I think to say never for a command is a little harsh,, people have to retire at some point, the problem facing guys like me at 32 is I guess I fly with captains younger than me and there are a lot of F/O's with more hours younger than me, so the waiting game is not on my side!

but I am close to hours for Command now so maybe ill get a shot at it here, then reevaluate where to go in aviation, if stay in the game at all?

zertohero, you are right. You probably have a fair chance if you are near to hours now. I expect there will probably be about 200 more f/o's promoted before the end of the deliveries, but after that they will become a rare event. In the old days, it was common to fly the right seat for a long time before you got a chance at command, and it seems these days are back.
Even if and when the industry picks up, it is full of young captains who aren't retiring anytime soon. Mind you, in 30 years or so when all these guys reach retirement age, there will be a big shortage then.

Hello gents,
I have a question for BRK pilots holding a non-irish JAR licence.
I received an email from BRK stating I will have to pay if I don't convert my licence.
That doesn't seem legal, as I fully comply with my contract.

Anybody in this case? What are your plans regarding this?

I may be reading that incorrectly but it comes across as 64000 x nearly 2 is still not good enough for an F/O.

Myster Mask asks...

Is the IAA charging Brookfield the non-Irish license penalty?

If not then you need to enquire with Brookfield as to the purpose of the fine.

They say Ryr wants all its pilots to hold an irish licence for administrative reasons (easier to manage expiry dates, Ryr TRE can sign off a TR renewal, etc...).
I'm quite sure the IAA doesn't charge anything if you don't hold a JAR licence, work in contract with a broker for an irish company.

Its just an administration penalty to discourage people from holding non-IAA licences. To be fair the the airline, the multitude of different nationalities working at Ryanair means signing off entries in licences from 30 or 40 different nations becomes an administrative nightmare.

So how old is the youngest 'known' Captain in FR?

Before people start saying "Technically they could be 21!" That is just hearsay, so please just those who know somebody... I'm imagining it's probably around the 21-23 mark, but can anyone back this up?

DOG says...

Why??? Pilots divided by the number of TRE equals the number of endorsements. Copies have to be sent to the training department and filed away. After all, we are talking about one piece of paper per pilot. Perhaps the penalty should be redirected to planting trees instead... don't you think?

If the IAA has no heart burn over the issue then why should FR?

You pay the fine of £500 or E500 per year,even if you hold a JAR licence issued from another state than the IAA. just another way of making money.

I always thought it was a bit unjustified, but after the recent Turkish/Swedish "whoops no licence" :( incident in Corendon, I have a bit more sympathy for their cause.

Ryanair will ensure one way or another that their pilots (whether they be contracted or BRK) will be registered with the IAA. Financial penalties are to be applied to both sets if they refuse to abide. I suppose it depends in how much you value your licence with your issuing authority in the end? I also see that any CUs or training positions are stalled if the IAA licence isn't in possession.

I agree that with over 2000 pilots with over 25 nationalities, licensing could become a real headache. The Turkish airline with the Swedish crew member flying around for 13 years without any valid qualification indeed highlights this.
Yet I also agree it is a bit hard to take, especially if you hold a blue or green CAA issued book which any IAA TRE can endorse. However there won't be a rule for one and another for the rest! It's either IAA or salary deduction it appears.

Still, have to wonder. The IAA make a nice little earner out of...well..doing very little. I wonder what Ryanair achieve from the IAA in return??

I've just been told that each time a Ryr TRE signs off a licence, he does it on behalf of the IAA, and the company has to pay for that....

Now the question is: what does the company get in return?
More TRE authorizations for its TRTO?