The Canadian Helicopters Shaft

[T-rex]

I can''t resist no more, been off line for awhile, had a big move! Yes, leave the sinking ship! Most of us have! It''s so much better over here! Yes, there are companies that don''t fly antiques!!!!!!!!!!!!! All of us speak from prior experience here! The management at the "red crow" just keep giving us more and more work over here! Keep up all the good work in Edmonton! I am makimg more money every year not a pay cut and excellent benefits!

PS.. for the Cdn Heli crews who dropped the "doghouse" and the bag of chainsaws.......Here''s a toast to you!!!!!

[407 Driver]

Jiggler, you really have to open up and tell us how you REALLY feel, don''t be keeping those emotions locked away, it''s unhealthy.

[coolhand110]

Needles split

While it is nice to hear 1 person out of 1200 viewers say positive things about CHL, I have to say that there is not another company that would give a person a mini ops course, lay them off and try to get the money for the training. That is pure unadulterated CRAP! Yes low timers are subject to more abuse than they should get, and that is unfortunate. I signed a training bond for $18,000.00 for the company I am now with. I am committed to 18 months. They knock off $1,000.00 a month of the original amount. Fairly reasonable. 15 grand over 3 years with more years added for mountain courses or endorsments is crap. Treat people decent and they would stay. Lay a person off, forget the money for training. It is great that you are happy there. Good for you for sharing your history with them. Must be more somewhere.

[Phil Croucher]

Aviation seems to be the only industry that uses this training bond stupidity - Ryanair in UK even charge $100 per pilot application, which must be renewed every 6 months - no wonder their fares are cheap!

 

Any other business would treat training as a legitimate business expense, and make you want to stay with them. My stepdaughter has just had upwards of $50,000 insurance training dumped on her, with no question of time serving or any other bonding - she can leave, get pregnant, whatever she wants. The company figures that if she moves on, her replacement will have had equal training, or she might even come back, since it''s a relatively small industry, as ours is.

 

Madness.

 

Phil

[Rotorhead]

{RE:Attn: Rotorhead

 

By the way, is M. Seniuk your engineer in Ven. this tour?

 

abc}

 

Yes, Mike is still there, He will be headed home on the weekend. I parked the Shortsky (HJU) in Maturin for a while pending further work Today, I am in Caracas surrounded by dozens of airline flight crews from around the world. Sitting at the pool, cervesa in hand, not a bad place to end a short tour in the jungle camp.

 

RH

[ChairmanoftheBORED]

#### said:

 

"A smart management team would have by now."

Nuff said there.

 

Smart is not the word to describe the "management" of CHL, EMS or Eastern. It is all a bunch of lads who were just like you and I and who eventually graduated up the ladder to controlling positions of authority. They were not employed for their educations or degrees in Business, proven history or track records in business; but merely due attrition they were left holding the bag.

 

Take a look at the EMS division for a lack of leadership.

 

What CHL dumped there is now a base manager (not that Sudbury are complaining)....the senior pilot keeps bending, denting, overheating and xxxxing up things and yet still sets the standard...(not that Sudbury are complaining )....the CP will not make a decision on any subject without talking to the accountant....all being instructed by training pilots with only 400hrs on type, flying 20+ yr old machines with engine O/H issues.... in a medically driven operation

 

There is more but who's counting.

 

Regardless who disagrees, it is apparent that Saturnman is correct. Union is required. It won't help much of these issues above but it will help impose a standard.

 

EG:It is unfair when a medic can get a $400 dollar jacket issued solely to them and $400 boots issued while the pilots (half the crew by the way) are told to shove it. That is a small example of how unions create a level playing field.

 

Glad to be gone

[Hover-Pig]

I don't think a Union is quite the way here. What the helicopter industry needs more than anything else is sometine like ALPA.

 

An unified voice representing pilots and AMEs in the helicopter industry to approach a helicopter company, medical association or the government to address these concerns.

 

I have no doubt that plank drivers would gladly share their experiences and offer assistance in launching such a venture. A similar one has begun in the US I think, Canada seems long overdue. Just listen to yourselves, you love your work, you love (the majority) of the folks you work with. Stop taking this crap and join forces to speak out.

[Blackmac]

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On 7/28/2003 7:38:09 AM Vortex Ring wrote:

 

I don't think a Union is quite the way here. What the helicopter industry needs more than anything else is sometine like ALPA.

 

An unified voice representing pilots and AMEs in the helicopter industry to approach a helicopter company, medical association or the government to address these concerns.

 

I have no doubt that plank drivers would gladly share their experiences and offer assistance in launching such a venture. A similar one has begun in the US I think, Canada seems long overdue. Just listen to yourselves, you love your work, you love (the majority) of the folks you work with. Stop taking this crap and join forces to speak out.

 

----------------

Holy gosh, gee, heck darn oh what the ****, sounds familiar.

[downwash]

Got to admit I don't know much about ALPA but CALPA is sure as **** a union. What, if anything, is different about ALPA, Vortex Ring?

[Cambox]

Funny, I can't think of anything really that Canadian has given the industry except maybe keep tarrifs artificially low and cause a lot of really good companies go out of business.......... Thoughts???