Opinions needed, Emirates
 

New to forum, enjoyed reading everyones inputs.
Interested in applying for Emirates but wondering if I'm spinning my wheels or have a real chance at getting hired.
Spent the past 20 years flying for DHS (former Treasury) and thinking of retiring. Unfortunately I've been stuck in a desk job the past year and flown very little. Have 6300 TT, 2300 jet, typed in B737 and CE550.
Spinning my wheels or what?

They seemed to be pretty desperate for pilots right now. They have even gone to calling regional guys, which they have never done before, typically they wanted B737/DC9 or bigger equipment time. So your chances are good as any out there, it doesn't hurt to apply, all your going to do is waste about an hour filling out the online app at worst case. Be ready to move your family to DBX though, there are no provisions for commuting, and if you decide to do it, you will be miserable. I turned their offer to interview down a while back because I dont' want to move my family to DBX. If they had a NY base I would reapply in a heart beat, but not as the situation stands currently. Good luck.

checkout the emirates thread on pprune

My opinion will differ from most but I wouldn't mind spending some time in Dubai as I have heard lots of great things about the place. Dad spent a year in the Middle East flying 707's for Aeroamerica out of Karachi and he loved it. Went to Sudan, Yemen, Dubai, Saudi, Sri Lanka, etc etc. I've always been intrigued with the Middle East. If the job was offered to me, I'd take it! Go for it and see how you like it.

Regarding the interview, by all means apply (if you haven't done so). From the information that I have, your times look competitive. There are some Emirates pilots on the forum who can answer specific questions about recent experience, etc.

Read everything you can about Dubai. I think it is a fascinating story and I would love to see the place, but it's obviously not a situation that would suit everyone. There's a lot of information on this forum and Pprune about living in Dubai and working for Emirates.

Orville,
Take PPrune as a reference only. Only about 10-15 guys are regular contibuters there, that are EK pilots. Do a search here for some good info, by a TRI there that goes by Typhoonpilot. His opinions are very spot on, as they say over here. If you have some specific questions, I'll be glad to answer them via PM. Today is my one year anniversary there and so far a positive experience. It is a big airline, relatively, with growing pains. Not much in the way of DECs these days. Very very selective on that end, but looking at most anybody with the mins for the right seat. Count on 3-4 years to the left seat on an A330 or B777. That may change, but if you count on that, you won't be disappointed. Hope this is a start.

Thanks Skyone for the info. Tried to PM you but keep getting a message saying I don't have access. Could you drop me a line at [email protected] I've got a couple of specific questions.

How much of the 2300 hours is 737 time and when did you last fly it?


TP

Typhoonpilot,

Approximately 10 hours in the B737, just enough to get the type rating. It's been serveral years since I went through training.

You talked about a briefing book for Emirates how do people get those, are they issued or purchased ahead of time?

I hate to say this, but the answer to your original question is that you would probably be spinning your wheels to try and go straight to Emirates from your present postion. The biggest reason is that you are not current within one year. That is a GCAA requirement for your license conversion. My advice would be to go to a charter airline flying 737s, A320s, or large cargo aircraft. From there you would be a shoe in at EK. You might look into Miami Air, we've just had a guy come from there. Good time and experience in the 737NG.


TP