Pilot pathways

Both are attributed to Richard de Crespigny, the pilot in command of the A380-842 scheduled to fly from Singapore to Sydney that fateful day in November, 2010.

The story is now the stuff of legend: De Crespigny and his flight deck colleagues wrestled for two hours to overcome a plethora of warnings emerging from the explosion. Confronted with shrapnel damage, leaking fuel, hydraulic failure and slat failure among other problems, they methodically worked through options to get the behemoth back on the ground.

The fact they achieved just that without injury to anyone on board is a tribute to their ability – and a display of more than a little courage under pressure.

De Crespigny is now acknowledged for his service to the aviation community, both nationally and internationally. If nothing else his actions, and subsequent observations in book form and at public speaking engagements, underline why first-class pilot training is a serious business. And there is no doubt that during that 120 fateful minutes he was merging both body and mind with the conflicted machinery to develop a solution.

Two other episodes in recent memory equally debunk any myth that airline pilots are “glorified bus drivers”: the remarkable, safe ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009 after a bird strike, and the skilled recovery and emergency landing of Southwest 1380 in April this year after an engine explosion.

In both those cases pilot skill was fundamental to the end result.

For the millions of people who fly each day, the only interaction they might have with the crew on the flight deck could be a glimpse on boarding, an announcement or two, and an equally brief glimpse on disembarking. In-flight incidents are rare, hence why it easy to take pilots for granted and why we have all heard the “bus driver” analogy (made even more notorious in Australia by then Prime Minister Bob Hawke during the 1989 pilots’ strike). Nothing could be further from the truth. Short haul or long, as soon as that flight pushes back from the gate and the engines spool up, lives depends on the skills of the men and women up front.

They are skills developed over many years of flight training – from humble beginnings as the holder of a recreational licence to qualification to sit on the flight deck of a multi-engine airliner or freighter. It is initial learning and training that doesn’t come cheap, but at the end of the day the rewards can overwhelm the negatives.

That is especially so at a time of debate over pilot shortage. The well-publicised Boeing figures, released in July last year, project a need for 637,000 new commercial pilots worldwide between now and 2036 with 253,000 of that number required in the Asia-Pacific region.

Both China and the Middle-East have ramped up foreign pilot recruitment, including from Australia. China in particular has been active in offering huge tax free salaries sparking a retaliatory response to fill the training gap in this country, including the $20 million Qantas pledge to establish a flight school at an established regional airfield in 2019.

It was revealed in June that a decision to establish one school might now be extended to two with a view to training up to 500 new pilots a year.

Qantas Domestic CEO Andrew David told Reuters news agency: “We have a social responsibility. We can continue to take pilots from smaller players in this country and elsewhere but we need to give back and that is part of what we are doing here as well.”

Andrew Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, has a different perspective on the issue: “There is not so much a shortage of pilots as a rising cost of attracting and retaining the pilots you need, particularly the experienced ones.

“There is a bidding war going on.”

However you look at it, there is medium to long term upside for young men and women seeking to obtain commercial licence qualifications.

So you want to be a pilot? Here’s how.

How times have changed from the days when the closest the school classroom came to aeronautical “education” was the mischievous throwing around of a paper dart or wistful watching of a flyover through a window.

Children as young as 12 can now get a flying start, literally, on the pathway to a career at one of the high schools with dedicated aerospace streams. In Queensland alone there are 18 secondary schools offering aerospace studies under the auspices of the government-formed Aviation Australia training organisation and its Gateway Schools program.

Among them is Aviation High, close to Brisbane International Airport, which boasts a School of Excellence in Aviation and Aerospace. The school was established specifically to offer direct pathways for students seeking careers in the aviation and aerospace industries.

Headmaster David Munn says the school’s facilities include an aero-skills and aeronautics trade training centre, a wind tunnel, flight simulator centre, radio room, an aircraft themed catering facility as well as aircraft control systems and physics laboratories.

There are now schools across Australia offering aviation streams, including Snowy Mountains Grammar in NSW, Brentwood Secondary College and Woodleigh School in Victoria, the Australian Science and Mathematics School in SA, and Melville Senior High School and Greenwood College in WA. Greenwood offers a unique course in rotary aviation backed by a Bell 412 helicopter simulator donated by helicopter services company CHC.

‘There are now schools across Australia offering aviation streams.’

If the ambition is to pursue a commercial flying career after school, then the options begin to converge.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) licencing requirements are straightforward enough and spelled out over three stages, progressing from student pilot in stage one, to attainment of a recreational pilot licence (RPL) and private pilot licence (PPL) in stage two, to a commercial pilot licence (CPL) and air transport pilot licence in stage three.

Between stages one and three are minimum age requirements, many hours of study, logged flying hours – dual and as a pilot in command – and licence endorsements such as aircraft type and operational ratings.

All the details are available on the CASA website.

But first a reality check for budding pilots.

Are you prepared to outlay about $80,000 to $140,000, depending on the training organisation and – depending on the training method – several years of your life to follow the dream?

That’s roughly how much it will cost to fully qualify to fly commercially, irrespective of the qualification pathway you choose. The three current key student pathways are:

Independent learning through a private flying school – everything from flying for the fun of it to earning a commercial pilot licence (CPL). Some aviation schools with Civil Aviation Safety Authority Part 142 certification can offer intensive, integrated aviation diploma courses, telescoping the time required to qualify for a CPL.

Pursuit of an aviation orientated university degree and entry into an airline cadet program affiliated with that university. This is the essence of the Qantas Future Pilot Program via QantasLink, affiliated with the University of New South Wales, Griffith University, the University of Southern Queensland, Swinburne University of Technology, RMIT and New Zealand’s Massey University. Swinburne is also affiliated with the Jetstar cadet program.

Direct entry into a cadet program post high school and/or tertiary with emphasis on required standard in maths and science subjects, especially physics. This is the foundation of the Virgin Australia pilot cadetship and the Regional Express pilot cadet program.

While they are the more expensive options, each of the airline associated programs offers job prospects on successful course completion.
They will be joined in 2019 by the Qantas Pilot Academy. While still short on qualification detail, Qantas says it will offer entry to high school or university graduates “with strong academic performance.”

With the exception of the Rex program, the airline-associated cadetships qualify for student loan coverage, but maximum limits apply. Rex, meanwhile, has a unique system requiring a student to post $25,000 up front with the training balance of $105,000 loaned, repayable over a seven year period of commitment to the airline but with a return of service benefit (partial loan write-off) at the end of the commitment period.

Chris Hine, Executive Director of Rex, Group Flight Operations Advisor and Chairman of the state of the art Australian Airline Pilot Academy based in Wagga Wagga, said the motive for their payment scheme is all about removal of financial barriers.

“We wanted the program to be open to the right people and good people – open without the huge financial barriers applicable to some others. We think it’s a fantastic opportunity for anyone who meets the criteria, and wants to join us, to have those traditional financial barriers removed,” he said.

Hine said he suspected that many of the 230 cadets trained to date would not have become pilots but for the terms of the Rex program. “And they should have become pilots because it was what they were meant to do,” he said. “There is a great sense of fulfilment from us that we have given them that opportunity and pathway.”

He suggested that a worst-case alternative would be to see commercial flying as a career solely for the wealthy.

Rex looks to train around 30 cadets a year from all around Australia over three intakes of 10, plus trainees from external sources; Vietnam Airlines is a current customer, for example.

‘Rex looks to train around 30 cadets a year from all around Australia over three intakes of 10.’

Hine has his own strong views on the shortage debate, what he prefers to call a skills shortage, and points to the difference between a newly qualified CPL holder out of a general flight school and a pilot emerging from a cadet pilot program.

He said that while CASA figures might show an increase in CPL qualified pilots, there is a difference between numbers and skills.
“It’s about the ability to sit in the right or, indeed, left hand seat of a commercial airliner,” he said.

Details of each of the airline schemes are available on the company websites while information on aviation orientated degree courses is available via the individual university portals.

Then there is a further “left field” option: join the RAAF.

According to a report published across the News Ltd network in March last year, it costs about $15 million for the Australian Defence Force to train a fighter pilot, and about half that for other military pilot commands.

At that time, Qantas admitted it was targeting military trained personnel and that its pilot academy program, looking forward to 2019 and beyond, had attracted a significant number of ADF applications among the more than 1000 applications received.

Meantime, the independent flying school training option remains a mainstream choice for student pilots, and many of those pursing an integrated diploma course with an approved training provider – essentially full time learning on site – qualify for vocational education and training (VET) student loan coverage.

For example, BASAIR Aviation College, the largest flying college in Australia with campuses at Bankstown and Cessnock in NSW and Archerfield in Queensland, offers a Diploma in Aviation (CPL) among its multiple training options. The course integrates the first two required CASA licencing steps – Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL) and Private Pilot Licence (PPL) – with the CPL curriculum.

The cost is $75,796.

The CPL diploma is available at other Part 142 certified flying schools around Australia.

For those for whom intensive study is not an option, a step by step approach with a flying school is the way to go. And while costs are similar there are advantages.

Caloundra-based GoFly business owner and chief flying instructor Damien Wills said students can achieve a CPL over a four-year timeline while holding down a job to help cover training costs of around $80,000. And while the time frame might appear daunting, he suggested would-be pilots should view flight training like a university degree.

“Most university degrees are around three to four years in duration. If the majority of the population accept that it’s going to take an individual four years to earn a degree then why would it be any different to learn to be an airline pilot? If you leave school at 18 you will still only be 22 years of age when you complete your flight training – the same as most other graduates.”

His recommended schedule is published on his website and reproduced here with his permission:

Year 1: Upgrade your computer if you need to and turn it into a simple Flight Simulator (use X-plane at a cost of around $2,000). By having your own makeshift flight sim you will be able to practice manoeuvres, and eventually instrument flight, at home in your own time at no cost. Study for your Recreational theory exams and Private Pilot Licence exams in your own time and sit the exams.

Year 2: Find a reputable flight school that offers part time CPL training and preferably has recreational aircraft you can start your training in. Complete your training one day per week and fly between one to two hours. Pay for each lesson as you go. Complete your pilot certificate and navigation endorsement in a recreational aircraft to save on training costs.

Year 3: Complete your RPL conversion and controlled airspace endorsement on a four-seat, low complex aircraft like a Cessna 172. Start studying at night for your CPL exams. Start accumulating solo command time in both a recreational aircraft and a four- seater aircraft.

Year 4: Sit your CPL theory exams (and resit if required). Start studying for Air Transport Licence (ATPL) subjects. Complete your CPL Flight Training with twin-engine instrument included. Complete your instructor rating recreational and general aviation. Apply for jobs in Australia and Asia at the end of the year. Keep $10,000 and offer to pay for jet type endorsement if required by an airline.

Wills also has a different perspective on the issue of pilot shortage: “One of my biggest difficulties is keeping instructors who get their hours up and are snapped up. Jetstar and Virgin are really active and attracting newly qualified pilots.

‘One of my biggest difficulties is keeping instructors.’
Damien Wills

“It is a pace of interest unheard of three years ago,” he said.

Flying high

So what can a newly qualified airline pilot expect to earn, and what can she or he look forward to in the years ahead?

According to enterprise agreements lodged with Australian Fair Work Commission, an entry level, narrow body aircraft flying officer with Jetstar has a base salary of $110,447 from July 1. Captains earn a base of $200,813.

On Qantas a short haul flying officer base salary is $135,442. Fly a 787 in the left hand seat and you will earn $353.03 an hour (maximum hours per year for airline pilots are generally capped at 1000 – you can do the math).

On Virgin, a Level 1 flying officer on narrow body services (Boeing 737) has a base of $128,167 rising to $233,032 in the captain’s seat.

Those rates do not include superannuation (typically 9.5 per cent) and multiple additional benefits such as – depending on the airline – extra flying allowances, training, seniority and checking allowances, company performance bonus, annual leave, personal leave, parental leave and sick leave provision, layover allowances, and staff and family travel discounts.

Rex, for example, also offers its pilots a profit share and share gift scheme.

Finally, there are the advantages that have to do with the flying experience. The UK-based pilot-authored website flightdeckfriend sums it up. Yes, there are negatives such as early morning or late night starts and otherwise demanding rosters, but they are outweighed by the positives.

They include the sheer joy of flight and the wonders of the view at altitude, the challenge of no two flights ever being the same, the rewards of responsibility for a hugely expensive piece of machinery and the lives on board, the career opportunities with an airline beyond the flight deck, and the travel, especially to long haul destinations.