Can anybody give me an idea of the roster pattern for a Dash Captain based out of Exeter please? I have been working abroad since I left Flybe and would like to come home now! However if the roster is the same as 2007 then I guess I will be staying where I am. The 5 on 2 off earlies to lates was bloody awful. It is the reason I left.

Indeed, and the fact they're not supposed to do it any more is only because a few years ago the pilots went the brink with the company and they blinked. So we're supposed to have a minimum of 60hrs over 2 days off, which you'll usually get, although normally not an hour more. However bad as that was, now the gloves have come off under EASA, the same individual is in charge of rostering and issuing EASA complaint rosters with brutal pleasure and you would think of your workload and energy levels 5y ago as a kind of halcyon golden age in comparison, I know I do. Also I doubt you'd get near EXT for a while as I believe it's the Northern bases that are permanently short. Make sure you talk to lots of people at Flybe before jumping back here.

Just announced to the markets this morning, that the CFO PDK has resigned and will be leaving in October for a position elsewhere.

And the DFO has just jumped ship too with immediate effect

Jumped ship or pushed?

Current Situation
 

Hi all. Wannabe here considering potential cadet programmes, one of which is an MPL with FlyBe. Have read through this forum and there is some great insights. I'm just looking to tap into any knowledge you can share on the current situation at FlyBe (noticed they were loss making) and also whether there is good prospects to transition to a jet (within or outwith the company) in the future. Much appreciated.

Just curious. How junior is the E175 for FOs? What are the most junior and most senior E175 bases? Don't worry, I realise nobody can ever be hired into the E175 and that the long progression is from the Dash.

It's been a story of extremes. Up until 2y or so ago guys were RHS Dash for 6-7y with no sniff of RHS jet. 18 months ago we couldn't give away spaces on some jet conversion courses, because of pilot attrition rates and E195's coming out of mothballs guys were getting on it with only 12m or so on the Dash. That attrition has slowed down markedly so has movement, along with the return of some E195's everything's slowing down again. Most junior bases probably the smaller ones (DSA CWL) with not a lot in it between BHX/MAN and maybe EXT being a bit more senior.

A couple of questions on joining the dash fleet..
 

Greetings all, I'm in the process of applying for Flybe through the MPL cadet scheme, just a couple of quick questions if anyone could assist?

How many sectors does line training typically take? Is there a minimum number of sectors?
I assume Flybe will fly you all the way up to the 900 hours per year maximum?
What is the likelihood of being based at Southampton? (First choice)

Many thanks, have a great day.

About 40.
The company are supposed to be capping Dash drivers at 775 this financial year and 750 the next, we'll see about that come next March though. Rolling totals are about 800-850 at the moment.
It's not unheard of but I wouldn't rely on a southern base straight out of the gate.

On the Q400, you are more likely to be given Scottish bases to begin with. After 2 years you will be able to apply for a transfer, if operations allow.

Fantastic company for a first job, with the prospect to command in 3 years.

One of the lowest 5yr bond in the industry, 18K GBP, payable over 4 years, starting from year 2.

Have joined the company quite recently. My opinion is that the company treats its people very well. Training Academy is fantastic and instructors have a high level of knowledge. It is perfect for a first airline job. Dash is a bit of pig sometimes but a lot of fun as well ! I can confirm on what has been said previously. They are looking to base most people up North and hours are being capped due to fatigue. Overall, really enjoying my time here.

Glad you're happy there - I was too although as others have said the rostering was harsh on the Q400 in my early days due the lates to earlies.

Brilliant people, brilliant training, approachable management, superb locations and the prospect of an Embraer and excellent 5/5 part time roster pattern too if you can get it. If I hadn't been hoofed off the Embraer due to restructuring I probably would have stayed there my whole career - many do and I don't blame them.

I spent 7 very happy years at Flybe and still miss it despite moving on to shiny jets at a Legacy carrier.

Nice to find a company with such a positive culture. I was always very vocal - critical but constructive on their in house discussion board and never suffered any repercussions from management even when I was quite critical of them. Needless to say I wouldn't dream of doing that where I am now, you'd be very quickly beheaded!

Agree with all said previously.
Captain package is quit nice, with all benefit and the 12pr cent pension.

All pilots have extra allowance of 25£ per night stop, extra 18£(FO)/30£(cpt) per hours above 75hr a month.
800hr max a year for ejet pilots, 775hr for Q400 (will become 750hr next 1st April 2018)
Roster seems to be better and better now we finally have the right amount of crew.
Exemple for me, back from 9days holiday, 3on 3off 5on 3off 3on 2off 2on and again 9days holidays (as cpt, you have 35days, so 4×9off in winter and 2x9 off in summer + 5days Flybe give you when they want (exemple 2days off + 1 days leave)
I know currently FO do lots of 2 sectors days, captain is still busy depending of base (some long term sick pilots on mine.)

Chaps, I’m an ex military helicopter pilot currently flying air ambulance, I’ve kept a fixed wing CPL/IR current for 12 years. I really want to do my last 10 years Flying for an airline, but I want that “family” feel rather than chase the cash. Would you recommend Flybe for someone who isn’t looking for a stepping stone?

Yes.

Assuming they have not changed significantly since 2005, they are most certainly a 'family' style airline. I don't know if they still do this, but one thing that impressed me was that the whole crew - pilots and cabin crew - all briefed for a flight seated around the same table. In this way there was a very good interchange of information and CRM was excellent. There was no 'us and them', it was 'the crew'. After the basics of the days' flying had been decided, the Number 1 would set a scenario, for example a rejected take-off or an on board fire, and every member of the crew would talk about it and what they would do. Pilots picked up things about the cabin crew duties we didn't know, and vice versa.

They will work you very hard though - I did 870 hours in my last year with them. The pay is not brilliant and those 6 on/2 off duties are killers, (if they still do them), but their training and standards are/were very good.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them.

Flybe changed fairly significantly in 2013/14. Admittedly most of the things you have listed did not change, except 6 on is now followed by 3 off. There are still ways of reducing the length of the 3 days off though, and 6 days of 4 to 6 sectors is still brutal even with 3 recovery days.

I did enjoy the joint briefing too, and felt it was beneficial to CRM throughout the day. I'm not sure it would work in my current job though timewise with a 1hr report, it was fine on a 78 seat aircraft at a small airport with 2 pilots and 2 crew and green light boarding at STD-20.

Thanks, sounds like my thing. Will definitely have a look to see if I am what THEY want

I just posted my roster above. From where do you see 6on 3off ?? It now not permitted to have 6 days on of flight in a raw, it can only be 5on with flight and 1 of positioning.
And it has never happened to me in the last year ...
Ok to say most of the flights for the summer were 4 sectors day, but winter schedule has now started, I have 50 or cent of 2 sectors day.

Rules and regs can always be manipulated. There are limits on hours for days/week/month/year. Companies who are quiet in winter can hammer the summer but the rules usually give some protection over 12 months.
To survive, companies have had to employ GOOD ops staff. So well done Flybe.
Those who employ poor ops planners end up cancelling hundreds of flights and end up all over the news

Shockingly low pay though unfortunately. I'm looking for a 'nice' company to build additional hours as I only get 200 hours a year on my BizJet and I'm waiting to upgrade to LHS.

Unfortunately my RHS pay is only a few percent less than FlyBe captains and a fair bit more than double their FO pay so not even nearly possible while maintaining current mortgage etc.

My current gig is good for existing captains though who like a 6 figure salary and to be home most of the time .... but at the current rate, I will be sitting on the right for another 7 years to get to 4000TT.

Globally, why change? Run those figures for the next 20 yrs and you are better off where you are surely. Even with a 7 year wait you fly 500 hours less then an airline bod, you can enjoy your family and even have a hobby or two. Enviable.

Cabin crews in our orange company (euro based) are getting that kind of money. And it is pretty sad if you have to work your days off to get an acceptable salary...

The only reason to jump from corporate (which I did a few years ago) is job stability: two of my previous company went bankrupt in the last 3 years, with little warning signs.
In the airlines you will work much harder, but at least you won't be worried about not having a job overnight.

Monarch! Bit of a bold statement.

That hardly happened overnight!

Er....yes it did.

First I knew of it was reading a newspaper on the train the next day....

It was about the third time they were rumoured to go under overnight. Most of us were expecting it for ages

Weren't they about to collapse the last year as well?
Plus they were not exactly making huge profits.

In corporate you are at the whim of the owner or the shareholders. The company can make billions, but if they wake up on a bad mood one day...
One example: General Electric flight department in US has just been closed, leaving tens of pilots on the street, with two weeks notice. The company just decided to charter instead of using their own metal.

On the other side the JP Morgan pilots just got 80k USD annual pay rise, plus other benefits. But again, who knows till when this will last...

Number 1, junior cabin crew ? After how many years ? Sorry to say that but I always have a doubt about random number throw in a forum ... According to the press, Ryanair cabin crew make 40 000 euro, but it appears it is for senior+trainer+base manager with the full contract ...

If so good as CC with the orange, why we have so much coming to purple ? (At least at my base).

Flybe pay the type to their pilots, you have a bond but nothing to pay back if you stay.
I know ... nobody cares today about that today, because it is "normal nowday ... Still 20/25£ in your pocket than in the airline bank account.

FO have an increase of 3000£ salary every years for the first 3 years than 2000£ per annum after (does stop after 10)

I don't know the roster of other airline (i know lots of disparity in the world between airline).
But you have 2 sectors days with Flybe.
Does give you a duty time sometime as low as 4h/4h30. Plenty of time to enjoy your life on a working day.

I m definitely not saying Flybe is the best of the best. If your life is all about the big numbers at this end of the pay check, definitely not Flybe, ... but if other considerations, I understand why some people stay there and are happy, definitely not a bad airline when you take all in count.

Me too I was in corporate before, had 2 bankrupt ...

You probably know that in the orange world contracts are country dependant.
In my country for example they have a very favorable tax system, for which pilots and cabin crew end up with a more than decent net salary, compared to other contracts with similar gross amounts.
A purser here makes on average 3k eur net a month plus yearly bonus, just to give you an idea. A second officer makes 50% more than that. A normal cabin crew around 500 less a month.
Salary does not go up with time, a year 1 purse makes the same as a year 10. Same for pilots, a part from the normal progression from second, to first, to senior f/o. Loyalty bonus is a slightly different subject.
I am not throwing numbers, these are actual figures.

Sorry for the off topic.

Anyone have any idea if they have employed experienced jet captains onto the dash?
Ive many 1000s of Widebody hrs, but this may not be considered suitable for a TP job?!

Im just a number in my current company.

I know of at least two ex 320 drivers. I suspect they take each case on merit.

Yes we do definitely, not just the classic near retirement guys wanting to move closer to home near retirement but many other situations too. Your experience would most definitely be considered relevant for a TP job! It's a pity it doesn't work the other way round so much haha.

I'm fear you'll still be a number though.

highfive - Flybe have had problems in the past with very experienced pilots retiring from major airlines, or rather the pilots had a problem with Flybe. To be fair it was over 10 years ago and the main issue was the considerable roster disruption going on at the time. The guys in question (a batch all taken on at the same time) wanted to have a quiet end to their flying careers (as one would want) but Flybe messed them around (6 on 2 off, roster changes, unscheduled nightstops etc) to the point where they just dug their heels in and began saying no. In the end they all left by mutual agreement.

I doubt there is such a level of disruption these days but it's worth checking you'd get the lifestyle to suit you.

Is it really 850 hours a year ?
Alot in a TP. I’ll be deaf !
( or should I say deafer lol)

Agree with most of the previous comments.
Worth pointing out though that as far as rostering and lifestyle are concerned it can feel like a very different company depending on your base/seat/fleet, so for example, on the same fleet people at one base can be working their backsides off while at another base they're having a (relatively) easier time, similarly at a given base one fleet can be doing large amounts of night-stopping while the other fleet does virtually none. To get an idea of the lifestyle you are likely to 'enjoy' you need to talk to somebody in the same base/seat/fleet position that you yourself are likely to end up occupying.

Further to RogueOne's question, is anyone able to comment on / provide insight into the roster pattern(?) of a Dash FO based at any of the Scottish bases (ABZ, EDI or GLA)?

PM or post reply would be much appreciated!

Cheers.

Any news on any possible upcoming recruitment especially for low hours?

Many are moving on to pastures new, so overall good news for recruitment.

What are the chances of an Exeter base ? I understand it is very senior