Pilot Age Limit-Japan

I wish they would relax they're ridiculous medical requirements... That would fix a lot of they're problems also.
 
As someone who would love to do some expat flying, especially in Japan, care to elaborate?

There's a thread about it on APC. But they include no waivers for colorblindness (which affects me) and no laser eye surgery whatsoever (which doesn't). I think there's other stipulations too, that's about as far as I got...

I'm still considering applying as I also would like to live in Japan, but it seems tough to get past this barrier.

EDIT: according to the above document it appears waivers are available for color vision... I wonder how hard it is to obtain?
 
Last edited:
EDIT: according to the above document it appears waivers are available for color vision... I wonder how hard it is to obtain?

Hard to say how one gets the straight skinny on that unless someone with first hand experience with it can comment.

You might try contacting the agencies that put out these ads for Japan. Maybe they've run across this situation with one of their pilot clients and can tell you how it's done ?
 
Yeah, I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm not ready to make a big jump over there anyways. But when the time is right I def will research it.
 
There's a thread about it on APC. But they include no waivers for colorblindness (which affects me) and no laser eye surgery whatsoever (which doesn't). I think there's other stipulations too, that's about as far as I got...

I'm still considering applying as I also would like to live in Japan, but it seems tough to get past this barrier.

EDIT: according to the above document it appears waivers are available for color vision... I wonder how hard it is to obtain?

I used to fly with the flying club on Yokota AFB. My instructor was a retired Skymark pilot. I'll see if I can get ahold of him. Even if he can't answer maybe he knows someone who can.
 
If the pilot supply situation in Japan is as dire as described in the articles below (particularly as it relates to the LCCs), they might want to think about getting' down off that high horse with the astronaut physicals as one method of casting a wider net to catch more of the available supply. I wonder how many otherwise suitable candidates have been turned away for JCAB medical reasons that aren't medical issues in the real world. It'd be interesting to see the stats for how many busted the medical and for what reasons.

My expat source in Japan tells me they've taken expat DHC-8 captains and hired them as A320 captains. He didn't say how common that is but did say it's happened.

Despite all that, I don't see an indication that the Japanese market has yet shown a willingness to take low-time expats into the RHS. But it might be worth keeping an ear to the ground in the next few years ?


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11283098

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/international/japan-budget-carrier/1109392.html

"'We already know that the number of pilots is in crisis,' Koike is quoted to have said in the Telegraph. 'The baby boomer pilots are now going to retire – and the number of new young pilots hasn’t been well recruited."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/a...d-pilot-shortage-caused-ageing-poulation.html

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Eco...framework-to-blame-for-Japan-s-pilot-shortage
 
Yeah, I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm not ready to make a big jump over there anyways. But when the time is right I def will research it.
I'll tell you from experience, now is the time to research it, if you are considering it at all. I don't have Asian experience, but I did go from unemployed to expat status and on an airplane within 1 week back in 2008. When it happens, it happens quick.

Good luck no matter what you decide.
 
I'll tell you from experience, now is the time to research it, if you are considering it at all. When it happens, it happens quick.

It'd good to hear from the guys who've been there/done that ('steada the denizens of the Peanut Gallery...like me ! :D).

These ads are typical for the two companies apparently in such pilot-supply distress. I guess that's what it is when management publicly admits to curtailing ops due to crew shortages since that goes above & beyond the scuttlebutt stage.

A320 captains…Peach:

http://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/view/id/3784.html

A320 captains…Vanilla:

http://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/view/id/3954.html

Both ads are for captains. Both ads say 500 hrs in type. I've not seen any ads for expat FOs from these companies.

The FO ads aren't nearly as numerous and when they appear, the quals are still pretty high…like this one:

http://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/view/id/3489.html

At the CRJ level, they're hiring captains with time in type…or something sorta/kinda/could be similar:

http://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/view/id/3341.html

No mention of FOs here either.

All this does raise the question of what they intend to do about it. I don't know for sure what the FO-supply situation is but one of the articles quotes someone saying, "…the number of new young pilots hasn’t been well recruited."

I suppose that could be a sign ? :biggrin:
 
It'd good to hear from the guys who've been there/done that ('steada the denizens of the Peanut Gallery...like me ! :D).

These ads are typical for the two companies apparently in such pilot-supply distress. I guess that's what it is when management publicly admits to curtailing ops due to crew shortages since that goes above & beyond the scuttlebutt stage.

A320 captains…Peach:

http://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/view/id/3784.html

A320 captains…Vanilla:

http://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/view/id/3954.html

Both ads are for captains. Both ads say 500 hrs in type. I've not seen any ads for expat FOs from these companies.

The FO ads aren't nearly as numerous and when they appear, the quals are still pretty high…like this one:

http://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/view/id/3489.html

At the CRJ level, they're hiring captains with time in type…or something sorta/kinda/could be similar:

http://www.latestpilotjobs.com/jobs/view/id/3341.html

No mention of FOs here either.

All this does raise the question of what they intend to do about it. I don't know for sure what the FO-supply situation is but one of the articles quotes someone saying, "…the number of new young pilots hasn’t been well recruited."

I suppose that could be a sign ? :biggrin:

As an aside, I've applied for the 767 job because I met the mins, but apparently PIC time that was also dual given (not received) does not count towards the 250.
 
Back
Top