disco inferno

Reproduction of a company stamp which does not exist. It's all B.S. anyway. The CP at my old airline told me to go make a stamp. He said he would verify it's authenticity is the question ever came up. I doubt anyone has ever went to jail for making a stamp that verifies hours they actually flew.

captjns

May not be the case... but don't expect Office Max, Staples, the UPS Store... etal to be complicit. A letter of explanation to the successor employer will carry greater weight, especially logbook verification stamps are more detailed than regular company stamps.

NEDude

Just get a red stamp that says 'Certified By the Chief Pilots Office'. No need to put any logos or names. Stamp it and then scribble a signature underneath where you put the stamp. Nobody will ever check and no U.S. airline will release records they are not legally obligated to release. In other words they will release PRIA records to other U.S. airlines, but beyond that they will not do anything other than confirm your dates of employment. Doing anything more, or releasing records to non-U.S. companies when they are not legally required to do so, exposes them to the risk of lawsuits.

When I interviewed with Qatar back in 2009 they were happy with just the red 'Certified' stamp in my logbook. Any airline that deals with American pilots will know that U.S. airlines do not officially stamp logbooks and are pretty lenient as long as you get something that verifies your hours.

Another option is to add a quick rating, like a seaplane rating, or to renew your CFI, and fill out a detailed 8710. Then get verified copy of the 8710 from the FAA to take with you to your interview. This essentially is the 'official' FAA record of your hours.

got2fly

When I arrived at QR, an office guy (non-pilot) looked at my stack of logbooks (without opening any) and signed the line for logbook verification. He did the same for everyone in our group of 20 guys. Later as I was finishing up training they asked me to fill out a spreadsheet of my hours and I had to take in my logbooks for a management captain to verify them. He simply said, "I need to see totals on the last page that equal those numbers". That is all he looked at. I did have a stamp, but I don't think it would have mattered if I hadn't. No one is going to send you home if you don't have a stamp in your log book. They also asked me to bring recommendation letters from airline managers. I managed to get 4 from managers / check airman of my most recent employer. That was a waste of time as no one asked to see them when I arrived. If you've been hired and have a joining date, you're in. The only thing that will bounce you out is if you fail the training (which is quite rare).

crimson tide

I can't believe you would leave the U.S. to work at this dirtbag airline right now. Signing any bond with these people is involuntary servitude and it shouldn't be considered under any circumstances whatsoever unless you have some kind of massive debt you have found yourself in. Cost of living is super high and the pay rise would have made more of a difference about 4-5 years ago; if you are bringing a family you'll be sorry. Schools are full, bad quality and expensive. I could go on and on, read pprune.

Go to a job fair, get your name out there, knock on doors if you have to. If you join QR you have to complete a 3 year training bond that starts at your final line check, effectively becoming a 3 year and 6-9 month bond before you can get your bond $ back and take home your end of service benefits to have any savings to speak of. If you willing to trade 4 years of seniority in a job at home in exchange for a few bucks then go right ahead.

You are aware that the CEO is directly in charge of any promotion you will receive here and if he doesn't like your face or middle initial you're permanently screwed right? I haven't even started on how he personally treats the cabin crew, over whom his office has direct control.

I know 8 people who have resigned in the last few months, half of whom quit with no job waiting because living in Qatar and working for these people sucks so bad. It is not worth missing out on something back home. Several guys who got fired from Airbus training went back to regionals and are captains now, one is upgrading on the 320 at a rapidly expanding LCC while these idiots can't even figure out what minimums to apply for the few upgrades they will just hand to their friends anyways.

Do yourself a favor and use the interview as practice for your next interview at Spirit/JetBlue/Frontier/Compass/Atlas/Allegiant, all of whom are hiring!

AsianSensastion

The bond is $50,000 for 5 years now on any fleet. Apartments are 4,5k a month for anything decent. Not such a great deal for Americans as we are only tax free up to 97k or so... Still not a bad place to get some international time or heavy jet time... But for a young American with all this hiring that will take place in 2017 maybe not such a good place...

got2fly

Well as it turns out I'm one of those idiots who left the US to work for this "dirt bag" airline. After 33 years in the industry, this is the best job I've ever had. My friends who have been here 6 years feel the same. None of them are considering leaving. It isn't for everyone. Each person's situation is different. Each one should choose what they think works best for them. But for me, I couldn't be happier.

Yes, the USA job environment does appear to be improving significantly. But for me, with 7.5 years left before retirement, there is no company in the USA that will give me a B777 command and $15,000 a month. And by the way, my rent in a fully serviced apartment including utilities and maid service is $2,500 a month. Expensive by USA standards, but not as bad as some have posted. The housing allowance is $4,100 a month.

I work for a company that is better organized than any USA airline I worked for, including a major scheduled carrier. I fly new aircraft equipped with all the bells and whistles and immaculately maintained. I stay in fine hotels. This is indeed a 5 star airline with a product to be proud of. They haven't won the Skytrax top honor 3 times for no reason.

People do leave QR. I flew with another B777 captain recently (36 years old) whose family is living in the USA now so he may quit just to be close to them. It seems like most who leave do so for family reasons. Living in any foreign country has it's drawbacks. I've lived in several, some worse than Qatar and some better. And by the way, no one pays money into the bond anymore. You do have a $50,000 bond you'll have to pay (pro-rated) if you leave in less than 3 years, but nothing is deducted from your pay up front.

Now I have no intention of getting into a pssing match with anyone here. My only point would be that each person has different options and different career goals, and it might be a good thing to respect the fact that what is a bad deal for one might be a good deal for another. There are unhappy people in every company, but most people I encounter here are quite satisfied.

Keeelhaul

Thanks for posting an opposing view to the norm

Max Sterling

I understand QR is a good expat gig for captains especially on the wide body fleets. How about for FO on the same fleets? The treatment, working condition, career prospect etc....
Really appreciate some insights especially from current QR's FO on the 777/A330
Thanks...


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Readback

QR is not a bad choice for those who have no other choice, i.e. their airline shut down, bankrupt with pension termination, have no family back in their home country.

QR is not a good choice for those who wish to get hired by US legacy carriers. The bond remains, and it is not a good idea to skip out without paying.

OBTW, there not a single US legacy carrier whose career, pay, benefits, and retirement package is worse than QR. Yes you may start out with a lower pay, but overall you will do better.

As for QR being better organized than a US major, I will only say this. There was a time when the "majors" in the US consisted of the legacy carriers plus a couple more. Now, that is not the case.

Good luck with your decision!