Pilots

[bkk bound]

i will be enrolling in a pilot school soon in California.

my dream is to work for a US base airline, receive US salary, but be able to work out of BKK.

am i asking too much ?

what type of salary are we speaking of as a rookie ?

is this possible ? if so, need some tips on how to go about it when time to apply for a job, assuming i pass/finish my pilot school.

i hear in order to be a pilot in thailand ( only fly within LOS ) you have to be thai national, is this true ?

[TRIPxCORE]

Um, yes, you are asking too much. I work for a major US airline and believe I can answer this question for you.

First of all, only two US airlines fly into BKK, United and Northwest. Neither of them have pilots that are based in BKK. To be based in a particular city, the airline must have a "domicile" there. United & Northwest do not have them in BKK.

Second, international routes for an airline are the most coveted because they give the pilot the most time off and the maximum pay an airline will give. For these reasons, only very senior pilots get these routes which must be bidded on using there seniority as everything at airlines goes by seniority.

Getting an immediate job at a major airline is almost unheard of. Most people out of flight school have to start at a small commuter carrier and must build up enough flight hours long before they can even apply at a major airline.

The good news is, you dont have to be a Thai national to work for an airline based in Thailand or Asia. In fact, I just read a report where many of the new start-up airlines in Asia want Thailand to ease up on maximum number allowed foreign pilots they are allowed to hire. Even though Thailand wants it to only be Thai nationals flying around Thailand, the airlines complain that there just are not enough Thai people to fill the pilot jobs they have opening up. The demand for pilots in SE Asia is growing exponentially and the opportunities will be plentiful. Good Luck with school.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

A lottery might just have a faster outcome.

[bkk bound]

dr_Pat_Pong,

you wouldn't happen to be the same guy who announces at the annual nanapong dance off, are you ?

Nahhh I'm the guy that did 3 weeks at a flying school on Cessna 150's and came to BKK and was slotted straight into command of a 747-400 on long distance runs, but in fairness I have to say I did well in that 3 week training course which obviously swayed the airline's selection committee.

[Martin]

bkkbound: I know it is impossible to put old heads on young shoulders, but I would suggest that when you have a bit of time from your studies, you read "Fate Is The Hunter" by Ernest K. Gann.

It is the very readable story of those who went before you.

Ernest Gann started at the bottom, as you will have to do, just as the first airlines were being founded. He then flew as a pilot through their infancy and their maturing (approximately 1925 to 1960). He retired just before the advent of the big jets.

In his book, his main character is an airline pilot who does just that (but happens to get into all the action going).

I was reminded of his book by tripxcore's comment on 'seniority rules all', as Gann writes a lot about how seniority decides so much in the life of his main character.

1925 to 1960 may seem irrelevant to you, but a number of present-day airline pilots have commented how Gann's book still 'rings a lot of bells'.

And there is a saying "They who know not their past can have no future".