The other side of the "Bad Company" coin

TenForTwelve · Post by **TenForTwelve** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 6:13 pm

Been reading a lot of posts latley about crap companies, pay for training, no pay, crap maintenance, creative logbooking, etc. etc. etc.

How many of you out there work for great companies?

I, for example work for one. I have never, ever been asked to fly overloaded. The company owner flat out said that we are not to fly over gross. I have never been asked to fly in complete crap weather; I don't break minimums, and I don't get in shit or docked pay or whatever if I have to go to an alternate. I don't get shit if I have to buy fuel away from base. The list goes on.

Long story short, as much as we hear mostly about garbage operators, there are some excellent ones as well.

Safe flying

BlueandYellow · Post by **BlueandYellow** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 6:22 pm

Wow. So who do you work for? Praise like that for a company is definitely rare around here.

BnY

Canus Chinookus · Post by **Canus Chinookus** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 6:26 pm

I thought you were going to talk about the bad pilots that are out there and how no one does anything about them, and how people expect the training department to weed them out, but it never seems to happen.

Hey, was that out loud?

flyinhigh · Post by **flyinhigh** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 6:34 pm

I work for a great company as well, it's treated like the airlines big time.

Thunder Air
You don't go over weight, you don't break mins., don't push weather, basically you don't do anything that you would not do in the airlines.
if we were to do this and it gets back to the chief pilot, you can expect to have a nice vacation for a long time.

Babel Fish · Post by **Babel Fish** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 8:53 pm

NAMES!! NAMES!! Don't be afraid to tell us who these great operators are. everybody know the crap places, but nobody wants to mention the great places...wonder why that is...

ArcticDiesel · Post by **ArcticDiesel** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:59 pm

NORTH CARIBOO AIR

2low · Post by **2low** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:14 am

NAVAIR!!!!!

Youngback · Post by **Youngback** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:25 am

Little Red Air. No problems whatsoever.

Driving Rain · Post by **Driving Rain** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 7:10 am

Any Government Air Service. I can't speak for all of them, but I imagine they all work about the same. The pilots and engineers run the places in spite of upper management. The upper management types by and large have no idea how to run a proper air service so the employees do it and do it very well. The first thing you learn is never ever stick your neck out.
Safety culture at it's best.

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:31 am

flyinhigh wrote:I work for a great company as well, it's treated like the airlines big time.

You don't go over weight, you don't break mins., don't push weather, basically you don't do anything that you would not do in the airlines.
if we were to do this and it gets back to the chief pilot, you can expect to have a nice vacation for a long time.

Come on now. Let the dust settle on the latest wreck before bragging about your mini-airline. You need a bigger list of don'ts, "big time".

shimmydampner · Post by **shimmydampner** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:41 am

I went from an IFR job I hated to a small float operation that has turned out to be the greatest job I've ever had. Never pushed to do anything I'm not comfortable with. Boss is one of the greatest guys you'll ever meet. Doing lots of really cool and interesting flying. Life is good, finally.
I'd love to post who it is, but because of the previous job, it ain't happenin.

stef · Post by **stef** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:42 am

Ouch! Big time.

Surly Joe · Post by **Surly Joe** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:39 pm

Sander Geophysics. Great company, good people and a decent wage.

Anonymous1 · Post by **Anonymous1** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:40 pm

You want Big Time, try Peacock Air!!!!!

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 2:35 pm

I have worked for some truly deplorable companies ( for a very short period of time.) and some excellent companies.

However when it comes to safety, working conditions, life style and of course pay I now have the perfect job at last.

And my partners are the best people one would ever want to work with.

http://www.pbyflighttraining.com

Cat

Kariboo Kid · Post by **Kariboo Kid** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 10:56 pm

ArcticDiesel wrote:NORTH CARIBOO AIR

Agreed. Best I've worked at so far...

170 to xray · Post by **170 to xray** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:15 pm

I've been fortunate enough to work for some very good companies.

I also worked for one that, if it weren't for my coworkers, would have been absolute crap!

But you want to hear about the good ones? Here's one:

Great CP. Never once sold me or any other pilot out. Expected you to do your job and work hard, but would always back you up if needed. Would not let CSRs or managers yell at pilots. Discuss the problem with HIM and HE would decide if it died there, or if HE would discuss it with the pilot.

Went missed on Christmas eve with a full load trying to get home for the holidays. Our competition got in. Landed back at home base and was met by the company owner. Explained why I didn't get in, yet the competition did. He shook my hand and said "you made the right choice". He then personally dealt with the angry pax while I put the plane to bed.

NEVER asked or told to break ANY reg!

Sent on a last minute charter at midnight to Nunavut. Showed up at the airport to see my plane in the hangar being warmed up and ame's looking over the plane because they knew I was going out. Mechanics ALWAYS looked after my plane.

The company? They no longer exist, SKYWARD.

boby · Post by **boby** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 5:30 pm

FAST AIR

Pith Helmet · Post by **Pith Helmet** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 7:21 pm

170 to xray wrote:Waiting in line for IFR release in YTH. Night at or near minimums. What's that smell? Smells like electrical fire.....holy shite flames are shooting out from the rheostats!!! Shut down and get pulled into hangar.
I kid you not.....AME comes over and says "could not duplicate, ground checks servicable." That's nice. I'm not flying it 'til it's fixed!

Now this post of yours from a while back is the Skyward I knew. I will agree that the CP was solid as they come. It's too bad he was attached to what became such a crappy place to work.

170 to xray · Post by **170 to xray** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 8:36 am

Like any company you will always have someone pushing you. Could be pax, could be a manager, could be a mechanic or maybe another pilot. That will not change no matter where you go.

What matters is how you handle the pressure and then how the company handles your decision. Skyward was far from perfect. Lots of people pushing.

While I was there, 98-00, I felt that the CP made it easier for the pilots to make the right decisions by eleviating some of the pressure applied by the above. I feel it was a good company, not perfect but a good company.

I don't buy in to the "they made me bust minimums and fly overweight" philosophy. Standup! The company takes issue with you obeying the law then you don't need/want to be there.

co-joe · Post by **co-joe** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 2:19 pm

It is gratifying to know that the 3 shittiest companies I ever worked for all went under. One in MB, one in SK and one in AB.

Nomination for the other side of the coin:

ACA

Wendle was great to work for, a real class act. I'd work for him anytime if I had to go back.

Freetime · Post by **Freetime** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:24 pm

edited

Freetime · Post by **Freetime** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:25 pm

edited

The Ex · Post by **The Ex** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 3:19 pm

170 to xray: It sure it nice to know that I was not the only person who enjoyed working at Skyward. There seems to be very few out there that knew the company well enough to like it for it's strengths and weaknesses.

bronson · Post by **bronson** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 3:56 pm

It is gratifying to know that the 3 shittiest companies I ever worked for all went under

.

It is gratifying that all the shitty companies go under (eventually).