RIP Westex

boeingboy · Post by **boeingboy** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 2:56 pm

Westex is now dead as of 6 pm tonight.

I feel really bad for the guys that work there but the industry doesn't need another shady operator like them.

LT · Post by LT » Mon Nov 01, 2004 3:12 pm

6PM???

Try UTC next time.. Thanks..

broken arrow · Post by **broken arrow** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 4:22 pm

To call them shady, is to call all of us now unemployed pilots shady! I,nor anybody that I have ever flow with at westex, is of anything less that high character, and shady does not cut it for me.
We are talking about a company, that has never messed up my pay, and always paid us more that others doing the same job!! I am proud to have worked at westex, and consider it a fond memory, as well as hoping that the next employer gives me the same benefits and time off!
Shady....I think not!

LT · Post by LT » Mon Nov 01, 2004 4:26 pm

You'll be remembered everytime a StarGate re-run pops up from season 7.

golden hawk · Post by **golden hawk** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 4:58 pm

So....who's going to pick up the business Westex leaves behind?

Wrench MD · Post by **Wrench MD** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 5:36 pm

The whole time Ive been there, Ive seen all the highs and lows, all the disasters and accomplishments and many people come and gone.
We had issues for sure, but we kept on fighting, only sewered by the banks greed.
I will never forget working there, all the rescue missions, all the good guys on the floor, all the flights and flying that I have done with the airplanes, and all the people I have met working and working in the field.
Being a pilot and working on the floor, I could understand what the pilots were going though, so I tried to work with them as best I could to keep them flying.
We had sort of a brotherhood on the floor.
Iam going to miss working there, not because of who runs the place, but because of the people I worked with.
Working there, I received a termendous amount of experiance, more than I feel I would anywhere else.

I hold my glass of beer up to my bothers!

Inthesoup · Post by **Inthesoup** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 6:20 pm

Golden hawk;

The BC gov't had prepared themselves incase such events actually happened. The medevac contract will be divied out to various operators around the province until the contract comes up for rebid. As for all the other contracts they had (non-medevacs) i guess we'll have to wait & see what happens.

boeingboy · Post by **boeingboy** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 6:36 pm

Broken,
I'm glad that you were blinded to the real crap that you were flying. I'm also glad your still alive to figure that I'm calling everyone that worked there shady. The pilots were (are) a good group, as were most of the guys on the floor.

Captain,
I find it really funny how some people figure the banks did in Westex. DO did a number on it long before the banks even got there.

broken arrow · Post by **broken arrow** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 7:59 pm

to Boeingboy, I know the planes inside out, and they were not crap!

Captain, I raise with you !!!

Pratt · Post by **Pratt** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 8:12 pm

Sorry to hear that more pilots are once again out of work. Good luck to you all in your future endevours.

ozame · Post by **ozame** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 8:23 pm

Hey Boeing Boy, are you one of those guys at the park at the end of the runway with no aviation job looking at the aircraft overhead wishing you were connected with them in some way?? Lay off the crap, I was happy working there with lots of cool people and the equipment was certainly not crap in fact far newer than most operators of similar type. Let it go. Cheers all Wetsex guys it was a slice.

Giver eh! · Post by **Giver eh!** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 8:35 pm

are you one of those guys at the park at the end of the runway with no aviation job looking at the aircraft overhead wishing you were connected with them in some way??

What is wrong with those guys... We all were at one point.

Not that his comments are called for

xsbank · Post by **xsbank** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 8:54 pm

Anybody remember 'Islandhopper?" D.O. did it to them too. Leeetle float operator with big fancy corporate offices in downtown Vancouver, lots of "management" with fancy cars; tried to do in Baxter. Rumours about money laundering, motorcycle gangs, you name it. Far as I know the pilots survived to fly again, wiser an more discriminating (Some got paid cash to fly some of the a/c away and hide them from the receiver). Reminds me of *.*. and most famous of them all, *.*., two guys of different generations in YVR, pirates of the first order, managing to get rich while screwing everybody in sight. The banks are certainly greedy, but they did not do this to Regency; I bet they got screwed too.

Two outfits I worked for went to the wall, and lots of great relationships were lost. Just don't forget that they can ALL fail or just vanish - since I started flying, only AC is still in existence:
Canadian Pacific
BC Airlines
Pacific Western
Wardair
Time Air
West Coast Air
Air West
Tradewinds
Nordair
Eastern Provincial
Trans North
etc. etc.

complexintentions · Post by **complexintentions** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 9:27 pm

boeingboy wrote:Westex is now dead as of 6 pm tonight.

I feel really bad for the guys that work there but the industry doesn't need another shady operator like them.

Yeah, sounds like you "feel really bad".

Shady? Financially, there's lots of blame to go around, from the owners to the management to the banks to the BC government. And of this list who will pay the price? NO ONE! Just the employees trying to make a living. My condolences to the flight crews and engineers. On the plus side, there is a ton of experience entering the job market, and that flying capacity is going somewhere...

But shady, as in the flight operations - not a chance! boeingboy, you've made no secret of your dislike for Westex, whatever your reasons, I could care less. But on the day of a company's demise, to call it "shady" is not only tacky, but completely ignorant of the facts. But then again, since you're on a Boeing I guess you're immune to industry pressures..

Cheers to all Westex employees. With the excellent experience gathered in the medevac and freight operations your chances of keeping the EI time to a minimum are good!!

Tube Driver · Post by **Tube Driver** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 9:32 pm

To all the Westex pilots;

I did a short stint there, best of luck boys. Oldtimer are you still kicking around?

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 9:40 pm

I'm really sorry to hear this has happened.

Any of you Westex guys get into Nanaimo come on down to my place and I'll try and cheer you up with coffee and B.S.

Cat

golden hawk · Post by **golden hawk** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 9:53 pm

Thanks, soup

RB211 · Post by **RB211** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 9:58 pm

Sorry to hear about Westex.

I know very little about the company, but I have been through similar grief with C3. It is no fun. I sincerely hope all those concerned land on their feet.

Good luck to you.

boeingboy · Post by **boeingboy** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:45 pm

Yea,
I know the planes inside and out too.............How sad. If you only knew the half of it.

I liked all (most) of the guys there - but the way it was run and the way management treated maintenance (the actual work done - not the people), it was only a matter of time before something bad happened.

Jube · Post by **Jube** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:49 pm

Thanks Everyone:
Although I am sad it is over, I am happy as well. It has been great working here, You are all a great bunch of people, I wish you all the best in your next endeavors and I will miss you very much.

RIP WESTEX

Jube

whatacareer · Post by **whatacareer** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:53 pm

Thanks for all YOUR help Jube. You certainly were a joy to work with. Good luck to everyone.

atpboy · Post by **atpboy** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 11:08 pm

All the westex crew is patiying right now, We have sure wrenched and flown worse, contrairy to what you may say. Wetsex rules, we've tried to fly these death traps but in the the end, it didn't work.
good luck to everyone.
thanks jube

oldtimer · Post by **oldtimer** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 11:44 pm

I would not call Westex totally dead yet. Wait about a week. No news, were dead. But!!!!
Tough times. But, we may just survive.

broken arrow · Post by **broken arrow** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:00 am

thanks oldtimer...I hope you are right, but if not, can I have that letter I asked you for on saturday?..best of luck to you, mrs oldtimer is going to love having you around more.

3 cheers for the team!

gonefishin' · Post by **gonefishin'** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:01 am

Good luck to all, it was fun while it lasted... Jube, thanks for the laughs and the rides to the North-side...Like Old Mac, I have a feeling something will rise from the ashes...but just in case can I get one of those letters too?

RIP Westex

RIP Westex

rip...westex

hmm

Re: RIP Westex

RIP WESTEX