Aussie Pilots Recruited for a US Airline ?

USMCmech said:
Even if the job offer is legit and the visa requirements can be worked out, it's still a bandaid on an artery.

There can't possibly be enough 1500-3000 TT guys in Oz to meet regional demand over the next few years. This is a stalling tactic that will only delay the inevitable.
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Agreed!
However, I think the regionals will explore all options first before they start addressing pay......And, I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing a similar type of E-3 visa sponsorhip program being applied to other nationals having the total time.......And, I bet, a bunch of guys from certain s**t holes of the world would jump at the chance to live and fly in the States even for a couple of years. Again, I am not referring to the guys that are flying for their national carriers; I'm referring to the guys that have the time but have been flying pistons and light twins in the bush and need that first " big break".........I hope I am wrong..
 
No one should be surprised, I know of more than a couple of guys from CJC that might even be on here that fly the SAAB in Oz...Calm down, the Aussies are a good group...Can think of a lot worse folks to have here in US cockpits, and if they are here legally, paying taxes and not enough Americans belly-up to the bar. Good for them!
 
Johnny Beau Bekkestad said:
I would not necessarily call flying an RJ "that first break".
A lot of Americans look forward to go abroad to work and fly.
I bet a majority of the people here would sign up for Emirates or Etihad in a heartbeat. I know i would...
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The ones that work abroad are the ones with experience.
Many consider flying light pistons or instructing to 1500 to be a stepping stone to what many consider to be their first big break i.e. turbine time (be it Citation time, RJ time, insert airframe.......)
What I am trying to say is that there is really no need for regionals to look for foreign pilots..I know tons of Aussies, Pom's, Kiwis, and they are all good guys. And I wouldn't mind having them or any foreign national work in the States if there was a true pilot shortage. The only problem is there is no pilot shortage. If the regionals would just man up, and increase pay, there would be no shortage and there would be no need for them to post such ad's!! That's my point.
 
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SilkyD said:
The ones that work abroad are the ones with experience.
Many consider flying light pistons or instructing to 1500 to be a stepping stone to what many consider to be their first big break i.e. turbine time (be it Citation time, RJ time, insert airframe.......)
What I am trying to say is that there is really no need for regionals to looks for foreign pilots..I know tons of Aussies, Pom's, Kiwis, and they are all good guys. And I wouldn't mind having them work in the States if there was a true pilot shortage. The only problem is there is no pilot shortage. If the regionals would just man up, and increase pay, there would be no shortage!! That's my point.
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Really not trying to defend they RJ pay... But in order for that to happen they would need to up the pay from 20-30K to 50-60K, where are they going to get the funds for that? Up the ticket prices?
 
Common sense tells me yes, but market forces tell me that most of the public will want to find the cheapest fare, so that grandma can get from San Francisco to New York for $199 R/T.....It seems like a race to the bottom; but hopefully, the tide will turn for the better. Only time will tell.
 
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hook_dupin said:
This is the regional problem. Since revenue is set, there isn't much headroom for salary increases.
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You hit the nail on the head! We work in a COST-driven business model, not a REVENUE-driven one. The union side of those house will cite the record-breaking profits to incite the rank & file. But, if you look at the history of airline financials, the truth couldn't be anymore clear. The industry runs a very, very thin margin and it doesn't take much to push those record-breaking profits into record-breaking losses and a Ch. 11 filing or worse.
I find it very scary that the industry is resorting to fees to generate revenues, because a fare war would be. Unsustainable in today's volatile geopolitical situation.
 
The FAA could easily fix it. Stop honoring the Aussie license (if it is) The FAA license requirse a lot of work and $$$ to convert to fly in other countries. Why do we just hand people a FAA licensed based on their foreign license?
 
Bandit_Driver said:
The FAA could easily fix it. Stop honoring the Aussie license (if it is) The FAA license requirse a lot of work and $$$ to convert to fly in other countries. Why do we just hand people a FAA licensed based on their foreign license?
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This.

Hopefully the more onerous requirements just to take the ATP written will help put a stop to this.

10 years ago I toyed with the idea of getting a JAA conversion in order to open myself up to jobs in Europe. The ridiculous written requirements to get a JAA ATP was enough to put me of. The nail in the coffin of that idea was that fact that it would have cost as much, if not more, just to convert and make myself employable in JAA land then the entire cost of my flight training from zero hours to MEI here in the U.S.
 
chrisdahut1 said:
This.

Hopefully the more onerous requirements just to take the ATP written will help put a stop to this.

10 years ago I toyed with the idea of getting a JAA conversion in order to open myself up to jobs in Europe. The ridiculous written requirements to get a JAA ATP was enough to put me of. The nail in the coffin of that idea was that fact that it would have cost as much, if not more, just to convert and make myself employable in JAA land then the entire cost of my flight training from zero hours to MEI here in the U.S.
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True that! I am going over this hell as we are speaking... The examiners here are charging 1000$ per checkride and i need to do three... The fee for the Seminole is 500$/hour.
So far it has taken me 2.5 years and i am almost done.
 
Johnny Beau Bekkestad said:
True that! I am going over this hell as we are speaking... The examiners here are charging 1000$ per checkride and i need to do three... The fee for the Seminole is 500$/hour.
So far it has taken me 2.5 years and i am almost done.
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You going the multi piston route or how did you go about the conversion? I just completed my FAA to EASA (formerly JAA) conversion but did the check ride in a sim. Like you, it took years and lots of $$$ to get it done. So happy to have it completed finally!
 
Skåning said:
You going the multi piston route or how did you go about the conversion? I just completed my FAA to EASA (formerly JAA) conversion but did the check ride in a sim. Like you, it took years and lots of $$$ to get it done. So happy to have it completed finally!
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Did my ATPLs at TFHS and i am doing the flight training with southsweden
 
Bandit_Driver said:
The FAA could easily fix it. Stop honoring the Aussie license (if it is) Why do we just hand people a FAA licensed based on their foreign license?
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I don't know that the FAA is "honoring" an Aussie (or any foreign) license beyond this which has been around a long time and seems harmless enough:

§61.75 Private pilot certificate issued on the basis of a foreign pilot license.
(a) General. A person who holds a foreign pilot license at the private pilot level or higher that was issued by a contracting State to the Convention on International Civil Aviation may apply for and be issued a U.S. private pilot certificate with the appropriate ratings if the foreign pilot license meets the requirements of this section.
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-id...=text&node=14:2.0.1.1.2&idno=14#se14.2.61_175

FAR Part 61.77 also doesn't seem to apply but it's hard to tell.

If the fairy tale about employing Aussies were true, they'd have to get, or already have, an FAA ATP like everyone else, right ?

Midlifeflyer ?
 
Absolutely. Part of the ICAO standards are that member countries recognize each other's private pilot certificates, but that is where it stops. Interestingly enough, many countries will take any level of FAA certificate and just validate it for use in their country, both private and professional level. The FAA only validates at the private level. As a result, the holder of a foreign license wanting to fly professionally in the US is going to need a full US certificate, just like Americans.

61.77 only applies to aircraft on the US registry that are leased to foreign carriers. It does not apply to US aircraft used by US carriers.
 
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Thinking more about this thread leads me to believe that there in fact not be an actual job waiting but an attempt by the company / job poster to see what is available. If this were posted on a European web site then there would be a flood of applications.

The posters might be trying "down under" just to see what is available. It's a test to see how many applicants they could get if they needed to. It would be the first move to attempt to prove to the US immigration authorities that there is a shortage.

This could be simple data collection.
 
Canada and the U.S. now recognize one anothers ATP licenses. I was able to get a U.S. ATP by completing the "Foreign License Verification" form with the FAA, writing a 40 question conversion test and doing an FAA medical. All of my type ratings transferred too.
The whole process can be done for a few hundred bucks.
It goes both ways though, I'm working here in Canada with an American pilot who was able to do a similar process to get his Canadian ATP.
I don't think the U.S. has that kind of deal with any other country though.
 
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