And The Winner Is.......

[sirlandsalot]

Oh yeh! I also find it hilarious that a flight school is whining about being screwed over

 

 

A flight school is a buinsess as well, with overhead, payments, STAFF and everything else that comes along with a charter company. Not to sure why you think it is just "peaches and cream" for a flight school. Undercutting dosen't help anyone, including you. The industry needs schools weather you like it or not. It costs money to train and that is all there is too it, if you think it is a cake walk cash grab, well you don't know much about buisness then do you?

[Black Mike]

I don't think Shakey has been involved in the heli business for long.

B.M.

[pilot5]

So Who is the winner?

 

 

[Tommytom22]

Undercutters? It is called supply and demand. Due to the recession their is excess supply in the helicopter industry so of course prices are going to drop as companies become increasingly competitive for clients by cutting their profit margins. So if people believe prices should remain the same throughout this recession they just aren't thinking realistically.

 

As the market recovers prices will begin to rise again.

[Tommytom22]

there*

[Black Mike]

Its one thing to cut your rates a bit to get by and keep your customers happy, and another to run your Astars at half price. Are these guys making a $900-$1000 per hour profit on their machines when things are good- I don't think so.

B.M.

[Grasshopper]

Speaking of people who don't appear to have been in the industry for long ..... anyone who thinks the 'oversupply' is related only to the recession sure qualifies. This industry has been grossly overpopulated with helicopters and operators for decades and, like so many others if you dig, is terribly immature and frightfully poorly managed.

 

Hopefully, measures such as SMS, with all major users of our services behind it, if not in front of it, will bring some of the discipline required to bring it out of the doldrums. Yes, a few sharrp characters along the way have been able to score huge in the industry, but the huge majority have been non-starters, and they litter the years since the likes of Carl Agar. Jack Fleming, Alf Stringer, Herb Johnstone and Larry Camphaug.

 

Latter-day denizens like Don Stubbs, Pat Aldous, Geoff Goodyear and Rod Wood have followed in those foosteps but what I find most interesting is that few, if any of them, have mentored leaders of their like, and I think that's one of the greatest lacks in this industry. Bad management pervades industry and business, and this one is a prime example.

[old dog]

Speaking of people who don't appear to have been in the industry for long ..... anyone who thinks the 'oversupply' is related only to the recession sure qualifies. This industry has been grossly overpopulated with helicopters and operators for decades and, like so many others if you dig, is terribly immature and frightfully poorly managed.

 

Hopefully, measures such as SMS, with all major users of our services behind it, if not in front of it, will bring some of the discipline required to bring it out of the doldrums. Yes, a few sharrp characters along the way have been able to score huge in the industry, but the huge majority have been non-starters, and they litter the years since the likes of Carl Agar. Jack Fleming, Alf Stringer, Herb Johnstone and Larry Camphaug.

 

Latter-day denizens like Don Stubbs, Pat Aldous, Geoff Goodyear and Rod Wood have followed in those foosteps but what I find most interesting is that few, if any of them, have mentored leaders of their like, and I think that's one of the greatest lacks in this industry. Bad management pervades industry and business, and this one is a prime example.

 

Well said, my friend!

[shakey]

Well said, my friend!

 

Amen.

 

 

 

[koalaa119]

In the last 11 years I have worked for a few companies. I have seen a number of these drop their rates to get jobs. Some have stuck around but 2 of them have flown the coop. The common thread that I have seen is that if the companies have to drop there rates like this, then safety and helicopter components and maintenance gets set aside. It will be no different for these companies. You will see them flying a/c with U/S DG's, Compasses, Attitude indicators, Hook scales to start. Then they will start pressuring there engineers to make sure that nothing gets fixed that absolutely doesn't have to be. I guess were there :angry: !!

 

koalaa119