CMA
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, North Shore
-
Big Pistons Forever
- Top Poster
- Posts: 5924
- Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:17 pm
- Location: West Coast
Re: CMA
More likely they want easily upgradeable FO's so they do not get caught short if there is a sudden Captain exodus. It will be interesting to see if they get many takers with that kind of time who will work for what they pay FO's.
-
Sky_Conqueror
- Rank 3
- Posts: 179
- Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:18 am
Re: CMA
Nortont is right! I bet its going to be a barbarian invasion of resumes. Its going to be hard though to choose from 900-1200 resumes from an HR point of view. This reduces considerably chances by miles unless you have 3K TTH. Its like lottery
Re: CMA
I've got several ins there with the hiring and it seems like HR is very interested in guys/gals who meet contrails (or are close to), are upgradeable because of the rate at which they are losing pilots, and have operational experience tied in with either your A's written or A's as a license. The good old days where a 1500 hour instructor could get in are kind of not the scene any more at CMA. BPF you are correct however CMA is also a career stepper for big red and westjet. There have been guys who have had to pay out their bond because they were picked up within a year of being employed at CMA. Sure is a huge pay cut for any pilot making a reasonable salary at 2500 hours.
All the best to you all!
All the best to you all!
Re: CMA
Not sure about the other two questions but CMA has no jump seats. They do have non-rev tickets with AC but it's a company wide thing. Apparently they have an HR team that feels it would not be "fair" to other employee groups if the pilots got something the rest did not. There for no jumpseats.
Re: CMA
Second hand info. No Autopilots. 15 days on plus 5 reserve.mcfly wrote:Some questions about CMA:
What is the sched like? .... specifically --> days off/month
Do they have jumpseats on both AC and WS?
Do the 1900s have autopilots?
I have a couple of good recommends there but no where near 2000tt I do have about 900 PIC though.
-
collegeboy
- Rank 2
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:12 am
Re: CMA
How low is low for the FO pay? I meet the requirements but not sure if i'm done in the bush. I do have a lack of Multi time. but over a thousand turbine.
Is the pay cut going to hurt my wallet?
JMH
Is the pay cut going to hurt my wallet?
JMH
Re: CMA
I guess that depends on how much you are making now. Check your PMcollegeboy wrote:How low is low for the FO pay? I meet the requirements but not sure if i'm done in the bush. I do have a lack of Multi time. but over a thousand turbine.
Is the pay cut going to hurt my wallet?
JMH
Re: CMA
http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/airl ... n_air.html
I don't work there but I hear this is pretty accurate. Do the Dash FO's fall under the same scale?
What's the movement there these days?
I don't work there but I hear this is pretty accurate. Do the Dash FO's fall under the same scale?
What's the movement there these days?
Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac. George Orwell
Disclaimer: The above post was not meant to offend anyone.
Disclaimer: The above post was not meant to offend anyone.
Re: CMA
that's outdated for the fo's I think it is accurate for the Skipper pay though.Wacko wrote:http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/airl ... n_air.html
I don't work there but I hear this is pretty accurate. Do the Dash FO's fall under the same scale?
What's the movement there these days?
Re: CMA
So what do the FO's get paid these days?
Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac. George Orwell
Disclaimer: The above post was not meant to offend anyone.
Disclaimer: The above post was not meant to offend anyone.
Re: CMA
Thanks, but that's still lower than say... NCA.. why would anyone with that kind of time want to work for CMA?
Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac. George Orwell
Disclaimer: The above post was not meant to offend anyone.
Disclaimer: The above post was not meant to offend anyone.
-
Northern Flyer
- Rank 6
- Posts: 437
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2004 8:40 pm
Re: CMA
if? Already seems to be happening to lots of other companies. Lots of BE20 or BE02 captain jobs posted on avcanada in the past few months. I feel like I've seen just about all the major 703/704 operators posting something.caught short if there is a sudden Captain exodus
Good luck everyone
Having trouble reaching ATC? Squak 7500
-
help@flycma
- Rank 0
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2012 11:28 am
Re: CMA
As usual, there is a distinct lack of insider information on this forum from CMA pilots. Pretty much everyone is afraid of retribution from management if they post something negative and there's not much positive to say about CMA. You pretty much have to keep your head down at CMA or you'll end up with a suspension, a crappy roster or a delayed upgrade, or perhaps all three. So please forgive the new username and lack of history here at avcanada. Trust me, I'm for real.
CMA is NOT a happy place to work. Morale is usually fair to poor, but lately is downright dismal due to some recent disciplinary actions this past year and mishandling of base assignments. Most pilots at CMA are here for one thing, and one thing only: To get enough flying time to get a job at one of the majors. There are very few pilots on the line right now that have been with the company for more than 5 years. About half of the pilots have been with CMA for less than 2 years. Attrition is significant and the company is having more and more difficulty recruiting and retaining pilots during the recent job movement in the industry. The company has not been successful in hiring a Chief Pilot for almost 4 years. Read into that what you will.
There are currently about 25% fewer pilots at CMA today than 4 years ago, resulting in longer duty days, less reserve coverage and scheduling inflexibility, which all boils down to considerably reduced quality of life. The company is drastically short of experienced Captains and Contrails compliant First Officers. I suspect they will have a hard time hiring pilots with the experience they want for the money they are willing to pay, especially in job markets like YYC. It's well known that the pay is the lowest in the industry, with First Officers starting in the mid 20's and Captains in the low 40's. There are some adjustments to starting pay for additional flying experience, but still, you could do much better with a different company. Overtime is extremely rare, and usually the company will try to pay back overtime with a day off. Per diems are also on the low side: $45 per full day, pro-rated for part days.
Pilots are scheduled to 19 to 20 shifts per month, with no guaranteed number of days off. Flight duty days have increased over the past five years, with scheduled duty days in excess of 12 hours not uncommon. In the past year, several 13+ hour/11 sector crew days have been scheduled. Rosters come out on the 25th of the month for the next months flying. Schedule changes and shift trades are difficult if not impossible since pilots are scheduled right up to CARs limits with little room for movement. Requests for time off without pay are systematically denied. (Pilots in the past have been denied time off to get married!). 2 weeks vacation until your 6th year. (no vacation in your first year). There is very little input from the pilots into the schedule. Roster reps were dispensed with a few years ago; they just got in the way. Pairing and rosters are built by the HR and Scheduling department with little regard to fatigue or quality of life. The company policies certainly don't support a sustainable career at CMA.
Travel passes are available for WS, AC and others through the pass travel department, provided you plan your travel well in advance and don't need a last minute pass (even on a company flight) after hours or on weekends. No on-line access to travel pass bookings is available. A previous poster was correct about Jump Seats: the company won't enter into jump seat agreements because that might seem to be a benefit favouring the pilots.
Pilot bases are YYC, YVR, YXS and YYD for the 1900, and YYC for the D328 and Dash. YVR is the senior base for the 1900. You will be asked to sign a training bond before you start flight training and BEFORE they tell you where you will be based. Pilots in the past have been verbally promised basing in job offers and given another base once training is complete. There have also been some "temporary" base assignments given to new hires in the past year. (You pay all your travel and temporary living expenses). In the past, new hires have not been paid during ground school and flight training. Pay doesn't start until line flying commences, which is sometimes several weeks after training is complete. Expect vague answers and cloaked promises during job interview and hiring. You would be wise to ask for any promised items in writing if you're considering taking a job with CMA, although I think that making such a request might limit your hiring chances.
On the bright side, there are some really terrific pilots working for CMA right now and the day to day work environment is tolerable. If you have the experience and keep your head down, you could probably get an upgrade ahead of work at other companies, as long as you're not expecting a smooth ride. Honestly, if you have the 2000/1000 hrs time they're looking for, I'm pretty sure you could do better elsewhere.
CMA is NOT a happy place to work. Morale is usually fair to poor, but lately is downright dismal due to some recent disciplinary actions this past year and mishandling of base assignments. Most pilots at CMA are here for one thing, and one thing only: To get enough flying time to get a job at one of the majors. There are very few pilots on the line right now that have been with the company for more than 5 years. About half of the pilots have been with CMA for less than 2 years. Attrition is significant and the company is having more and more difficulty recruiting and retaining pilots during the recent job movement in the industry. The company has not been successful in hiring a Chief Pilot for almost 4 years. Read into that what you will.
There are currently about 25% fewer pilots at CMA today than 4 years ago, resulting in longer duty days, less reserve coverage and scheduling inflexibility, which all boils down to considerably reduced quality of life. The company is drastically short of experienced Captains and Contrails compliant First Officers. I suspect they will have a hard time hiring pilots with the experience they want for the money they are willing to pay, especially in job markets like YYC. It's well known that the pay is the lowest in the industry, with First Officers starting in the mid 20's and Captains in the low 40's. There are some adjustments to starting pay for additional flying experience, but still, you could do much better with a different company. Overtime is extremely rare, and usually the company will try to pay back overtime with a day off. Per diems are also on the low side: $45 per full day, pro-rated for part days.
Pilots are scheduled to 19 to 20 shifts per month, with no guaranteed number of days off. Flight duty days have increased over the past five years, with scheduled duty days in excess of 12 hours not uncommon. In the past year, several 13+ hour/11 sector crew days have been scheduled. Rosters come out on the 25th of the month for the next months flying. Schedule changes and shift trades are difficult if not impossible since pilots are scheduled right up to CARs limits with little room for movement. Requests for time off without pay are systematically denied. (Pilots in the past have been denied time off to get married!). 2 weeks vacation until your 6th year. (no vacation in your first year). There is very little input from the pilots into the schedule. Roster reps were dispensed with a few years ago; they just got in the way. Pairing and rosters are built by the HR and Scheduling department with little regard to fatigue or quality of life. The company policies certainly don't support a sustainable career at CMA.
Travel passes are available for WS, AC and others through the pass travel department, provided you plan your travel well in advance and don't need a last minute pass (even on a company flight) after hours or on weekends. No on-line access to travel pass bookings is available. A previous poster was correct about Jump Seats: the company won't enter into jump seat agreements because that might seem to be a benefit favouring the pilots.
Pilot bases are YYC, YVR, YXS and YYD for the 1900, and YYC for the D328 and Dash. YVR is the senior base for the 1900. You will be asked to sign a training bond before you start flight training and BEFORE they tell you where you will be based. Pilots in the past have been verbally promised basing in job offers and given another base once training is complete. There have also been some "temporary" base assignments given to new hires in the past year. (You pay all your travel and temporary living expenses). In the past, new hires have not been paid during ground school and flight training. Pay doesn't start until line flying commences, which is sometimes several weeks after training is complete. Expect vague answers and cloaked promises during job interview and hiring. You would be wise to ask for any promised items in writing if you're considering taking a job with CMA, although I think that making such a request might limit your hiring chances.
On the bright side, there are some really terrific pilots working for CMA right now and the day to day work environment is tolerable. If you have the experience and keep your head down, you could probably get an upgrade ahead of work at other companies, as long as you're not expecting a smooth ride. Honestly, if you have the 2000/1000 hrs time they're looking for, I'm pretty sure you could do better elsewhere.
-
co-joe
- Rank 11
- Posts: 4709
- Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2004 2:33 am
- Location: YYC 230 degree radial at about 10 DME
Re: CMA
Interesting read help@... So are WS and AC still doing tonnes of hiring from CMA? God help them if the flow ever stops. No-one would go there, or at least the deal would have to improve in a big way.
