Ask Captain Lim ~ All about Aviation

Dear Captain Lim,

Thank you for all the information in your wonderful web site!

I have been called up by Silk Air (a subsidiary of SIA) to sign up as a cadet pilot.
Silk Air flies regional areas and turnarounds with mostly 2 to 3 days flight.

I was disappointed when I couldn't fly the Boeing 777 on learning it was Silk Air with their Airbus A310s.

When I enquired with the Human Resources personnel, she told me that I can apply with SIA again after I have served the 8 years contract as a First Officer and free from bond.

She also informed me its better with Silk Air as the chances of promotion are faster. (They count by SECTORS? What does that means?)

Also, I have Thaelesemia Minor which (might/might not) cause the Management's decision to send me to Silk Air.

Can I have some advice on the routes to take if I'm very interested to fly the Boeing 777 without taking flying lessons on my own expense?

Thank you very much.

Your sincerely,

Sam Tan

Hi Sam,

A sector is any single flight from A to B. For instance, if you fly from Singapore to Hong Kong and back, you have done two sectors. So, in Silk Air, you can build up sectors faster than someone flying long haul, say from Singapore to London and back. He will only cover two sectors in about 4 days whereas you could have done about eight! So, when it comes to promotion to captaincy, they would look into your experiences by the number of sectors flown.

Silk Air flies regional and therefore you have to stick to the Airbus A310s. You are unlikely to fly the Boeing 777s unless you are with SIA proper.

Courses for flying the Boeing 777s are usually provided by airlines and I have yet to hear of private pilots paying for their own training on this airplane. The closest you can dream of flying the Boeing 777 (very cheaply) is on the Microsoft Flight Simulator (see FAQ 29 Q 26).

So the best hope of actually flying the Boeing 777 is when you have completed your 8 years bond and reapply to SIA.