Crew Shortages

[rookie314]

Major helicopter operator has an add in the local paper (YLW) looking for crews. Rumor around the hanger is that some operators are having trouble getting crews for the summer. Any comments on this. I am thinking that this is more the usual shortage of experinanced people, or possibly people making nothing out of something.

[407 Driver]

Is that the MAJOR operator that is always looking for crews? What's wrong, can't they train enough in Sudbury and Penticton?

I have heard from a few operators that are having troubles finding any experience. eg, There are 2 base manager positions advertized here on this forum, FSJ and Ft Nelson.

 

If anyone has about 4,000 hrs, can ski, and can swing a good line, has flown a 350 and/or a 212, and wants a crack at an excellent small company, they're looking right now.....PM me !

[Puddle Jumper]

Where exactly are these "experienced crews" coming from? It seems like very few lowtimers are breaking in so where are these people coming from? Or are companies simply hiring pilots from outside of Canada?

[Phil Croucher]

Is it any wonder - I know at least two pilots that are retiring this year after their experiences with customers last year. Not just changing jobs - stopping flying.

 

yes, puddlejumper - they hire from outside - met a lot of great New Zealanders last year. Meanwhile, no disrespect to them, but there's all these low-timers who are quite capable of doing a lot of jobs. Actually, there are plenty of pilots, but nobody wants a lot of them!

 

Phil

[T-rex]

Experienced crews are always nice! I have a drawer full of resumes, some (alot) of lowtimers, some hightimers. I always try to hire to suit the postion. That even may be someone with lower time than what I was looking for. Training someone to what you are looking for can (not always) be easier than trying to re-train someone with higher times.

As someone posted earlier, some pilots have had enough!!! No more boiled pork chops or 'spam ham in a can!'

 

407, I have a great resume that came from your direction a few months back. I should dig it out and fax it back, I believe you are looking for this type of talent!

[407 Driver]

My post mentioned 350, That is definitly NOT us, as everything in this fleet spins the CORRECT direction. It's just a tidbit I heard over lunch a few days ago.

 

P.S. Johnny is back in YGE now, he's laying low at the moment, ducking lawyers and Ex's

[Frequent Flyer]

Sometimes half the problem is the requirements by the customer. I had the pleasure of flying some Archiologists a few years ago in the Arctic. Middle of summer, flat as a table. Leave camp at 5.30am and fly 0.2 to location. Sit for 12 hours with crew ( Incase something happens ) and return to camp at 5.30pm. No flying in between and more flys than a Levi's factory. Customer requires minimum of 2500 hours total time. No wonder the low time guys cant get a start.

[Guest CHEVY II]

That sounds ridiculous to me. I think this industry needs a little more "regulation" for the lack of a better word. Fortunately, I rarely run into that sort of customer request. Perhaps a little lobbying by the organizations who pump out the students...or some type of job classification and a minimum skill level required where the customer can't dictate totally absurd requirements like that.

 

How the **** are newly licensed PILOTS supposed to bridge the gap if these kind of stupid requests are dictated to the operators by customers and insurance companies. It's becoming more increasingly diffucult for low time pilots to accomplish that. I wonder if some of these customers and insurance companies knew that the engineer that takes care of the machine didn't have 2500 hours, would they be allowed to dictate those requirements as well?

 

I think this industry needs to level the playing field, where everyone has to conform and operate on the same page.

 

Certainly, mimimum tariff rates should be set and all operators should have to abide by them and negotiate for extras after that.

 

Standardized training should be mandatory as well. Surely there is enough talent in this country to put together excellent training syllabus's that the greedy money grubbin insurance companies could bless as well.

 

Operators/pimps should be oblidged to give "X" amount of training to low time pilots to bring up there level if these guys/gals are expected to prostitute themselves becuase they don't yet stand up to the ever increasing insurance or customer requirements. This is fairly evident by the fact that requirements keep getting higher for the same difficulty level of work which to me translates into lack of quality training, otherwise there wouldn't be an issue.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, too many people are taking out more than they are putting in to this industry. Which is evident by the insurance costs, crazy customer requirements, operators giving the bargain basement deals etc.

 

Competition is healthy only when everyone is playing by the same rules otherwise it's going to drive this industry right into the toilet.

[jetbox]

Does anyone know of any statistics that show a correlation between total hours P.I.C. and accidents risks?? In other words, when is a pilot more likely to have an accident? Right out of school or after he/she has a little bit of experience and starts getting cocky?

The point is that a lot of good entry positions are inaccessible to new pilots because safety consultants (i.e. Contrail Aviation) convince customers (specialy in the oil field in Alberta) that any pilots flying their employees shall have 1500hrs under their belts in the name of safety.

If there is any proof that a 1500hr pilot is safer than a 100 hr pilot, then I wouldn't blame the customers for wanting higher standards and I would probably do the same if I was in their shoes.

Otherwise, we're wasting many opertunities to give new pilots a start in the business doing work that they are more than capable of doing. We're talking go from point A to point B with a tech and his tools etc. Pretty simple stuff!

In the meantime, we have to try to find 1500 hr pilots who are still willing to fly an R44 in the oil field instead of some well deserved turbine time!!! Not an easy task!

 

Anybody have any reliable numbers?????

[T-rex]

Jetbox,

 

You mentioned Contrail??? Yikes, the name makes me puke!! Lets have another fixed wing guy make decisons for our industry!