Paul Phelan/CAIRNS
Australia, which exported several hundred pilots, mainly to Asia and the Middle East following their mass resignation during the 1989 pilot's dispute, is again facing an upheaval.
Qantas pilots are becoming increasingly restless over perceived inequities in pay and conditions between short-haul (ex-Australian Airlines) and long-haul pilots. Although, both Qantas and Ansett had been recruiting vigorously, to meet growth requirements for several years, there is now divergence as Qantas continues with a steady but positive crew recruitment while, Ansett ponders a reported excess of some 200 of its 800 pilots, in expectation of synergies yet to be defined following its alliance with Air New Zealand.
Qantas has comprehensively reviewed its pilot-recruitment processes following a rash of disappointments in initial command training among pilots recruited during a mid-1980s shortage.
The carrier has now developed a growing database derived from comprehensive computer evaluations of the links between previous pilot aptitude-test results, skills tests and interviews, and performance levels subsequently identified in recurrent training.
The result is an increasingly computer-based scrutiny, with Qantas using all available data and technology to relate its current policies and requirements to past decisions, good or bad.
Qantas' review of previous recruitment decisions began with a consultant's analysis of the company's 20 top performing pilots, along with the 20 at the bottom end of the scale. To ensure the process's integrity, it also examined the induction and operational records of most company pilots now responsible for various flight standards and other supervisory functions. The final product was a precise computer model of the make-up and abilities of the ideal pilot.
Recruits are drawn from company cadets, general aviation, and the military. That Qantas is positive about all three is shown in its recruiting history. From June 1994 to May 1996, the airline's recruitment consisted of 94 former cadets, 100 pilots from general aviation and other airlines, 56 from the military, 26 from regional airlines, and 14 former domestic-airline pilots, most of whom had returned from overseas appointments. Numerous other Australian expatriate pilots are now seeking employment in Australia, even under the constraints of seniority rules, and the Australian market is expected to be adequately met from those and traditional sources for years.
One notable Australasian opportunity for experienced pilots is that of instructing in the region's thriving airline-pilot cadet schools, where operators appreciate that the optimum mix is a blend of young instructors (who will almost certainly be absorbed into airline flying), and retired airline pilots. The most successful school, in terms of foreign business, employs the two categories in about a 50:50 ratio.
Source: Flight International