Slow Year?

[Hello-bird]

Good Photoshop work :punk:

 

I guess the give away in that picture is that fact that theres no gold bars "flashing" off the shoulders of the pilots! :shock:

 

Just having a little fun.

 

[Three_Per]

I don't know what your definition of decent is, but there's a few employers on your list that have piss-poor reputations.

 

if you have the nuts to say that some of these employers have piss poor reputations why not justify your comment. not that I disagree with you.

 

[Heliduck]

Shakey -

As mentioned by a previous poster, most of the companies mentioned on this forum who employ foreign pilots would have gone to the wall without having access to the foreign worker labour pool. The work still needed to be done, so who would have done it? "Low hour Canadian Pilots" I hear you say. So where were all these low hour Canadian pilots when it was minus 50 degrees C in Northern BC & Alberta? If they had been up north where the work is, working their arse off & showing the aforementioned companies that they had what it takes then maybe when the bugs came out they would have been hopping leases in a helicopter. Work hard, be smart, don't sell yourself short & I'm sure most companies would rather hire a Canadian. But most importantly DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU WILL DO.

How many low time Canadians are living within 100miles of the US border & whingeing that they can't get work in Ft St John, Ft Nelson or Grand Prairie? Go where the work is. The oil & gas industry is employing anyone they can get their hands on & paying good coin, so if you want to work in these areas then move, find a job & hound the helicopter operators every chance you get. Example -

New Pilot 1 - Lives down south, faxes a resume, drives up for a 10 minute 1 on 1 with an operator.

New Pilot 2 - Lives in the town where the work is, employed in the gas patch doing anything he/she can, visits a number of operators every week.

Who do you think will get the job??

I don't know your situation Shakey so my rantings may not help you out. I was not born in Canada, so I can tell you with a degree of certainty that the experienced foreign pilots coming to Canada & filling seats have been through the scenarios I have mentioned. It worked for them, so maybe you should give it a go.

 

 

[Gary Watson]

This would have been an interesting discussion back in the early 70s when customers were looking for pilots with turbine experience and the only ones around were from south of the border with their turbine time accmulated in SE Asia and they were known as Vietnam Wonders.

 

Of course no internet in those days to communicate all the concerns about foreign pilots.

 

From what I can recall, this influx of foreign pilots was instrumental in getting the feds to cough up money to fund turbine courses in Canada to alieviate the shortage issue.

 

I would be interested to know how many of the Vietnam Wonders stayed in Canada and if my recollection of their influence in improving training and funding for turbine courses is correct.

 

I am sure some of the guys that were around in those days at Klondike, TNTA, Liftair, Associated etc would remember.

[shakey]

Shakey -

As mentioned by a previous poster, most of the companies mentioned on this forum who employ foreign pilots would have gone to the wall without having access to the foreign worker labour pool. The work still needed to be done, so who would have done it? "Low hour Canadian Pilots" I hear you say. So where were all these low hour Canadian pilots when it was minus 50 degrees C in Northern BC & Alberta? If they had been up north where the work is, working their arse off & showing the aforementioned companies that they had what it takes then maybe when the bugs came out they would have been hopping leases in a helicopter. Work hard, be smart, don't sell yourself short & I'm sure most companies would rather hire a Canadian. But most importantly DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU WILL DO.

How many low time Canadians are living within 100miles of the US border & whingeing that they can't get work in Ft St John, Ft Nelson or Grand Prairie? Go where the work is. The oil & gas industry is employing anyone they can get their hands on & paying good coin, so if you want to work in these areas then move, find a job & hound the helicopter operators every chance you get. Example -

New Pilot 1 - Lives down south, faxes a resume, drives up for a 10 minute 1 on 1 with an operator.

New Pilot 2 - Lives in the town where the work is, employed in the gas patch doing anything he/she can, visits a number of operators every week.

Who do you think will get the job??

I don't know your situation Shakey so my rantings may not help you out. I was not born in Canada, so I can tell you with a degree of certainty that the experienced foreign pilots coming to Canada & filling seats have been through the scenarios I have mentioned. It worked for them, so maybe you should give it a go.

 

I think maybe you and some others missed my point. Things are slowing down are they not? I too was up north this winter freezing my butt off wasn't sitting by the phone waiting for that big break.

I DID WHAT I SAID I WOULD DO. In fact I worked 2 Christmas's on very short notice. Imagine explaining that one to the wife and kids. In the process I was promised certain things for my loyal service that never got fullfilled. ( maybe this is where my bitterness stems)

 

I am well aware there are alot of low timers that think they are owed something and don't want to leave the lower mainland. I also know some that will. I do have over 1000 hrs and was just raising the question to see what would come up. What impressed me the most was Frank Murphys responses and would probably enjoy working with a guy like that.

 

I should also take some time to apologize too Helilog56 as people like him do take the time to help out low timers and I responded in a childish manner. Who knows maybe even a HEPAC membership may be in the future.

 

I have nothing against foreign pilots in fact was impressed with most of the responses. What disturbed me the most was the lack of Canadian input and when they did respond they were mostly well on there career path way. NEWS FLASH there is a down turn in the economy and things are going to get worse before they get better. Good luck too all you low timers your going to need it!

 

[happyfeet]

After thought for you TACO!

 

here is a list of known companies that hire foreign pilots...I want to know if they are on your list.

 

Mustang- Seems to get mixed reviews

GSH- Seems to get mixed reviews

Wildcat Make sure you get paid

Baileys - DP is a great guy (roll eyes)

Quest- No knowledge

Canadian Air Crane- Never head boo about these guys

Tasman- CP is a twit

VIH- Hill billy management

AES - Old junk

Guardian - Not going to even waste my breath

Prism - The gay pride parade

 

 

All very decent companies listed above.

 

Did I miss any?

 

 

??????????????????????

 

Yah! ya probably missed a few. The comment about crap repuations. You bet ya! Add Alpine to that list. One of those ops guys has chip on his shoulder that is so big it makes me chiver.

 

I 'll add a few comments to the companies on that list. Only just rumours though so taking anything seriously, please don't.

 

Or let' er rip.

[cap]

Oops....sorry......time-out to correct another popular-held belief.......... not all 'Vietnam Wonders' were American. I am also aware of a host of American born and bred 'Vietnam Wonders' who came up to Canada, married Canadian gals, bred Canadian kids and remain on Canadian soil to this day. Some have been here so long that many in the industry don't even know that they were ever American at one time.

 

All of the aforementioned happened for two large reasons that do not exist at this time. The first was the exploration for natural gas that was taking place at that time in the Canadian Arctic Islands. R/W of every size, shape and description were working there and a company named Polar Gas was the big player then, although there were also a host of others. There was enough activity that in the summer it would have been debatable as to whether there were more Mediums working in the Arctic Islands or down south in the Provinces.

 

Secondly, there was also a bit of R/W activity down East in a place called James Bay where they had a small Power Project taking place and that activity exceeded 10 years in length. On any given day there were approximately 75 R/W under contract that were flying some place on the Project. Bodies were needed badly to fill seats and the ex-Vietnam 'Wonders' were looking for work, although after seeing combat, few of them considered themselves 'Wonders' in any regard.

[Gary Watson]

Hey Cap

 

Don't get me wrong about this crowd as I was tryng to point out that the results of this influx of Vietnam Wonders (not my term by the way but it was the very common term around the industry) resulted in benefits for the local (Canadian) low-time piston-only pilots.

 

I know a number of them stayed in Canada and that not all of them were US citizens.

I also worked around some that were good and some that seemed to specialize in bending aircraft.

[Guest jacdor]

Hey Cap

 

Don't get me wrong about this crowd as I was tryng to point out that the results of this influx of Vietnam Wonders (not my term by the way but it was the very common term around the industry) resulted in benefits for the local (Canadian) low-time piston-only pilots.

 

I know a number of them stayed in Canada and that not all of them were US citizens.

I also worked around some that were good and some that seemed to specialize in bending aircraft.

 

 

You are right about them, but the most amazing thing for me was their abitlity to get lost.

Good revenue hours for the young pilots like me a the time (70's) to get them and their passengers back to camp.

Lots of fun

 

JD

 

[Gary Watson]

You are right about the map-reading or lack of it skills. While I was in the Yukon in the early 70s there were a number who ended up out of touch and out of gas. Maybe because the terrain was slightly different from SEA and there were no tracers to follow