Small Town Operations

[RotoNutz]

We've probably all experienced it somewhere along the way where you end up in a small town on a job where there is already a local operator. Ive ended up in a few places and felt a little unwelcome.

 

I guess sometimes it happens because the local company doesnt have the time or the right equipment to cover the work that you are there to do. Other times (dare I say it) it is because other operaters are there to cut in on the small town operaters work because they see them doing well and want in on the action.

How do most feel about the later and are there any stories out there of great unwelcomeness and anymosity. (including fights :up: )

 

I used to work for a small town operation with a couple of machines and the boss just hated any other companies in the area. One time he even refused to sell a pilot fuel and he still had guys out in the hills working and didnt have enough to return and pick them up. Luckely after a heated exchange of words and some almost fisticuffs common sense prevailed and the fuel was sold to the guy.

[deuce bigalow]

We've probably all experienced it somewhere along the way where you end up in a small town on a job where there is already a local operator. Ive ended up in a few places and felt a little unwelcome.

 

I guess sometimes it happens because the local company doesnt have the time or the right equipment to cover the work that you are there to do. Other times (dare I say it) it is because other operaters are there to cut in on the small town operaters work because they see them doing well and want in on the action.

How do most feel about the later and are there any stories out there of great unwelcomeness and anymosity. (including fights :up: )

 

I used to work for a small town operation with a couple of machines and the boss just hated any other companies in the area. One time he even refused to sell a pilot fuel and he still had guys out in the hills working and didnt have enough to return and pick them up. Luckely after a heated exchange of words and some almost fisticuffs common sense prevailed and the fuel was sold to the guy.

 

Not out of Qualicum Beach by any chance?

 

That sort of cr^p is really sad IMHO.

 

But it seems that there is no shortage of peckerwoods that engage in this sort of dishonorable behavior that lacks even the most basic definition of integrity.

 

Sad.

[RotoNutz]

nah not qaulicum beach,

 

Only brought the subject up cos was chatting to a guy today who was a passenger in a heli and it happened to them on a fuel stop. The guy at the base thought they were working in the area and wasnt going to sell them fuel either. Made a right D**K of himself infront of the passengers and didnt make a good name for himself.

[deuce bigalow]

nah not qaulicum beach,

 

Only brought the subject up cos was chatting to a guy today who was a passenger in a heli and it happened to them on a fuel stop. The guy at the base thought they were working in the area and wasnt going to sell them fuel either. Made a right D**K of himself infront of the passengers and didnt make a good name for himself.

 

Hmmmm. well it could be Qualicum Beach.

[TwistedSpar]

I've never ever experienced that kind of stuff.....usually by the first night in town we'd be off drinking with the local guys at the bar...

[3BX2]

It's all quite simple...

 

 

If you arrive in town with the intent of stealing his local work, Then bring you own GD fuel, spares, ladders, hangars, and everything else you figure that the local Operator should be supplying you.

 

If you are passing through town, walk up and say "I'M PASSING THROUGH TOWN" and can you help me?

 

 

I'm with Twisted, bring the locals some beer, and they may even sit down and share with you.

 

I had an operator come to town for a 2 week job. He talked to us before he arrived. He actually used our Hangar, and the cost was very reasonable....an 18 pack per day.

[Winnie]

In the summertime, there usually is another company in town, to do Fire work and the likes, they are competition, but hey, they are coleagues too.

 

If you show up at the hangar doing something else that we could be doing tho, you might not get excellent service, as you are taking the work away from us.

 

Usually however, if you come in the door, or land at our pad, the coffee is on us, and we'll lend you what you need, including room in our hangar to do what is needed. Heck we'll even give ya a hand.

 

On the other hand, we USUALLY don't sell fuel anymore, as we do not have insurance that covers that, but hey, there is another supplier on the field, so you should be helped anyway!

 

So, bring in the beer, and yer all welkome here to Manitooba.! :punk:

[BHP206]

A few years back, late fall, I was sitting in my office when a competitor landed with a customer we did a lot of work for. They unloaded their gear and caught a ride into town to the only hotel there is. A little while later it started to snow and rain, ya know that stuff, when you get up in the morning you're going to be cleaning and scraping for hours or you wait for hours and hope it melts off. Anyway, I knew I wouldn't want to have to do it so I drove to the hotel, found the pilot and brought him back to the airport so he could move his 206 into the hangar. The w/x stayed crappy for the whole ten days he was here and he worked out the shop the whole time. He was appreciative but so was the customer and I got a fair bit of work out of them the next summer. A few years later I was ferrying a 206 to YVR and had to land for the night near the operators base of the pilot I'd helped out. The blades had barely stopped turning when there were three guys coming towards me from their hangar with ground handling wheels.

What goes around always comes around.

[Taco Bell]

Then you get the other guys that you help out and never hear from again. We had a south central BC operator go AOG for a fuel filter while passing through our airport. His boss phones me for help and as they have no transportation I drive him out a new filter. They say thanks and say they'll send beer and a replacement filter. Never heard from them again. I'll help anyone ONCE............

:down: :down: :down:

[Skidz]

I know some operators have an in-house policy of not allowing their people to help the competition. Some of these operators are large national outfits and others are small mom&pop shops. However, I've rarely seen engineers and pilots in the field refuse to help ine-another when the need arises, regardless of company policy.

 

I think some people forget what it's all about once they get the management jobs. Some never did get it... :down: