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Ualexpress

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2002
Posts
118
I am currently a B-737NG Captain in the US with over 1100 hours in the left seat of the NG and with over 11,000 hours total time. With the death spiral the airlines are currently in and with no end in sight I am considering contract flying and have some questions.

I am 39, single, no kids. I sold my house last year so I don't even have a mortgage to worry about. So at this point I am not attached to anything and can go anywhere. I would prefer to do a non-commuting contract and live in base.

I can see by the contractor's websites that there are NG captain positions in China, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea. If anybody has worked and lived in these countries I would like to hear your opinions on them. If you had to do over again would you take your current contract job? How is the flying? Are the planes well maintained? Living conditions? etc etc etc ..

Thanks
 
The answer to your question lies in yourself. Japan would not suit somebody who can't work in a very structured environment. China would probably not suit somebody who can't work in very unstructured environment. Korean would also lean to the more structured side, while Vietnam probably less so.

Of those, from a pure country perspective, I would probably go:

1) China
2) Vietnam
3) Korea
4) Japan

But that's me, and I speak Mandarin so China is a natural for me.

If it was a choice between Air China, Vietnam Airlines, Korean, or ANA/JAL my choice would be different. It would be:

1) Korean ( best commuting schedule )
2) Vietnam ( good schedule and reasonable work atmosphere )
3) ANA/JAL
4) Air China

So the specific company has a lot to do with the choice. I would work for Korean, but I doubt I would work for Asiana because the Korean contract is far superior to the Asiana contract.

Choose carefully and be certain of the total financial package. The best contract is not necessarily the one with the highest gross salary. One must carefully calculate big items such as tax and accommodation to see what is left at the end of the month. Overtime can also have a significant impact on total earning potential.


Typhoonpilot
 
Japan would not suit somebody who can't work in a very structured environment.

Hum??? Not sure what to make of that comment exactly, perhaps if you could expand on it please? because I am working for the ANA group and frankly, you lost me

Are the planes well maintained?

About maintenance I can tell you that I have been in the line since August of last year and finally this last rotation duty period, I took an airplane with a deferred Item on it (metric altimeter) the engineer apologized for making my work harder with a differed Item, the funny thing about it was that we weren't even going to China so we didn't need the metric altimeters anyway. I hope that answers your question about maintenance in Japan.

Also, do you want to keep flying the 73? AJV (Japan post express) is hiring DEC for the 767's and they will type you, if you want to go trough a marathon training of 9 months that is. but you will be paid your captain salary from the get go. AJX Air Japan (the passenger side) is not currently offering DEC's because they are upgrading current F/O's but they are also looking for F/O's

www.hawaiiaviation.com

If it was a choice between Air China, Vietnam Airlines, Korean, or ANA/JAL my choice would be different. It would be:

1) Korean ( best commuting schedule )
2) Vietnam ( good schedule and reasonable work atmosphere )
3) ANA/JAL
4) Air China

The ANA group just upgraded their commuting contract and I have been commuting business class from the States. About the reasonable working schedule of Vietnam Airlines is six weeks on and two weeks off. Our schedule is 18 days on and 12 off, a little bit more reasonable don't you think?
 
The ANA group just upgraded their commuting contract and I have been commuting business class from the States. About the reasonable working schedule of Vietnam Airlines is six weeks on and two weeks off. Our schedule is 18 days on and 12 off, a little bit more reasonable don't you think?
Sounds like a pretty good gig, only problem I have with Japan is the high cost of living, having to learn how to fly all over again, ala Japanese, wearing white gloves :rolleyes: . Vietnam Airlines has a month on, month off schedule available, sorry, no business class to the states yet.
 
How about this.......screw all the analysis. Put in a resume and IF they call you GO to the interview and IF if they hire you TAKE THE JOB.
 
eyeamthechosen1,

Point taken. Everyone has an analysis that usually just wind up cancelling each other out. So in the end you are left with the same as before you posed the question. Time to sh!t or get off the pot.
 
Sounds like a pretty good gig, only problem I have with Japan is the high cost of living, having to learn how to fly all over again, ala Japanese, wearing white gloves :rolleyes: .

Don't knock the white gloves man. I actually have become quite attached to mine.


White gloves forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Don't knock the white gloves man. I actually have become quite attached to mine.


White gloves forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, at least if you're wearing white gloves, you won't leave fingerprints when you feel compelled to TOUCH the EICAS screen! :rolleyes:

Anyone know what the BMI threshold is for the Japanese physicals? (Or, 'if you have to ask, you're too fat'...;) )TC
 
Well, at least if you're wearing white gloves, you won't leave fingerprints when you feel compelled to TOUCH the EICAS screen! :rolleyes:

Anyone know what the BMI threshold is for the Japanese physicals? (Or, 'if you have to ask, you're too fat'...;) )TC

AA, mine is 29 and I was told I was too fat.
 
Just want to relate a little story that I have heard from a very senior expat captain at KAL. Seems the Aloha guys are running into trouble on the 737 flying since they are still trying to fly the jet the way they did at Aloha. While I'm sure they are excellent pilots and can fly the poo poo out of the 737 that style of flying is not acceptable at Korean. I've said it before here and elsewhere, when you work for someone else you have to fly the jet the way they want you to, not the way your previous company did.

In this particular story it would appear a former Aloha captain was flying a very efficient approach with late stabilization ( below that required by Korean ). It probably would have worked out fine, but the first officer, knowing the consequences, took control and did a go-around.

Korean is very rigid in their procedures and you have to fly the jet within their tolerances. Some guys have no problem making the adjustment, others do. So again these kinds of things have an impact on which country will best suit you.


Typhoonpilot
 
Typoonpilot,

Any recommendations on who the good and not so good contractors are?

Also, is there anything with regards to contract work that a first timer might want to watch out for.
 
Also, is there anything with regards to contract work that a first timer might want to watch out for.
The contractor takes a certain percentage of the full salary from each pilot, the bad contractors will try to go down on pay or benefits as they see fit for subsequent pilots joining, my suggestion, if you don't have a reputable contract agency like PARC Aviation, do your best to get a copy of a contract for someone that is already working at the airline and compare.

What you don't want to do is arrive somewhere and later find out you are doing the same job as another guy on the property for less money and benefits, contract agencies will negotiate, do your homework.
 
Korean is very rigid in their procedures and you have to fly the jet within their tolerances.


Typhoonpilot


I guess so, with all their accidents in the past! :eek:
 
The typical failure rates for training in Asian companies is upwards of 40-50%, In a lot of cases it is because folks can't let go of procedures from their previous employer.
I'm not going to mention specific companies but out of the latest wave of interviews from the furloughed pool, just a handful of folks have passed the interview process. Quite a bit of folks failing both the sim and medical
 
With the exception of the Japanese, most Asian operators are testers, not trainers!
 
The typical failure rates for training in Asian companies is upwards of 40-50%, In a lot of cases it is because folks can't let go of procedures from their previous employer.
I'm not going to mention specific companies but out of the latest wave of interviews from the furloughed pool, just a handful of folks have passed the interview process. Quite a bit of folks failing both the sim and medical

3 quick questions for you;

What are some of the routes you guys (AJX/AJV) fly?

Do you do alot of DH'd? F/C/Y class?

Since they are hiring DECs, how long for an F/O to upgrade?

Sorry, thats 4.

Thanks
 
3 quick questions for you;

What are some of the routes you guys (AJX/AJV) fly?

Do you do alot of DH'd? F/C/Y class?

Since they are hiring DECs, how long for an F/O to upgrade?

Sorry, thats 4.

Thanks

AJV (cargo) mostly does China runs out off Kansai and Narita and they added a Singapore flight recently, On the USA flights they go to ANK and ORD but the latest is that the ORD flight will be done by another company under a wet lease and the will do mostly China flights and ANK.

AJX (passengers) we do DLC, CAN, PVG and HKG in China, SIN and HNL. adding another SIN and a Taipei next month


AJV does a lot of DH's since they operate from different bases and they are business class

AJX only does one DH on the return flight from HKG because it is returning to Haneda, not Narita and we are provided a taxi that takes us back to any destination you want in Narita (hotel, apartment, back to the airport)

The commute back and forth from home (In both companies) is done with your choice of $2000 commute allowance and ZED fairs or business class tickets. You can choose from month to month as long as you do it ahead of time

They are currently only hiring DEC's and F/O's at AJV (cargo) AJX is currently hiring F/O's and generally an opportunity for upgrade should come within your first contract, if not your second contract should be as a Captain.
 

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