AeroStar Training Services

The Life of an Airline Pilot

PaulaW — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:12:55 +0000

Some things have changed for airline pilots, but the things that drew adventurous souls to the job will never change.

There has been a lot of talk about how careers for pilots are different than they used to be.

Many things have changed. Pilots use GPS for naviation, and pilots may use iPads instead of paper charts.

The skies are busier, jobs are harder to get, the salary may not go as far and the retirement and perks may not be as generous as they used to be.

But one thing hasn’t changed – there is a feeling that comes from safely touching down in an eighty-thousand pound airplane with hundreds of people aboard, just hours after taking off in that eighty-thousand pound aircraft from a city three hundred miles away.

Pilots command millions of dollars in equipment.
Pilots fly hundreds of miles at thirty thousand feet.
Pilots command two huge engines almost as tall as a person.
Pilots are responsible for the lives of hundreds of people who trust them to get to their destinations safely.

Many pilots just being as satisfied doing anything else for a living!

Here are a few of our favorite videos about life as an airline pilot. Do you have a favorite video that’s not listed here? Enter it in the comments below.

Please note – we do not own these videos or the rights to the music in them, they are posted publicly on YouTube.

Enjoy!

Would you make a great flight attendant?

PaulaW — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:29:55 +0000

Flight Attendant, Emirates Airlines

Being a flight attendant is a great career for the right person.

Is it the right choice for you?

Requirements vary, depending on the airline you’re considering, but here are a few questions to get you started:

Do you have an outgoing personality?
Do you enjoy helping people?
Are you good at making decisions and solving problems?
Do you “keep your cool” and stay calm when others are frustrated or anxious?
Do you enjoy travel?
Do you have a high school diploma or equivalent education?
Do you have 2 years of college or 2 years of customer service experience
Are you physically in good condition? (Are you able to assist passengers with heavy luggage, and perform other physical tasks like opening heavy doors and windows?)
Do you have a valid passport?

If the answer to all (or most) of the above questions is “yes,” then see our contact Aerostar for more information about our flight attendant programs!

Call 1-407-888-9011 or email Deidra.Toye@AerostarTypeRatings.com or click here for more information. We’d love to help you get started!

APC Co Founder John Steinbeck Says Jobs Outlook Good for Pilots

PaulaW — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:07:00 +0000

AeroStar Training Service instructors and administrators have been saying for years that we’re on the edge of a pilot boom, (For more information on this topic, see Will There Be Jobs for Pilots? by Scott Patton, Reduced Regional Minimums for Pilots with Type Ratings by Kevin Teeter,417 REASONS TO GET AN A320 TYPE RATING and Video – Founder David Santo answers your questions about AeroStar ) and here’s an excerpt from an article from flightops that agrees.

APC co-founder John Steinbeck sat down with Louis Smith, president of FltOps.com, to discuss where he sees airline pilot hiring heading the next few years:

Has a pilot hiring boom finally begun?

It is just beginning and will be the longest and largest pilot hiring spree in the history of the industry.

Which sectors will show the most promise for professional pilots?

Among the primary career sectors (major airlines, corporate/fractionals, foreign/expats), the majors will return to the preferred positions for many pilots. The last ten years have been the worst I have ever seen, but the next ten years will be the best.

What’s causing this to happen?

The four factors that created the depressed job market are now disappearing. The mandatory retirement age to 65, elimination of the third pilot, oil prices at $147 per barrel, and a severely depressed economy will soon be a distant and bad memory.All the airlines are starting to show record profits even in a weak U.S. economy, and that has never happened. They have shown some remarkable restraint in expanding their schedules, but now they will have to expand since demand is recovering so quickly. With the baggage fees, the passenger airlines are finally getting compensated for turning jet fuels into lift, just like FedEx and UPS have done for years.

Will pay and benefits at the majors return to their pre-9/11 levels?

Adjusted for inflation, no. However, I do expect some contracts to show 30% increases in compensation depending on the success of the pilot unions to leverage their strengths.Can companies really afford to do that?
The unions are figuring out that if passengers are willing to pay $25 for a Samsonite, they must be willing to pay a few more dollars for a “Sullenberger” in the front seat.What about the highly-publicized stories predicting a pilot shortage?
I don’t think the U.S. major airlines will have a pilot shortage. Plus, it’s important to define what the term “pilot shortage” means. To me, it’s when companies pay for pilots to get necessary training to become minimally qualified. The major airlines are a long way from that and with a mobile work force and a highly-unionized pilot group, they will offer whatever it takes to attract qualified pilots. It’s a totally different story at the feeder airlines and the foreign carriers. I expect the feeder airlines (regionals) will need to spend money on low-time pilots to reach the minimums, especially with new regulations coming redefining the ATP.The foreign airlines will simply ratchet down their minimum qualifications and increase the pay and benefits to increase the applicant pool and they will likely transition from training bonds to training bonuses to attract the talent they need. We see more of them coming to our pilot job fairs and there are continuous discussions with management about what it will take to improve the number of U.S. pilots willing to leave hearth and home and fly out of a foreign country.

How will Age 65 retirements affect hiring in the future?

The age rule changed on December 13, 2007 so all the age 60 pilots who made the cut must retire by their 65th birthday. When the mandatory retirement was 60 years of age, the projected retirements looking forward 14 years would actually occur in 10 years due to disability, early retirement, termination and the “grim reaper”. I suspect the projected age 65 retirements over the next 15 years will actually occur in 10 years, but we won’t know the real numbers until it happens.

Based on current fleet growth projections, senior pilot attrition will comprise nearly 65% of the pilot demand at the major airlines.

Will things pick up even at slow growth airlines like American?

American has the most potential among all the major airlines to offer early retirement to its senior captains thus stimulating upgrades without growth. Even without an early retirement incentive, American has 5,888 pilots scheduled to reach age 65 in the next 15 years, and if the historical attrition is accurate, that will actually happen over 10 years.

Some of the money for funding the early retirements might come from the sale of Eagle. I don’t think AMR can sell Eagle until contracts are settled at American among all the mainline unions.

American still has more than 1,900 pilots who are furloughed and everyone is guessing about the percentage who actually return when everyone is recalled. Many of the furloughees are permanently employed elsewhere.

How does an applicant stand out in today’s job market?

A. Online applications and documents must be perfect – there is no room for sloppiness or omissions.

B. Develop extensive knowledge of the target company’s culture, strategy and market position well in advance of an interview.

C. Every employee that you know at your target company with any influence on the pilot screening decision makers should be well aware how badly you want the job.

D. Exceeding the minimum qualifications by a wide margin is significant, and always stay current flying if at all possible.

E. Be prepared well in advance to tell your story to the airline when called for an interview – waiting until two days before is a mistake.

F. Job fairs are very useful in accelerating the entire process (you knew I would say that).

What makes you qualified to discuss pilot career strategies and decisions? Aren’t you a little “old school?”
I have been in the business for a long time and have had the benefit of observing both the brilliant and inane career decisions made by professional pilots. I’ve made more than my share of dumb career moves. Thousand of pilots since 1972 (USAF pilot) have shared with me their ideas and experiences at all stages of their career. Although the industry and information sources have changed radically, there are certain constants which can be applied to most pilot career decisions.

See the original article here:

Interview Questions for Airline Pilots

PaulaW — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:18:43 +0000

image from http://interview-tips-for-success.blogspot.com/

These are questions that have been asked in interviews. If you’ve been asked a particularly interesting interview question that’s not included here, please included it in the comments below!

How do you see being an airline pilot fitting in with your lifestyle?

The purpose of this question is to make sure you understand what you’re getting into. Flying at all hours of the day and night, finding yourself in multiple time zones, being away from home for days or weeks at a time are all things that come with the territory.

They may ask about your family, with the intention of ensuring that you have thought through child care options (if you have children) and if your spouse is supportive of your career.

How do you take care of your health while you’re on the road?

This is a question to find out if you have thought through the demands of life as an airline pilot. A crazy schedule, hurried food options and so on leaves many pilots with health issues over the years. The interviewer wants to know that you have a plan to exercise in a way that’s portable and not dependant on equipment, that you make smart food choices on the road, that you have the discipline to sleep when you need to even in an exciting new city, and so on.

Are you willing to be based in another city?

Airlines are cutting costs wherever they can, and that includes pilot commuting. Being based in a city convenient to them is also and advantage because of logistics and flexibility. If you’re willing to relocate when and as needed, that will be an advantage.

How have you invested in your own training?

Most airlines will not hire you straight out of flight school. So your next step is to gain that necessary experience.

Instructing: This was traditionally the next step in the process to achieve that elusive airline position. Instructing is an excellent way to built up time, but the pay is usually low. At first you will probably teach private pilots and build up only single engine time. However, as your career progresses, you can train instrument students and multiengine students if you have the necessary instructing certificates.
Building time on your own: You may choose to build up your flying hours by owning or renting an airplane and flying it on your own. Several people can go in together to purchase a single engine aircraft to build up flight time or an advanced aircraft to build up multiengine and/or instrument time.
Many now will waive time in type and even multi-engine time requirements for pilots who have the required type ratings.

Since many factors in your airline career, including salary, choice of equipment, choice of domicile, time off, and insurance are based on seniority, it is to your advantage to get hired as early as possible. The third route is certainly the quickest.

Airlines used to pay for type ratings for pilots that have the required certifications and time in type. Now they may not need to.

When faced with a lot of candidates for a few openings, airlines are able to choose between several candidates with similar qualifications. To be considered first, you often have to be a step ahead of the pack. A type rating might be just the thing that differentiates you from other candidates and gets you the job sooner.

Airlines are also impressed with candidates that are committed enough to invest in their own careers.

An Airline Pilot’s Income

PaulaW — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:08:36 +0000

Because everything in the airline industry is based on seniority, getting hired sooner pays huge benefits in the long run.

This illustration is a sample only, no one is ever guaranteed a job, and there is no guarantee of a specific salary for anyone for any particular length of time, but it shows the dramatic difference between a pilot who gets a type rating from AeroStar on the red line, and a pilot who follows a traditional career path on the green line.

You’ll notice that the AeroStar Pilot begins at a much higher salary since he starts right away as a First Officer at Qatar Airways, and advances to Captain in five years. After ten years as a Captain at Qatar Airways, he gets a job with Southwest Airlines.

Our second pilot spends a couple of years building time as an instructor pilot with very low pay. This pilot also gets hired at Qatar Airways as a First Officer, then works his way up more slowly through the ranks of First Officer, Senior First Officer, and then Captain. This pilot is also hired by Southwest Airlines with ten years of experience at Qatar Airways, but you’ll see that he never quite catches up. There is a significant difference in their salaries that lasts for a lifetime.

Finding pilot jobs on the web – Bookmark this site for your job search!

PaulaW — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:00:57 +0000

AeroStar Flight Training Services prepares students for careers as captains or first officers of A320s and B737s, which are the most popular airliners in use today.

Here are some of the sites that list jobs for these types of pilots, as well as individual airlines sites.

We understand that some of these sites are confusing or difficult to use, so it takes initiative and diligence to use the web in your career search.

Leave a comment and let us know what you’d like to see in the ideal job search site for pilots!

Of course, any such list is incomplete, but we’d like to grow this one. Please leave a comment if you know of a site that we’ve left out! (Especially if you’ve used it successfully to obtain an airline job!)

Pilot Job Sites

Airline “Careers” or “Human Resources” links

Video – Advice for Aspiring Airline Captains and First Officers

PaulaW — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:58:59 +0000

Advice for Aspiring Airline Captains and First Officers from Captain Tom Hutchins, Flight Instructor and Veteran Airline Pilot

Another Xtranormal Cartoon – Career Plan to be an A320 Captain

PaulaW — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:49:58 +0000

Another cartoon, just for fun.

Reduced Regional Minimums for Pilots with Type Ratings

PaulaW — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:44:29 +0000

By Kevin Teeter

I recently attended an Airline job fair and stumbled upon something I wasn’t expecting.

In speaking with the various recruiters I noticed that many of them offered to waive a significant number of multi engine hours if the applicant possessed a type rating. In some cases they would waive up to 400 hours of multi. If you consider the average multi engine rental costs $220 per hour/wet, then they would spend approximately 96,000 to get those hours.

The cheapest time building package I have found online is $181 per hour/wet, which equals $72,400 for 400 hours. The cost of a type rating would yield only 72 hours of multi time.

Many of the presentations by these airlines project the hiring of pilots in the next two years to be in the tens of thousands.

The airlines in attendance were:

GoJet
ASA
Skywest
Air Wisconson
American Eagle
CapeAir

We have known for some time that a type rating is an advantage for any career-minded pilot – but it’s always good to have confirmation from an outside source!

417 REASONS TO GET AN A320 TYPE RATING

PaulaW — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:31:31 +0000

As an aspiring pilot, it is smart to do your homework about which aircraft qualifications will make you the most marketable as a pilot. You certainly don’t want to spend a lot of money getting qualified in an aircraft only to find that there are no jobs in that particular aircraft type.

Getting a type rating in the Airbus 320 is probably the safest bet – each time an aircraft is sold, more jobs for captains and first officers are created.

Here are recent orders for Airbus A320s by domestic and international carriers.