Originally Posted by
hoover
I agree there is no GA in China, but isn't that why they send their cadets to the US for flight training. Every FO I have met there did their flight training in the US. There is no way that they will ever be able to run their industry without Expats unless they stop their growth. With the stupid medicals that now the experienced national Captains are failing, because they are getting older, prevents any real experience from staying in the airline. Everyone of the instructors I met medical-ed out.
The best part is they are starting to see that there needs to be change to support their industry. It might take 5-10 years for the change to happen or it could be very little time, but when it does maybe some of the operational headaches might be smoothed over.
Now to control that pollution....
I have met several FOs here who did their training all within China. Perhaps it may just be because the airline I am with is located not far from China's largest flight school. But still many guys also did their training in the United States. I would say it is a 60/40 mix right now, with China being 60. What I am surprised at is how much time they make these guys sit in the right seat before upgrade. Not that it is a bad thing, but I figured 4-5 years as an FO before upgrade. But I am finding in many cases it is closer to 6-8 years before they can begin the upgrade process. The upgrade process can itself take in excess of a year as well. The FO I am flying with right now has been here since 2007. He has completed the upgrade sim training and checking, passed all the academic testing, passed the upgrade interview process, and he hopes to be able to start line training by early next year.