gcpilot

Greetings

I am an aspiring pilot looking to work in Asia. I am a US citizen, who was born, raised and spent 20 years in Nepal.

What are average minimum flight hours to work as FO in Asian airlines? I know this is vague question so I am trying to draw answers from the experiences of seasoned aviators working in Asia. After completion of my CFI-ME what would you suggest me to do – look for job with US regional airlines to build time or look for opportunities with small Asian carriers?
Would it be possible to live in Nepal and commute to work in Dubai, India, Singapore or any other countries within 5hrs of flying? My dream is to live in Nepal but commute to work in any Asian country. Starting salary of USD 2k to 3k would be sufficient for the starting years since I have other sources of supplemental income. Does anyone know, or is currently commuting to work in Asia from other Asian countries like having a base in Dubai but living in Bangkok?

Does Asia have the similar seniority system as of the US, or is it more hours = more power kind of thing? Please shed some light on this subject as, if Asia also has seniority system them I might as well skip US regionals and take up flying in Asia after CFI-ME.

I’d ike to hear from Ex pats working in Asia for any suggestions, advice, career guidance that could be useful to this aspiring pilot.
I can speak, write fluent Hindi, English, Nepali….i wonder if these linguistic abilities will improve my chances of working particularly in the Indian sub-continent.

I know I have asked a lot of question so please bear with me since I would like to know what I am getting into before I spend 50k+ on trainings and ratings.

I have mentioned my situation and background in a separate thread in this forum. Please have a glance and provide some feedback.

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/1218040-post1.html

I truly appreciate your time and effort to read and reply.

Stay safe, happy flying!

Controlled Rest

Not many FO opportunities in Asia. Plenty of Captain ones. There are a few though. Indonesia would be the place to go if you're looking to go with little to no experience.

My advice would be to find a US regional that has quick upgrades. Get yourself some PIC time on a regional jet (E145/170/190 would probably be ideal at the moment) then go for captain jobs. Some of the LCCs in Asia (Air Asia specifically - although their pay is the on the low end) will hire you without a rating on the A320 if you have other command experience. Once you have the A320 time, there a plenty of options. It's the most in demand type in the contract world in Asia right now. Other contract jobs are also available. Tianjin has E145, E190, and A320 captain contracts and they claim they will upgrade you to the next aircraft after your first contract. They also have a 50/50 contract so you could commute from wherever. I have no idea if they live up to any of their promises though. You'd have to ask someone who works there. Likewise Skymark in Japan will hire you as a 737 captain without time on type (you do, of course, need command time on another jet - I believe they accept everything down to a CRJ700).

If you're looking at some of the Middle Eastern carriers (EK, EY, QR), they will hire you as an FO and upgrade eventually. They all require previous jet time though (~2000 hours I think). You'd find it hard to commute with any of those companies though as they don't get many consecutive days off.

If commuting is your primary goal, get the jet command time and get on to one of the many commuting contracts out there.

No seniority in the contract world. Limited seniority elsewhere.

fullflank

The fastest upgrade at a US regional on a jet right now is 5 years. Many are much longer.

gcpilot

thank you for your valuable suggestion. did some digging around and found out that there are a lot of opportunities for pilots with A320 rating with ~500 on type. i can suck up couple of years at the regional airlines with low pay and build the PIC time but how would i make the jump to narrow body like 320? would i buy my own type rating, even then how would i accumulate 500 on type?

i am missing the link from jumping from regional here in the US to the right seat of Airbus 320 or Boeing in Asia as FO. i am kind of lost here. someone walk me through.

any suggestions?

afterburn81

You haven't done your homework have you? Not trying to be rude, but please do yourself a favor and poke around these forums for about a week. You will find many answers that might surprise you.

Typhoonpilot

Your best bet are the Asian LCCs, but you'll need at least 1500 hours total time and an ATP as a minimum. Cathay Pacific as a Second Officer might also be an option, but their latest contract for S.O.s makes it virtually impossible for anyone other than a local who already lives there.

Airlines that have hired low time guys in the past are Air Asia, China Airlines, Lion Air, and Air Macau to name a few. Requirements change based on their supply/demand so it's not guaranteed to be the same in the future.


TP

Controlled Rest

As I mentioned, there a few companies that will hire you without time on type. Air Asia does, I'm not sure if you have to pay for the rating. In the contract world, currently Skymark in Japan will hire you as a 737 captain (and pay for your rating) if you have command time on just about any other jet. Air Japan hires FOs on the 767 and upgrades after 4-5 years. Again you'd need other jet time, but not necessarily PIC time. Tianjin Airlines in China has contracts on the E145 and E190 (2 popular airplanes in the US regional fleet). So if you flew one in the US you could transition to the contract. Tianjin also claims that if you renew your contract after 3 years they will upgrade you to the next bigger aircraft (E145-E190 or E190-A320).

If, as full flank says, US regional upgrades are running 5+ years now, that might not be the best option. Although 5 years is still quite quick relatively speaking.

Indonesia would be a good place to try if you want to get jet time with little to no previous experience. They don't pay well but if you can survive a few years you might walk away as a 737 captain.

The Dominican

gcpilot posted He is hoping to one day become a pilot, he doesn't qualify for any of the jobs suggested, the only thing I can think of is what Thyphoon suggested, a cadet program at CX or SQ for example. gcpilot, I think you need to manage your expectations first, by this post (correct me if I'm wrong) you don't even have a PPL??? And you are talking about buying a type on an A320 and such??? I understand you are eager, we were all there at some point, but you are at the stage of experiencing you first crosswind landing, getting scared for the first time when inadvertently you enter IMC for the first time looking forward is a good thing don't get me wrong, but this career is about baby steps. All the best to you

gcpilot

with due respect, i have done my homework and have dug out a lot of information than just poking around.

not only this forum, i have dug a lot of info on pprune and a couple of other forums and of course the might google.

i was looking for some advice and guidance drawn from personal experience. nothing can be as valuable as first hand experience no matter how much reading one does and thats what im looking for. thanks for the advice though!

gcpilot

thank you sir. i did check out SO cadet program of cathay but i am currently employed in the US and saving money for flight school. due to my situation mentioned in earlier thread, i am unable to leave the US currently.
thank you for pointing out the LCCs and i will do some research on them and their reqs.