Tree Top

Nothing but a joke is what that is, Just what this industry needed another company affiliated with HNZ.

Nothing but a joke is what that is, Just what this industry needed another company affiliated with HNZ.

I hear ya Badmonkey, I'm sitting at 10,000 hrs all kinds of mountain time, precision longline pilot. extensive winter ops and I too sit.

Thx longliner, It's very disheartening when U have all the skills and ability required to be successful as a commercial pilot but there's no work to stay gainfully employed so what is a person to do ? I make less money now as a pilot than I did 10 years ago I thought things were suppose to get better financially as U gain experience not go backwards as it seems it has been for sometime now. Like you longliner I to have always had that secondary career to fall back on and was very fortunate to be able to fall right back into it when the layoff came, but you're right that's not the case for everyone. I had 5 friends who like me wanted to fly helicopters many years ago but were unable to weather the kinds of stress and uncertainty of being able to support their families so they all gave up flying as a career. My company didn't even give me notice or anything, I came home from tour for days off and never returned. Now as a salaried employee that meant the pay i received at the end of the month was the last one there was, the fund stopped coming in just like that. So what are we to do starve, tell the banks they'll get payed in 4 or 5 months. I've been flying for twenty years and I'm sorry to say but most canadian operators really don't give a #### about us pilots or engineers, when they need us were their best friend after all it's us that takes their multi million dollar aircraft and flies our ***'s off for them making all kinds of money so the doors don't close, we drop everything we had going on only to be rewarded with a layoff slip at the end of the year while they hand out bonuses to managers. I do hold my company accountable for my layoff, I was solicited to work for them with the guarantee of full time employment with all the perks to go along with it, the only perk I got out of working for them now is that i get to spend more time with my family. Let's hope nobody gets sick or needs drugs because with that layoff they also cancelled the benefits. As for the IFR market I'd say your right about that as well, since my post I received a few personal messages stating the IFR market was not looking in much better shape than the VFR . I guess for those who can ride it out you're lucky, for me after 20 years of uncertainty, wages that go down instead of up along with a large majority of the companies that certainly feed of it and find ways of making your pay just a bit smaller I say kiss my ***. I doubt there will ever come a day when skilled pilot and engineers will make what they deserve based on what we can bring to the table.

I've fought fires throughout Quebec, for me it was easy because I'm bilingual but having said that normally if their hiring out of province it's because it's burning pretty good...........so they would usually have crews from out of province also. I've had nothing but positive experiences dealing with SOPFEW, yes there is a language barrier at times but from what I have experienced they always try and accommodate you with english speaking crews if available, on many occasions I was asked to be a liaison for flight crews from eastern and western Canada and we all worked well. The fire crews from Quebec are good people based on my personal experience, I guess if your don't speak french it can be a bit overwhelming especially if you show up with a negative attitude toward the language issues. Freck you do not have to speak french in order to get hired on and anyone who says you do is full of Shiat.

Helilog I appreciate your cover letter describing such an illustrious career you've had but I really wasn't interested. What I am interested in is what you stand up for when it comes to our industry. See I too fly all over Canada including the west, oh and did I mention I too have a great deal of experience under my not so inflated belt. It's not for me to judge as to your qualifications unless of course I was giving U a check ride (see I do them things two) . All I would expect from a born and bread Canadian chopper pilot who apparently still makes a living here in Canada is to stand up for your fellow Canadians when their being F _ _ _ _ D by an issue being brought forward with regards to foreign workers taking their jobs. I'd be curious as to how many foreign workers you've had placed seeing as U work for recruiting firms. I going to assume if your instructing for Chinook it's mostly Canadians or is it mostly all foreign students. Helilog as a Canadian chopper pilot that works and fly's here at home in Canada and only CANADA I believe in standing up for what affects my aviation industry and foreign workers DO! . So do what you please and I'll continue to support the fight to have foreign workers stopped. See I'm feeling pretty comfortable I'm qualified..............perhaps you think otherwise?

Helilog56 you work for an american employer and oversees on a global basis as U said, I find it funny you would be commenting on the status of what it's like for a guy trying to make a living here at home in Canada as a Canadian Commercial pilot born and raised here. I too see foreign workers as nothing but a pain in the A _ _ , I worked for an operator that brought in a foreign pilot but it had nothing to do with experience it was strictly about cash because he was able to pay less than he would a canadian pilot to do the same work. Maybe you think it won't accomplish anything but if Canadians don't start standing up for themselves, opening their mouths and speak for our rights as Canadians soon we'll be foreign workers in our own country. We are being inundated with foreign workers everywhere I've seen it and it aint because of experience that's just plain bull crap it's only about the dollar. I have experience and although they don't take my job away they do take my friends because their cheep labour plain and simple.

If it's possible could someone that has very little ego, but a wealth of knowledge with the use of foreflight and I pads message me. I would like to get myself one seeing as my personal GPS died last season. Thx for the help

Thx longliner not looking to stir the pot, there's always good and bad no matter where U go.......just want to make sure what I strap my rearend into is safe is all

Hi Everyone, Wondering if anybody can provide a bit of insight about HTSC.

Hey Vortex I'd like to know were that work is......other than a couple companies that put ad's out and them when you talk to them they tell you their just seeing what's out there atm. I got 17 years and I'm looking so I sure would be interested to know were all this work is your talking about. We have plenty of experienced pilots here in Canada, I've worked for a company that took on foreign workers and believe me it wasn't because they could provide something us Canadian pilots were not able to..........it was all about green backs $$$$

It's a sad day ! A great man, father, husband and my friend taken away I will miss U

Hey everyone....a question to all that were a Gallet 250 helmet.Has anyone ever had a problem with their helmet leaving dark marks around your ears on the sides of your face where the helmet seals from the leather on real hot days if U sweat.Just wondering Rob at Merrit says it dont happen very often would like to know if someone else has had the same problem as me.

Salaries/or hourly pay have nothing to do with creating a union....biggest problem we have in our industry is the inflated eggo's that seem to think that if you belong to a union your substandard when it comes to your ability...the comments on this site prove that. This site and the opinions for the most part by far do not represent the majority of pilots that fly in this industry, it would be nice to see if an opportunity was given to pilots that live and fly for our canadian helicopter industry to sign a union members card and see how may would... and then and only then would we find out if a union can fly

Well Petit-Lion I appreciate your links you provided and that's all good, but it dates back to 2006 and I dont know about you but I prefer to move forward not back as it seems many have. I've been part of this Industry for 16 years so I know when times are good most pilot's do very well for themselves, but when things slow down it's not so much the fact people get laided off because that happens in any industry. The part I dont much care for is how attitudes change with operators toward pilots and maintenance personel when times are quiet. Believe me I'm not looking to unionize this industry, I just want to hear what people think and if maybe its time pilots band together collectively and work torward a common goal, and possibly start to change the attitudes to many operators have with their people that make them rich.