Look at this in the employment board

[Meatservo]

What's this? I was looking in the employment board, and Etihad Airlines in Abu Dhabi is looking for "cadets" to join their program to become first officers in 18 months! A specific requirement is that you NOT have a pilot's license! Wow. Then, I looked at Etihad's website and discovered the first officers' STARTING salary is some 6000 bucks a month and increases by 500 bucks a month every year! This is astounding! I wish I didn't have a pilot's license (and was under the age limit)... I'd be all over that.

Is this one of those "too good to be true" things? Sounds like a good deal to me.

[Tim]

it might come with a life-time conctract?

[mag check]

it might come with a life-time conctract?

Oh, wouldn't that be too bad, a great starting wage, with a 12% raise per year for life, and a warm place to live. That would suck.

[ClevelandSteamer]

The sandbox isn't for all kids.

[aileron]

Already discussed in Employment Forum:

Etihad

[moocow]

Nothing new but not a lot in Canada know about similar scheme done by Cathay Pacific, Dragon Air, and Singapore Airline. Fine print states a 6 figure USD penalty if an individual should be kicked out during training or terminated within a specified time frame. Yes I applied, and rejected because I was 2 months over the age limit.

[Panama Jack]

Think about it guys, you would be missing out on real character-building experiences like loading bags for a couple of years on some remote ramp in pissing rain. How can a guy ever imagine being qualified to fly big jets if he has never done the 'ho experience or the bush thing?

[Tim]

it might come with a life-time conctract?

Oh, wouldn't that be too bad, a great starting wage, with a 12% raise per year for life, and a warm place to live. That would suck.

you never know...could be the worst job on the planet, eventually thats gonna get to be more of a pain in the ass than its worth. when i wrote that i had the chinese system in mind. the company pays for your training in exchange for a lifetime contract. they pay their pilots well (for china), but they OWN your license. in other words if you quit, you can't get hired anywhere else. ever.

[co-joe]

They want you to NOT have a license so they can properly teach you how to do this:

[lilfssister]

Wasn't that ground-AME, not flight crew?

[scopiton]

Think about it guys, you would be missing out on real character-building experiences like loading bags for a couple of years on some remote ramp in pissing rain. How can a guy ever imagine being qualified to fly big jets if he has never done the 'ho experience or the bush thing?

what relationship do you do between loading bags and programing an fms ?...
99% of worldwide non-canadian pilots have not done any other job than flying
may be the problem is guys loading bags to become pilots, no?...Um...
think worlwide and you'll discover new frontiers

[Sasktel]

Tell them you don't have a licence... there problem solved......

[jeta1]

eventually one of those "pilots" will pay ther price for this new mentality, but it wont happen for a while. You can put anyone with a "frozen ATPL" (what the hell is a frozen atpl anyway?) in the right seat of a modern airliner and you'll get where you're going. It's the long term effect of all those future captains who will never have paid their real dues, and will face an emergency that they cant handle.

[moocow]

If I recall correctly, frozen ATPL meant that an individual have written and pass the written portion of the ATPL exam but have yet to meet the hours portion of it.

[Pratt]

They want you to NOT have a license so they can properly teach you how to do this:

That would obviously be a good one. BUT it was a ground crew that caused that damage, 6 or 8 months ago. Not new news. So why did you post it??

[CLguy]

eventually one of those "pilots" will pay ther price for this new mentality,

People this sort of thing is not new to aviation or countries who don't have a stream on readily available pilots. Cadet programs have been around for decades, have been very successful and have provided many young people the opportunity to have a great career in aviation. Judging by some of the posts people need to get out of Canada more and realize that Canada is barely a dot on the world aviation map.

You really don't need to have smashed bags in ###### Lake or Fort ##### to fly todays airliners.

[Rowdy]

Heres a question then. Double engine failure in an a320 over NYC. You're a captain that came up from a "cadet" program and was just cut loose and BAM. Would we have had the same outcome?

Points to ponder.

[yfly]

Heres a question then. Double engine failure in an a320 over NYC. You're a captain that came up from a "cadet" program and was just cut loose and BAM. Would we have had the same outcome?

Points to ponder.

First consider the pilot who was successful. He was Airforce trained before his airline career. Does that mean those who were not Airforce trained will be less successful?

You make a good point Rowdy and trust me, I am an old school pilot who was once dead set against cadet programs. I have since come to realize that purpose trained pilots are very capable of doing their job. I wouldn't trust one in a Beaver in the north though.

[glorified bus driver]

Heres a question then. Double engine failure in an a320 over NYC. You're a captain that came up from a "cadet" program and was just cut loose and BAM. Would we have had the same outcome?

Points to ponder.

I don't think it matters what program you came up through if your a captain sitting in the seat of a aircraft you are flying as captain of for the first time. The outcome may have been different just based on the experience and familiarity alone.

[Cat Driver]

It's the long term effect of all those future captains who will never have paid their real dues, and will face an emergency that they cant handle.

What exactly is paying your real dues?

No where in any training program have I seen a " real dues " lesson plan.

[co-joe]

"This may be the last time that Etihad comes to Canada for recruitment. We have had great success in the States, Europe and Australia but Canada has let us down."

That comment just kind of bugged me. The pic and reference to it was meant as a joke. It looks like Canadians aren't the only ones letting Ethiad down.

[Meatservo]

I think some of you guys are giving your "dues" period too much credit. If a guy builds up enough time to qualify for the left seat in an airliner, then he's built up enough time to qualify for the left seat in an airliner. Just because he did so in relative comfort doesn't diminish the value of his flying time. What would your view be of someone who did "pay his dues" by ramping, then being the copilot on a twin otter or a beech 1900, then who went to, say, jazz, and then stayed there until he qualified as captain? That might be his first left-seat job too. There are airliners flying around all over the place with captains who have very little left-seat time. That's what they do in the big airlines. Copilots get promoted to Captain. Cadet programs only bother me because the kind of flying I like to do doesn't have them.