was that the wise one? by any chance?

Has there been any anouncement regarding the Ballot and the consultation period with Regional?

All the best to the crew.:ok:

Deep And Fast Aka John,

Quoting my statement about an undercrewing situation back in Oct 2009 at a stage with an unusual amount of Off Line activity really does not prove that BMI Regional may or may not be overcrewed at a totally different time with a potentially different flying schedule coupled with potentially different SBY levels. Thanks for the mention but i really dont see the relevance.

Nor funnily enough do i believe your assertion that the reason many BMI Regional pilots may be looking for work elsewhere is as a result of "disrespect" from management. For those of us who have or had worked in aviation over the past 10 - 15 years we remember the fact BMI Regional have historically had 10-15 pilots leave a year , the vast majority of those do so to fly differing A/c Types and sizes. That unfortunately will always be the case with regional airlines as many pilots do not wish to fly Embraers or whatever type is in operation at the time for the remainder of their career. This is a normal event for a regional airline. Before you joined BMI regional this was certainly the case, hence why you were told that it was "normal" to spend 6 months away from your preferred base (Pilots leaving create base movement). Now that it would appear that there is recruitment back in aviation , and assuming that these 15 or so pilots were successful at interview then base moving will return to those levels that BMI Regional are used to.

Not anywhere near as dramatic as your own beliefs but i believe more relevant.

Can i assume from your comments , that if you were told at interview that there was no guarantee of ever getting to your preferred base , you would have declined any job offer that was forthcoming ?

Rgds PB

Had to laugh, Evildutychanger aka as a lot of other names at regional!

EDC said
[QUOTE]Quoting my statement about an undercrewing situation back in Oct 2009 at a stage with an unusual amount of Off Line activity really does not prove that BMI Regional may or may not be overcrewed at a totally different time with a potentially different flying schedule coupled with potentially different SBY levels./QUOTE]

Maybe not directly, but an assumed level of LT sick and sick in general from company may not be realistic especially with people working a lot harder with time away from home. Stress and sleep issues are cumulative and regional airlines do not provide many days off like other operators for rest and de stress. Normally this would be offset by the fact you would probably have your base choice, were home every night in your own bed with the family and those stby days you would catch up on the things that we have to do when not at work! For a large number this is not the case.
The pilot workforce were saying with management denial that we were under crewed summer08 before they finally recruited 6 FO's. And still more single days off and buying days off from people. When Balpa asked for the stats on buying days from people, the company refused. Open and transparent? Not really.
And lets not forget the summer of discontent, where pilots voted to strike because of a degradation of lifestyle. We are not far from that again now!

EDC said
[QUOTE]Nor funnily enough do i believe your assertion that the reason many BMI Regional pilots may be looking for work elsewhere is as a result of "disrespect" from management. For those of us who have or had worked in aviation over the past 10 - 15 years we remember the fact BMI Regional have historically had 10-15 pilots leave a year/QUOTE]

The general feeling from those that I have spoken to, is that management treat us as a problem and not a solution! The recent pay dispute highlights that issue perfectly! I do feel that we may be turning a corner on this issue as there has very recently be more productive discussions taking place.
On my induction day we had a highly motivational speech about "!!!!"! Apparently it only flows down hill gathering pace until it meets who it was intended for. And if you try to push it uphill it slows to a halt, turn around and then falls on you again. This is probably the most honest thing I have heard since being here.
There will be an exodus when things pick up. Even now the rumour are 75 requests for references for bmir pilots for other operators.
The basing issue was never going to work as implied, but all people want is honesty. If I had been shown the seniority list with the base transfer data on I would have known how unlikely it was to get chosen bases within that time scale, and I would have turned it down as I had another offer which I really wish I had taken. But the market is a different place now.

And me dramatic! I don't think so.

Rgds D and F

PS what happened to the leaving party!

What's the latest guys 'n gals ?

Anyone jumping ship anytime soon to head East ?

Any rumours about recruitment soon ?

D&F

looks like nothing has changed there in the last 10 years then:oh:

And no new recruitment apparently :}

d and f

Hiya DnF

8 pilots leaving & 2 retiring, 18 a/c 139 pilots thats 56 F.O's 83 skippers and several skippers asking for part time they will have to upgrade & recruit especially if they get the other 2 a/c.

Gud Luk to all.

Can anyone else confirm the 2 Retirements and Part time info here?

Yep, 2 retirements coming up in the summer... I believe the part time applications have been rejected at this time - due to crewing levels!

So everything really points toward a need to recruit some fresh blood. But the word and rumour now seems to indicate no new joiners. Is the number 8 plus 2 retirements looking like the only leavers now. Originaly there was talk of up to 15 guys looking at Qatar etc. Also alot of chat about new routes and a couple more acft. This must all need an increase in numbers. :ok::confused:

Doing the math makes it 3.861 pilots per aircraft! (X2 for the pedants).

In another thread, Ryanair the masters of a tight operation have 5.5!

But we are assured the numbers are correct. :oh:

D and F :8

But you have to remember that at Ryanair a proportion of the FOs are paying to fly the a/c therefore it's a no cost option to keep higher crewing levels! :ugh:

I'm surprised regional haven't followed the pay-to-fly concept, but I'd hope the number of people willing to pay £30k for an EMB145 type rating and line training would be pretty small. :ok:

Oh dear, more crap being spouted around abut FR. Ryanair do NOT operate a "pay to fly" scheme. There is no Pilot in Ryanair who is paying to fly the aircraft - not one. Check facts before shouting your mouth off. One day you'll say something more serious and land yourself in a whole heap of do-do.
Carry on with the regional thread....

Can somebody find this ones dummy and stick it back in?

Has the bmir summer schedule been finalised yet?

Has it been stated outright by management that there will be no recruitment or is it still a pretty fluid situation with rebasing, etc?

Thanks

Calm down Cloud Bunny, it was only a joke!

However, the FR website does seem to offer cadets the chance to obtain a type rating and line experience for 27,500 Euro, whilst also stating that accommodation, travel and expenses during training are the responsibility of the pilot. Maybe that isn't paying to fly in your mind, but if you're flying the line and not receiving renumeration, it would seem to me that one would indeed be classified as paying to fly.

Anyway at regional the FO's merely get stitched up for £167 per month.

Van G - some management pilots have been heard mentioning recruitment whilst others on the management team are vehemently denying it! As for the schedules being finalised I wouldn't bank on it. The situation would appear a little worse than fluid - my latest roster shows me flying single crew on about 50% of my duties :cool:

Lkmflyboy don't forget that a 737-800 rating is useful and an Embraer is in the chocolate teapot section, and also that the regional first officers also have to stump up £2000 cash up front! And Ryan payed a small amount while line training.

Also while I'm talking Ryanair, brookefield guys get tax relief on the rating/expenses And their wages piss all over the regional pay AND if you joined 18monthes or so ago you would almost certainly have a base at or near your choice!!!

D and F

my dads bigger than your dad!

A slight digression here.

A direct entry captain without an Embraer rating pays nothing, but an FO has to stump up £2000 then £167 per month for 5 years? Isn't that discrimination?
Or don't they take on direct entry captains without an Embraer type rating?

Loop

DEC's
 

Don't think so, not in recent history - every DEC I'm aware of in last number of years were taken on with a 145 rating and line experience. And now there are plenty of eager and qualified FO's to take up positions as Captains anyway. So can't see DEC's being taken on unless a large rapid expansion required.

The last batch of DECs were recruited in May 2007 - none, or possibly only one of them had EMB145 experience. Only one other course has run since then and that was for FOs in September 08.
Can't see why the company would pass over FOs for command again, considering that some have 3000hrs+ on type, 4000hrs TT - but hey, they did it before! :rolleyes:

Nearly all of the direct entry captains were from Loganair Eastern and Scot airways and none had 145 ratings!
When one direct entry captain asked why this dual standard applied to bonding the answer from a senior manager was "because we can"

Nice!

D and F

D and F - Not forgetting of course that FO's who are upgraded are re-bonded another £3000 for the command course!

woolfly31 - Word on the street is that the pilots getting the chop from bmi mainline will be offered a course once they have finished their time there - that way they come over on regional terms and conditions and bottom of the seniority. This, like many things that are rumoured, could of course be a load of tosh!

There were about half a dozen ex BA Connect chaps that joined as DEC's in 2006, all 145 rated.
Plus non type rated peeps from other turboprop outfits.

PL

I wonder what an employment lawyer would have to say on the matter? :)

Loop

Along with any future recruitment acft and routes rumours, whats with the new Callsign? :ok:

Kittiwake

A manky northern sea bird!

All to do with carbon monitoring, bmr used on the transponder instead of bma on regional ops. (Not LHR or the Beeline stuff)

D and F

Never mind D & F, at least you work for a 'proper' airline lol!

HI All

The whisper is 4 f.o's to start new command assessment course ASAP:D

4 f.o's to start new command assessment course ASAP
 

Sounds a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Dont BMIR have F/O's that have already completed command training and are ready to swap seats?

No, there are some Fo's that completed the 'old' command assessment, but now Lufty have imposed a more stringent course.......


Still, good news though. This is only command assessment, but it means the company are looking to the future... and believe me, that dosen't happen everyday!

Very good news for the guys at BMI

So does that mean there will be a deficit of F/O's?

Hello guys n gals,

where's bilderberger? when you need some good comments:}

Any details on the more 'stringent' course for command?

Yep, it's only open to captains. :E

D and F

Hi Deep and Fast,

What exactly do you mean?

Surely not existing captains being re assesed or potential new ones having to have had previous command experience?

I would believe almost anything at the moment

Regards

I'm not 100% sure, someone will be able to give a more accurate response, but it is something like:

Some line training/assessment sectors in the RHS
Interview
Sim session.

Nothing out of the ordinary, but upto now it was done on a recommendation at your last LPC/OPC and interview.


When the command upgrades happen, yes. But no actual upgrades, yet!

Is F/O recruitment looking more likely now that people will hopefuly be moving to the LHS, along with replacing any F/O's that may be leaving? :ok:

Would mainline pilots take Regional positions for the sake of being in employment? From what I gather there are plenty of A320 jobs going right now but require some moving around.