Are they skipping the Sim for everyone who is already 320 typed, or all applicants?

Or perhaps there's a criteria if you have several thousand hrs and are NTR?

Only those who are 320 rated and currently flying/flown recently.

For now...

320 rated = no sim? Why? All sim checks were on 747 when I did it. You were not being assessed on type, but for your CRM, decision making and observed learning.

Whatever, as with all “trials” management run, it will be declared a huge success with little evidence and quickly rolled out across the board.

The only evidence required is the immediate cost saving within their little silo.

Clearly such a policy is designed to save money but also to put a stop to the negotiations between candidates and the company about which fleet they will join in an environment where DEPs onto long-haul will be in high demand and short-haul remaining an undesirable fleet to join for those with experience elsewhere.

By allowing 320 rated applicants to avoid a sim check it provides an incentive to apply for short-haul and gives no opportunity to negotiate a long-haul fleet since you only get a tick in the “eligible for long-haul” box during a sim check.

I think you’re giving BA far too much credit over and above what’s really going on which is it’s cheaper not to put candidates in the sim, that’s all that matters to BA post Walsh and especially Cruz.

I’ve already stated that the process has been watered down recently by all this “suitable for long haul” nonsense. In the (not so) old days part and parcel of the BA sim assessment was looking at you with regard to your ability to pass any conversion including onto a Long Haul type if required so if you passed the sim the possibility of Long Haul was a given if you had the requisite hours. Any question mark and you failed, nowadays any question mark and you’re waved in onto the A320 Fleet seeing as no other bugger will take it.

For the benefit of those heading (or hoping) for the A320 at LHR, the following may be of interest. This is a breakdown of what sort of trips are available in April:

19 5-day trips of which just over half have a layover day (all in LIS)

214 4-day trips of which about 20% have a layover day (12 different destinations) and 9 have two layover days (all in TLV)

522 3-day trips of which about one third have a layover day (20 different destinations)

884 2-day trips of which 28 are night flights (DME)

1581 day trips of which 19 are four sectors

In additional 63 people will be on reserve, the details of which have been discussed before on this thread. All of this flying will be divided up between around 500 pilots. This is just a snapshot and the above numbers will change to some degree throughout the year.

The LCY-SNN-JFK-LCY trips are excluded from the above figures, as are trips extracted for training.

that's great info for pilots looking at joining Doug! I'll just add that a standover is a full calendar day off down route. (I had never heard the term before coming to ba!)

Day off down route.....? Is that not just being at work for no credit?

Some people treat them as Heathrow aggravation recovery days...

From what I have heard it's only for easyJet applicants.

Then I’d suggest being a little more selective with your hearing

kendrick got offended, he also wants to be elite😂😂

😂 elite? It was a tongue in cheek response.

Even on a rumour network I think it’s worth squashing things that aren’t true.

Gone are the days when Chief Pilots used to ring each other up and if they got a recomendation they knew the guy coming was a right wayne kerr or a good egg. Failing that the assessors and HR both said no this guys no good but then someone up the chain said take him on.
Anyone else familiar with that? :ugh:

Okay clever clogs, what information do you have which refutes what I have heard?

Didn’t mean it to come across like that at all, apologies. Ex-Thomas Cook friends were passed in January with no sim.

Word is that during the “lunch” presentation candidates are told that only NTR A320 will be required to attend the sim assessment

Interesting. So presumably you can have zero CRM skills, or missing tonnes of BA pilot competencies, but as long as you can fly an A320 you’re in. If you’re not A320 TR these skills must be assessed in the sim.

Unless I’ve missed the point of the BA sim assessment, this doesn’t seem right.

i think somebody has decided that some, if not all of the above mentioned competencies can be assessed in an interview or group exercise scenario.

if this is anything like the many other trials I have seen over the years at BA then the result has already been decided...

Stop bein bitter and get on with it - their train set and their decision ........ the sheer fact that A320 TR guys are cheaper means they have an advantage - BA wants A320 guys not anyone else and don’t be delusional thinking that they will choose you for the competencies only -..... cash is king and if they get a bum on the seat with less spend - that’s what they will have

I think most of the recent contributors to this thread successfully got “on with it” a few (or in at least one case many) years ago...but thanks for the advice...

It is without doubt a cost saving measure and of course relieves the pressure on the training department.

However all this worry over “standards falling” needs to be offset against the fact that sim check or not, these A320 DEPs will still have to pass the initial BA “short” course with not a huge amount of time to get used to the SOPs and BA, erm, “philosophy” when it comes to how we operate. It’s not like they pass an interview and start flying the line the next day is it? I know a few highly capable people from ezy back when I joined who failed the sim check at BA for who knows what reason, and they are every bit if not more capable than me, so go figure. If you can fly an Airbus for ezy/shamrock/TC you can most likely fly it just as well for BA and if you can’t you won’t get past the sim short course or line training.

Still plenty of time to **** up if you aren’t up to scratch. And let’s face it, if there is a sudden spike in failures from guys who didn’t have to jump through the sim ride hoop then the “trial” will be ended pronto given that would be a far most costly and time consuming issue for the various beancounting silos that make up what used to be called BA.

I really don’t see this affecting the price of fish tbh.

Morning all,

For anyone joining on the SH course commencing 20th April - Let me know / DM me!

For anyone with upcoming assessments DM me also, more than happy to help others.

Safe flying and have a good weekend folks.

WA

In the current climate are start dates even still being handed out? Rumours of 3 weeks unpaid leave being offered on the 777.

Have not heard anything re 3 weeks, they have offered us to be able to drop trips for unpaid leave on the 777. I do worry that those in the pool may be swimming a lot longer now, though hopefully I am wrong on this as I have a few mates swimming.

As CXKA says unpaid leave of some duration very definitely being offered on the 777, notice came out a few days ago.

IMHO it’s hard to see how both the hold pool and recruitment are not going to be hit by this.

Recruitment was stated today in the Times business section as one way of pairing back expenditure and reducing costs.

Does anyone have an informed opinion as to where one might stand having been given a start date and submitted notice to current employer, awkward timing and wondering how much of a “done deal” a signed contract actually is 😬

+1!!



c h a r a c t e r s

Same here...and already left previous airline in anticipation of starting.

Same boat here, have a start date in May. I’ve emailed the recruitment team to ask what’s going on. Not an ideal situation to be in.

How many of those who's been through stage 3 did sim prep beforehand?
There are a few places out there who offers xHours on a 747 for $$$

For those who's done it was it worth it or was it better not having any experience on the 747 coming in to the sim and having a greater learning curve (for those who didn't)
Is it needed or can it in someways have a negative impact on the actual sim?

There maybe some benefit but personally I would be practicing flying needles all around UK airports. This will be much more useful than spending loads on a 747 sim. They will take lack of experience on a 747 in to account but if you can’t fly a raw data SID/STAR or hold then that will be an issue. I spent a good few days sat on flight sim at my old flying school and it made a big difference on the day. Best of luck

Judging by the very high number of begging texts for P2s to pick up trips and come and fly on their days off, I don't think those in the pool have too much to worry about right now. That comes with the caveat that if offered SH, take it. Take the first offer you get. Delaying for LH could really come back to bite you in the backside at the moment.

We seem to be desperate on the A320 at LHR the moment. I received five texts asking for volunteers to cover flights at very short notice yesterday, and another five on Friday. They're offering Leave Buy Back in February, which is quite unprecedented. I shudder to think what the summer is going to be like.

Best advice from EMB,take first offer.Ten years ago hold pool drained and swimmers left floundering.
Guys and girls had to repeat application 18 months later,wasn’t pretty.

Unfortunately all recruitment (operational and non operational), except for offers already made, are being suspended for the time being.

Source for that info (or at least a hint at where it came from )?

From RN this morning

Ok thanks...I wonder how long it will take to permeate as far as the Yammersphere and/or “One”...?

Oh hang on, it’s a weekend.......

Don’t suppose you’d know whether that includes BACF as well?