Air Japan (AJX)

[han_solo]

Is Air Japan growing? new orders? Replacement plans for 767s?

Does ANA hire you permanently after 5 years?

 

[Dumb Pilot]

Is Air Japan growing? new orders? Replacement plans for 767s?

Does ANA hire you permanently after 5 years?

ANA would certainly like for AJX to take on more flying but we are short on crews, we have had some attrition of guys going back to recals in the US and a few that have moved on to other gigs within SE Asia, the business plan for the 2012 fiscal year that begins in April here in Japan hasn't been published yet and there are changes within the ANA company structure, we know that AJX will be an integral part of the ANA business plan going forward, we just don't know what it will look like.

New orders? Well, we don't really have any airplanes, we are assigned A/C's from the mainline fleet to do our flights, but ANA has an expansion plan that includes many new orders of 77's 87' & 76's.

The 767 will continue to be part of the ANA's business plan for the foreseeable future, if your question is that if AJX will operate another type eventually, we just don't know.

This gig is contract only and there is no direct employment with ANA, it is all done through an agency, contract renewals are offered regularly but there have been some cases where the company has said "sayonara" after the pilot has done the contract completion.

 

[spg2bmd]

DP, how long did it take you to upgrade?

 

[Dumb Pilot]

I came as a DEC, but the guys are starting their assessment at the three year mark and joining the line as captains at the 4 year mark

 

[spg2bmd]

I came as a DEC, but the guys are starting their assessment at the three year mark and joining the line as captains at the 4 year mark

Good that you made it into the DEC program. Sounds like that may be done with for the foreseeable future. The FO to CA program still isnt too bad.

 

[CommanderHoek]

Are they still hiring DEC's? Do/will they count cruise captain time for the PIC requirement of 3000 PIC large jet? Is 3000 hours PIC hard or do you get credit for say flying a heavy (747 and others, 757 etc...)for 10 plus years? Thank you.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

They are focusing their hiring on F/O's right now since we are fat on captains and we are upgrading F/O's, but if the right candidate for DEC comes along, I'm sure he/she will be considered although the last couple of classes have been with F/O's only.
Relieve pilot or cruise captain time will not be considered as part of the PIC requirement time, only the time where you are actually signing the book as P1.
They historically have been very hardline about their minimums, we had a case of a Korean F/O that was hired and in class already when they discovered that he was shy of the minimum PIC time (I think it was 6 hours short or something ridiculous like that) this individual had lots of jet transport SIC time but since he didn't meet the published minimums, they sent him to California to get the hours he was missing in a Bonanza...! Now that box can be ticked so the space time continuum will not rupture, then he came back and continued his training.

Now haven said that, I always advise people that if you are interested apply and see what happens.

 

[CommanderHoek]

Thanks for that.