Phil Croucher

I always tell my students that, if it wasn't for the fact that you need the pilot to fly the machine, the mech is the most important part of the team. I've always admired what they did for me.

https://thestarphoenix.com/news/saskatchewan/helicopter-crash-sends-pilot-to-saskatoon-hospital Don't know any more as yet...

Shows how long I've been away - Bighorn are now called Mountain View! I think there is a thread in the Flight Training discussion comparing the two, with other relevant comments. phil

I don't know which company, sadly, but they are out there. They've all changed since I was active in Canada but you could try Bighorn, LR, 49th Parallel to name but a few, in no particular order, that I've heard good things about. Phil

I.B. - just call me Phil In reply to Ramen's post mentioning lazy pilots, I found this on the web from a fed up Chief Pilot: “here are some of the lacking qualifications from 100 hour wonders we have seen in the last 3 seasons that led to their dismissal”: Lack of ability to do basic math WITH a calculator - 2+2 =5 really? Unable to show up on time or on the right day. After hounding me for a couple months for a job and 2 days of exams, quit to go to work on a ski hill after 3 days of work. Ran out of gas in the company truck 200 kms short of their destination. “Dude I sold my car and bought a dirt bike but now I have to ride the greyhound so give me lots of notice for work man!!!” "I really don't care if I work because my gramma paid for my license". "See you at the hotel" as the engineer and captain continue to service the aircraft for another 4 hours. Won't remove their sunglasses even at night. Using the phrase “I'm a pilot, I don't have to do that.” more than 3 times daily. “I'm not staying in that hotel” (even though the captain and engineer are quite happy). In the last 3 years we have interviewed and/or hired and fired 14 100 hour pilots. Maybe the problem is not the amount of Canadian low timers but the quality. We now have a good CANADIAN low timer that we are in the process of beginning training and have trained 6 in the history of the company. I'm not surprised at the raising of minimum hours as there are some numbskulls out there.”

Hey Ronnie - I got sidetracked into doing CHC's ops manuals in Vancouver, which led to a stint in Dubai on 212s, and been running a flight school for that past 10 years, but now trying to retire - trouble is, people keep wanting to throw money at me! How are things with you bud? Phil

I have always disagreed with this "assess your character over the next two years and get no flying" business... When I was with Northern Mountain I did 76 hours solo over one season which could have been done by one of the guys who had been behind the ops desk for a couple of years, and who were just wasting their time and a good chunk of their potential flying career. By all means assess people, but it will cost a lot more to get them flying after a couple of years than if you kept them flying over that same period. Luckily not every company is like this, you just have to ask around and see, but as shakey says, don't go for an assessment flight and not offer to push the machine into the hangar afterwards. Equally, if you are not getting at least a positioning flight or two within 6 months, they are extracting the Michael..... And as RDM1 says, don't be discouraged - keep trying, and good luck!

Hey Ronnie - how are you! Long time no hear! With regard to the original post, a short cut eventually becomes a violation and difficult to support in court, always remembering that one definition of a jury is 12 people not smart enough to get out of it.... Who assume that, because you are in aviation, you are a) rich and b) insured. Having had some good sport with stand up arguments in the offices of Northern Mountain, I can report that there are times when you have to say STOP! In the case of NM it was to do with front passengers flying without shoulder straps. Neither would I leave the seat of a running helicopter* to refuel when there was a perfectly good first aid guy sitting in his truck who could give me a running refuel. *There are times when you might do that in the Arctic, but not for the convenience of a customer..... In my role as a CRM Instructor over in Europe (for which I use a great deal of my Canadian experiences), I have to point out that we are here for money, for which safety is a very close second (if we wanted absolute safety, we wouldn't take off at all), so an element of risk management is required, and captain's decisions, as opposed to pilot decisions, because it's often safer to take what a jury would consider to be the "wrong" way (for example, downwind with clear access, or into wind where the fire trucks can't get to you?) . As an example of what I would call a captain's decision, we had a 206L whose N1 gauge was sticky in cold weather, in that it didn't run until the engine was warm, so how do you start it? The answer is that you open the throttle when the blades start turning just on battery power, after which everything was fine. That, to me is on the margin of being acceptable to getting a job done in a remote place without endangering safety. Cheers and hi to everyone who knows me (RIP Cap!) Phil

Also, skid heights vary....... the other two answers are a bit specific phil

I can probably help - I'm doing Single Pilot CRM courses over in Europe and have some of their material. Phil

Yeah, personal visit, or at least a phone call - you can't travel everywhere. Much to my boss's disgust I would always give a few minutes to people banging on our doors looking for work. Maybe the box of timbits helped? Anyhow, a smile on your face and the willingness to help push the machine back in the hangar after a quick spin to check your flying were also good - you'd be surprised how many people didn't at least offer. The advice above about tailoring your resume to the company is also good - you should at least know what work they do. One thing strikes me as interesting - there may be something in the being pulled off jobs before you go thing - presumably you had the right experience in the first place, so why do that? Good luck! Phil

More feedback - Can't login in at all with Internet Explorer (link does not respond) - I have to use Waterfox. Phil

Wishing everyone a completely politically incorrect Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Phil

if it's anything to do with Harv's Air it's going to be good. Certainly superior to Culhane. Phil

If I'm not mistaken, you can use your British PPL anyway, but long term it would be better to convert it. As nathang says, paperwork exercise. Don't forget your logbnook, and I would suggest getting it notarised before you come over - TC would want that as well. Phil