so many questions????

[JackLumber]

hi all,

Trying to make some career choices and looking for a few facts. I'm posting here because WJ is the ultimate goal down the line. I'm curious how important the mutlti-pic time factors into the hiring. If I have the opportunity to go to Jazz should I take that, or should I try to get multi-pic from a 703/704 operation. I have 1000 pic (but only 200 is multi-pic from a light twin) 2000 total and some 705 cojoe time. I have heard that 1000 multi-pic on a turbine is almost an absolute requirement for the WJ hiring team, any truth to this?? Also heard the WJ really likes Jazz pilots?? and do these Jazz pilots have 1000 multi-pic?? Sorry for the ramble, just lots of questions. Any insight/help would be grealty appreciated. Cheers

[wrc]

It's not that WestJet likes or dislikes Jazz so much as that they, through sheer numbers, provide the bulk of candidates that best meet our hiring matrix. In fact we really try to avoid large numbers from any particular company since it makes the work of cultural indoctrination more difficult (we go through way too much kool-aid).

So any good 705 experience on cabin class EFIS scheduled carrier machines, be it PAL SAAB340s or First Air ATR-42s or Hawkair Dash-8s, etc... would be just as good as a Jazz background. I think 'lvlchange', that scurvy dog, would agree with that.

[co-joe]

It seems to me that only people with Jet, large turboprop, or Jazz time are getting the call.

[Herc_Driver]

It seems to me that only people with Jet, large turboprop, or Jazz time are getting the call.

Is WestJet picking up many CF pilots?? .... guys coming out with Airbus, C-130 or CP-140 time?
Just wondering.

Thx.

[Ryan Coke2]

Yup, some.

[WJ700]

It seems to me that only people with Jet, large turboprop, or Jazz time are getting the call.

Is WestJet picking up many CF pilots?? .... guys coming out with Airbus, C-130 or CP-140 time?
Just wondering.

Thx.

There are some of them in management... which may be a good reason to call one of them for advice if interested. The Flt Ops VP, both Line Ops Standards, and at least two Flight Technical people are all ex-CF. Perhaps you know one of them.

[Swordfish54]

It seems to me that only people with Jet, large turboprop, or Jazz time are getting the call.

Is WestJet picking up many CF pilots?? .... guys coming out with Airbus, C-130 or CP-140 time?
Just wondering.

Thx.

There are some of them in management... which may be a good reason to call one of them for advice if interested. The Flt Ops VP, both Line Ops Standards, and at least two Flight Technical people are all ex-CF. Perhaps you know one of them.

yea when I went for my interview it was like old home week, meeting up with some old buddies I hadn't seen in years and lost track of.

[Herc_Driver]

There are some of them in management... which may be a good reason to call one of them for advice if interested. The Flt Ops VP, both Line Ops Standards, and at least two Flight Technical people are all ex-CF. Perhaps you know one of them.

Many thanks for the replies guys.
And, many thanks for those who PM'ed me - I shall endeavour to respond to all.

Working out here in YTR I see a rather large exodus to ACA from the CF, however I don't hear of many of us heading towards WJ. And, from browsing around the forum here it would appear that a large number of Jazz pilots seem to be readily picked up by WJ - that being said, I always wondered whether or not a sizeable proportion of of CF retirees/resignees had headed to WJ or not.

Many thanks again for the informative replies by PM - much appreciated.

Cheers

[WJ700]

I've flown with a couple of new hired pilots recently, both 20 years in the CF and both were ex-snowbirds. Great guys, good stories. I think we actually have a fairly high number of military for our size, but we're 847 pilots where I think AC is around 3000. So AC will naturally accept more. I was shocked recently to hear that we only hired 40 from Jazz out of the 130 hired... so we still have some diversity.

[express]

[WJ700]

Company's like Canadian North can't even expand right now because there are not enough qualified pilots. I think there is enough 'slots' for everyone right now.

Personally, I like the mix of people to fly with. It adds to a pilot group's over all experience.

[Nikolai Borschevsky]

Hi folks,

Like JackLumber, I'm trying to make some career choices, with WestJet being the eventual goal. Two questions:
1) Can I assume that the 1000 PIC requirement is mandatory?
2) I'm thinking I'd like to go to Bearskin to fly a Metro, but I've heard a rumour that WJ is not so keen on Bearskin pilots anymore, because they don't have FMS experience. Jazz is definitely an option for me, but I think I'd enjoy Bearskin more...... but I don't want to screw my WJ chances in the future.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Machiavelli]

1) You can assume that 1000 MPIC turbine is mandatory
2) Depends. FMS gets you points, so does multi over 12500 and multi-pic. I'd go to the bear but that can be debated ad nauseam (and has). WestJet continues to hire from Bearskin. Go where you'll want to work.

[BigB]

I was wondering if it is a shock to the system when you go from 200-300 hours a year in the military to 800 in a civilian flying job? Hey but I guess the pension makes up for it a bit eh?

As an aside, I'm not sure how I feel about career military guys coming in for 5 or 10 years (already with a pension) and bumping a young non-military guy (most likely with more hours)out of a slot that he would hold for 30. Nothing against military guys, and I've had one admit this to me as well.

express,

Just trying to understand. Are you saying the young non-military guy is more qualified for the job than the military guy with a pension?

BigB

[Ryan Coke2]

[quote="express"]As an aside, I'm not sure how I feel about career military guys coming in for 5 or 10 years (already with a pension) and bumping a young non-military guy (most likely with more hours)out of a slot that he would hold for 30. Nothing against military guys, and I've had one admit this to me as well.[/quote]

I don't like this attitude, really. Maybe it didn't come across like you meant it, but I can't imagine holding a person's pension against them, and I'm not too fond of doing the same with their age.

I like that at WJ we have a variety of ages, experience types and levels. I like the fact that we have hired 'older' guys (including a 'forced' retirement AC fellow), because of what they bring to our collective group.

And I would never look at a younger person of being any more deserving of being here. I hate entitlement.

My 2 coppers.

[WJ700]

Everyone I've talked to just loves flying with the retired AC guy... I hear he's having a blast and it shows.

[KAG]

I could just imagine what some of our newer captains (actually everyone could) could gleam from this guy - Some great stories and a ton of experience

[Herc_Driver]

As an aside, I'm not sure how I feel about career military guys coming in for 5 or 10 years (already with a pension) and bumping a young non-military guy (most likely with more hours)out of a slot that he would hold for 30. Nothing against military guys, and I've had one admit this to me as well.

So do tell us, how do you feel about it?

edit: spelling

[express]

I don't agree with it, but in the end I don't care too much either way. I do think that over time it costs us money (when we train people that are only going to be here for a few years). It's my opinion, agree with it or not I don't care. Don't PM me about it, for crying out loud, it's no big deal.

[Jercules]

FWIW, not all ex-mil guys are 45 with a pension. Some leave the CF at the end of their obligatory service, without a pension, and tend to be in their early thirties.

[express]

[BigB]

So your issue is not so much with the military guys, but with age in general? Before you go minimizing your opinion again, remember that you felt strongly enough about this issue to post.

[WJ700]

(edit due to visiting the Glue Pot and then posting)

[Four1oh]

awwwww, those are usually the best kind of posts!!

[Herc_Driver]

My apologies.

I didn't mean to open up such a can of worms with my CF question and hijack the original thread topic.