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PAF pilot issues; Service, updates, discussions
Topic Started: Sep 15 2005, 11:33 AM (2,877 Views)
jammerjamesky
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Dapat lang siguro the higher authorities must act right now before its too late. We cannot afford to lose pilots to other foriegn carrier operators. We must protect also our local aviation industry.
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srkali29
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My cousin in the Air Force is also seriously thinking about leaving the Air Force after more than a decade of dedicated service there. This is very disturbing to hear especially if you know that the person has been true to his job, one who really understood what "Courage, Integrity, and Loyalty" meant and practiced them ever since he was int the academy.

We always look at our pilots as the ones getting more combat pays and all as compared to their Army and Marines so hearing them saying that they are going to give up their career is not that easy to accept. But when you have done everything you can for the service and you have no decent planes and choppers to fly and you have superiors who do nothing but get fatter everyday, it's hard to blame them for thinking of leaving the service for higher pays and better lives outside the military.

As long as the pilots have no tainted records, I think they should have the right to consider their familiy's future as well. No need to increase the current length of service required on them. I think it's already long enough as it is. At least, that's how I see it.
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ian
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If the government does not want the brain drain phenomenon to continue, then the government should stop graft and corruption and improve the benefits and salaries of their people.

The reason why good guys leave the country is that they cannot find a place to work a decent living without resulting to corruption. Sad to say, but the only way you could get a decent living fit for your position in the government nowadays is to be corrupt yourself. If you try to be clean, kawawa ang pamilya mo. This, is what needs to be changed.

Putting sanctions on our pilots, engineers, and other professionals for leaving the country is merely curing the symptom, but the disease is still there. To put an end to this so called brain drain, we need to stop corruption NOW so that our professionals will see hope and a brighter future in this country, which will influence them to stay and work here instead.
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al'Lan Mandragoran
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I caught a line from today's early morning TV news that some lawmakers are proposing to ban pilots and aircraft mechanics from working abroad...any confirmation?
"In wars, boy, fools kill other fools for foolish causes."

"Run when you have to, fight when you must, rest when you can."

- Robert Jordan; The Wheel of Time
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jammerjamesky
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PAL expansion jeopardized by loss of pilots, mechanics
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
The Philippine Star 03/17/2006

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines may have to slow down its expansion and refleeting program due to an alarming drop in its number of mission-critical staff, particularly pilots and mechanics.

PAL president Jaime Bautista revealed yesterday that instead of taking delivery of four Airbus 319s this year under the company’s two-year refleeting program beginning in 2006, they have decided to defer the delivery of one aircraft to May of next year.

The four Airbus 319s will all be leased by PAL, while the six 320s scheduled for arrival next year and five 320s in 2008 will either be acquired by the company outright, under finance lease (lease to own), or under a leaseback arrangement.

The three Airbus 319s that will be arriving late this year will be used for domestic and regional flights.

"We expect that half of the new aircraft will be owned by PAL and the rest will be leased," Bautista said.

He added that by 2008, PAL will be operating 18 Airbus 319s/320s that will replace the existing 737s.

PAL expects to spend about $840 million for the refleeting program, which will be sourced either through export credit agencies or commercial financing, or both.

PAL expects to end the current fiscal year (ending March 31, 2006) profitably. Bautista said that the company posted a net income for the third quarter (October to November 2005). "While October and November were both losses, December was a profit which more than offset the losses for the October-November period," said.

He also disclosed that January 2006 was a good month during which PAL made a profit. February, he added, is always a month of losses. "For the entire fiscal year, PAL will post a significant net income inspite of the 20 percent increase in fuel cost. Part of the increase in fuel prices was passed on to the passengers via a fuel surcharge last year," he added.

The last adjustment was made by PAL in September last year when the cost of aviation fuel was at $60 to $65 per barrel. Now, the price of fuel has gone up to $72 to $75 per barrel.

There is a big possibility though that another round of fuel surcharges may be imposed. Bautista said that if the price of aviation fuel increases by 10 to 15 percent, "then we may have to recompute our profitability and ask for another fuel surcharge." Fuel accounts for 35 percent of operating costs.

Also yesterday, Bautista revealed that PAL may increase its flight frequencies to the United States by diverting some of its Middle East flights to the US.

The domestic air transport industry expects to grow as both PAL and Cebu Pacific have announced aggressive expansion programs. Consequently, growth in the number of their technical staff has been estimated at 10 percent per year for the next five years.

The global aviation industry, meanwhile, is projected to register until 2023 a five percent passenger growth annually which will require 16,601 new aircraft. Within the current decade, 279 aircraft will be delivered to the seven airlines of India, 233 aircraft to 11 airlines of China, and 77 aircraft to three airlines of the Middle East.

Data provided by the local industry revealed that China will need 10,000 pilots in the next 20 years while India will require 4,000 pilots in the next five years. Airbus says that the growth period up to 2023 will require 23,000 pilots, 6,000 of which will be in the Asia Pacific region. As for aircraft mechanics, Singapore needs 767 while pending with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration are job orders for more than 2,000 aircraft mechanics for overseas employment.

"This means that even if all the aircraft mechanics currently employed by the domestic air transport industry were recruited by foreign competitors, the existing supply would still not be enough to fully satisfy the demand overseas. This is on top of the more than 1,900 who had already been deployed overseas from 2000 to 2005," industry leaders said in a position paper submitted to the House committee on labor.

This global expansion has resulted in overseas airlines recruiting pilots and mechanics currently employed in the industry to save these companies the trouble of training and getting their newly recruited personnel ready for the fire-up operations for their new aircraft.

PAL, Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, Asian Spirit, SEAIR as well as airline service providers have asked government to immediately impose a five-year moratorium or suspension on the overseas deployment of mission-critical skills and workers to enable the air transport industry to build up a pool of qualified manpower.

PAL lost nine pilots in 2003 while another 22 and 28 left in 2004 and 2005. This year, four have already resigned, Bautista said.

Bautista and other industry leaders told the House committee on labor that the industry needs five years during which time the government should not entertain job orders for the mission-critical staff of the aviation industry from overseas employers which is what it will take for the graduates of the industry’s current training programs to fully come on their own.

They said the moratorium is legal since that the Supreme Court in a long line of decisions has said that the scope of private sector activities that may become the subject of regulation through the exercise of police power by the State is broad and flexible provided that the regulatory measures are reasonable and not arbitrary.

Phil Star
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jammerjamesky
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Arroyo orders study of training PAF pilots to address commercial shortage

The Philippine Star 03/28/2006

President Arroyo asked the Clark Development Council (CDC) to look into the possibility of training Air Force pilots to fly commercial jets as a stop-gap measure to address the shortage of commercial pilots in the country.

Mrs. Arroyo issued the directive yesterday during a televised roundtable discussion with officials led by CDC president Antonio Ng, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman Feliciano Salonga, SBMA administrator Armand Arreza, and Subic-Clark Development Council Eduardo Pamintuan.

Ng announced the Clark Institute of Aviation, an P850-million venture of British Group and Prescient, a sister company of Singapore Technologies, would be opening in May to accept students for training as fully-certified Airbus pilots.

"The airlines have the airplanes but have no pilots, and the Air Force have pilots but no airplanes. I would say if possible, in coordination with the aviation school and private airlines, we would look for a way for Air Force pilots to be trained in commercial airlines," Mrs. Arroyo said during the televised meeting in Malacañang.

After the show, Ng admitted the directive would not be easy to implement since Air Force pilots are banned from moonlighting as commercial pilots.

The directive could run counter to a recent Air Force directive to reinforce existing regulations to prevent their pilots from immediately leaving the service to join the more lucrative commercial airlines, he said.

Officials stressed the directive is meant to prevent some pilots from using the Air Force as a "stepping stone" to enter the more lucrative commercial sector without having to pay for expensive aviation and flying schools.

It was not clear whether the Palace would allow active duty Air Force pilots to fly commercial jets or if public funds would be used to pay for the expensive training.

"We have to sit down with the Air Force to study whether this would be feasible," Ng said.

"It’s just a stop-gap (move) that addresses some of the airline pilot needs," he said.

Ng said the aviation institute could accommodate as many as 400 students once it opens and would be open to all those wishing to enroll. The course lasts one year.

Ng said he also expects many foreigners to enroll in the aviation school. He claimed that in Asia alone, there is a shortage of 4,000 commercial pilots. — Paolo Romero

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200603280418.htm
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jvelarde
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It is high time for Lucio Tan and John Gokongwei to learn that some forms of highly-skilled labor are dictated by the universal law of supply and demand. What they have to do is simple: pay their pilots and mechanics more.

They really don't have to match the salaries of the others since a Pinoy would rather be based at home rather than a foreign country. They can offer 70 or 80% what the other airlines will offer and the pilots and mechanics will stay.

They should also train more pilots and aircraft mechanics since, inevitably, a lot of these will be poached kahit anong gagawin nila. In short, Mr. Tan and Mr. Gokongwei have to open their fat wallets and invest in people instead of running to the government for help.

Passing a law banning pilots and airplane mechanics from leaving would be as helpful as repealing the law of supply and demand. Hindi naman mga tanga ang mga piloto at mga mekaniko natin. Pupunta lang sila sa Hong Kong and from there go to their next overseas work where they will earn a lot of moolah compared to their local jobs here.

Even if the government agencies like the NBI, PNP, POEA, DOLE, etc. were to ban foreign recruiters from coming here, meron namang internet, email, Fedex, telephone, etc.

Passing any law only enables more corruption. Bigay ka lang ng 10 or 20K pesos at lilingon na ang sino man ang nagbabantay na hindi aalis ang mga piloto at mekaniko.

Just before the tech bubble crashed in 2000, there were similar complaints about computer programmers leaving the Philippines for the almighty dollar and, yes, there was a proposed law banning these highly-skilled programmers from leaving the country. Sounds familiar?


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saver111
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With the shortages of Pilots, these 2 guys just chose the wrong path...

2 ex-PAF pilots nabbed for drugs

Quote:
 
Josefino Gabor, 45, a former Air Force pilot assigned to the 15th Strike Wing stationed in Sangley, Cavite; and retired Lt. Col. Alex Hernandez, 45, who was formerly the squadron commander of the helicopter wing in Villamor Airbase.


http://news.inq7.net/metro/index.php?index=1&story_id=76649
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Justice for Daniel Lorenz Jacinto

HELP END PIRACY NOW!:
http://www.itfseafarers.org/petition.cfm
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Wardog
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'waggin my tail :-)
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20 pilots quit Air Force

...and 2 went awol, not much of a problem don't you think? - no planes to fly anyway..hohum :armysad:

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SOME 20 pilots of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) have resigned from military service over the past few weeks to join local commercial airlines.

Inquirer sources from the Air Force said the bulk of those who tendered their resignations were combat pilots from the 15th Strike Wing based in Sangley Point, Cavite and the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing based in Mactan Air Base in Cebu.

The PAF confirmed the resignations but Air Force spokesperson Maj. Augusto de la Peña told the Inquirer the number of pilots was less than 20.



full story
Anyone who comes to a counter-insurgency thinking it`s about killing terrorists is missing the boat. It`s really about winning the people. You can kill all the terrorists but then you`ve pissed people off and created 100 more.

-Col. Bradley Becker
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israeli
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no decent aircraft. very little compensation.


these are two the simple reasons why those pilots opted to leave the Air Force for the more high-paying and MORE DECENT jobs in the commercial aviation industry. :armyroleyes:
"To secure peace is to prepare for war." - Carl Von Clausewitz
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