Originally Posted by embraer

To answer most of the questions brought up:

Currently you have to be a Brazilian citizen to work as a pilot down there. I say currently because they are experiencing a major pilot shortage which is only getting worse.

As for transfering your FAA licenses to ANAC standards, it takes roughly 6 months from start to finish.

You first have to present all your FAA certificates to them in Brasilia then wait while they verify everything with the FAA up here. Ditto if you have a college degree.

After everything checks out they give you permission to take the Commercial pilot written exam which you have to pass. Somewhere in that time period you also have to get your Brazilian medical done (CCF).

After passing your written you then have to go up in a twin for a practice flight or two before taking a checkride with an examiner from ANAC.

Again, the whole process takes roughly six months which is not bad. The bad part is that each stage is spaced pretty far apart from the last which means you need to either be living in Brazil or be willing and able to fly back and forth multiple times within a six month period.

Then you can apply for a cushy job at TAM, GOL, AZUL, or TRIP and start making what a 4th year FO at Delta makes. Plus down there you get 30 days vacation per year as soon as you are hired.

And yes: The FAs down there are hands down beautiful...as are the female pilots.

Originally Posted by BlueBusDriver

R$ 6,000 right? Roughly U$3,900 a month (way less than a 4 year Delta FO), living in Sao Paulo, their only base, you wont see too much left by the end of the month.

R$4,000 = U$ 2,570 = Pinnacle second year FO pay.

No too long ago, pilots from Gol were threatining management with a strike, due to ilegal assignments, excessive daily duty hours, vacations been canceled.

Originally Posted by Prata

I left a regional in the US for tam.

Salary: yearly R$140,000, first year, narrow body. R$11,500 monthly after taxes and other things $R7,500 to $8,000. this is average I have seen R$13,000 a few times. Way better than mine $24,000 yearly and $45,000 at a major, that is when you get to a major, after spending 10 year at a regional!!!!

Days off: Last month July, I had 11 days off, plus 7 nights at home while working. 30 days vacation, not this B/S 7 days in the US.

Projections: Wide body FOs were hired in 2008, so 3 years. Captains upgrading now were hired in 2006.

We have the highest salary, except for ABSA Cargo.

The problem is the whole infrustucture or lack of it.

Flight attandents quality have gone down lately. Lot of guys being hired. Gol has the best flight attandents around.

Not saying this is the best place but is the best I can do for now.

I was born here left early and lived in the US for 20 something years, it's a hough transition. All for flying! I commute, would never ever live in Sao Paulo, can't stand this city.