim assessments not handling perfection….you can make mistakes and still pass…

[Busdriver01]

Originally Posted by Phantom4

AA,are you able to fly the 320 with director off,no bird,manual thrust and handle a Notech Event???
Thats what you are tasked with if you get the 320 or 380,good luck.

If it's your sector, you're the Captain. Offload the manual flying to the other person (the 'FO') while you manage the non-tech stuff, and make it as easy for them to listen to what they're saying by asking for radar vectors in straight and level flight. Then, once the Abnormal Management model has been complete, you take over so they can check the box, do what they need to do, etc etc.

[takeoff320]

Hi all, does anyone know what the briefing style in BA is like? What format do they follow?

[Raph737]

Originally Posted by takeoff320

Hi all, does anyone know what the briefing style in BA is like? What format do they follow?

It’s a briefing, talk about how are you going to fly. That’s not the point of the assessment, focus on non-tech/crm, not on something they know you shouldn’t know. Won’t give you extra points at all. Brief how you brief at your airline and make it interactive I would say 👍.

[PPRuNeUser0214]

Hi all, has anyone got any feedback from the interview? It would be much appreciated, thanks!

[Fursty Ferret]

Originally Posted by takeoff320

Hi all, does anyone know what the briefing style in BA is like? What format do they follow?

Make your briefing threat-based and set sensible gates and bottom lines. Don’t just identify and name threats, come up with a plan to avoid them.

Everyone gets bored of the person who just reads the approach plate verbatim and calls it a “briefing”. We know what an ILS is. What’s different about this one?

[Kanukku]

Back to a question regarding commuting: I’ve heard some LH guys and gals live abroad, but I was wondering how that works out tax/social security wise and whether the way to do this would necessarily have to be part-time? Say one gets on as a junior 777 guy, is commuting from Central Europe feasible?

Thanks for the heads up

[White Van Driver]

Originally Posted by Kanukku

Back to a question regarding commuting: I’ve heard some LH guys and gals live abroad, but I was wondering how that works out tax/social security wise and whether the way to do this would necessarily have to be part-time? Say one gets on as a junior 777 guy, is commuting from Central Europe feasible?

Thanks for the heads up

Plenty do it full time. 5 trips a month or so. bit of a pain with reserve, youll spend some time in a LHR hotel (crew rate).
Better if it's a base with plenty of BA flights.

[BentleyTheDog]

Hi,

Who would you recommend for a practice sim session before the assessment? I have found a few different places but it would be nice to hear from some people that have actually been there. The ones I am considering are Motion, PM flight and FSM, any reviews or other recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks

[bylgw]

PM Flight

[wiggy]

Originally Posted by Kanukku

Back to a question regarding commuting: I’ve heard some LH guys and gals live abroad, but I was wondering how that works out tax/social security wise and whether the way to do this would necessarily have to be part-time? Say one gets on as a junior 777 guy, is commuting from Central Europe feasible?

Thanks for the heads up

As an ex-commuter very much agree with White Van Driver's comments about viability and choosing somewhere that has lots of direct flights into London.

I'm not involved in this anymore so happy to be corrected but with regard to tax etc the usual situation in very basic terms was that you paid a reduced amount of UK Income Tax, exact amount based on the percentage of your duty time spent in the UK, but you paid full UK National Insurance (social charge on income).

The tax/social charge situation in your country of residence varies, local rules and taxtreaties with UK.