T.C shuts part of Skyward down

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FLOATER
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T.C shuts part of Skyward down

Post by FLOATER »

Can any skyward pilots let us know what is going on at your place....Is it everything,or only certain airplanes.And for how long?
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bandaid
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Post by bandaid »

You have a computer do you have a telephone if so go to website
http://www.skyward.mb.ca
and find the number or email address and go to the horses mouth.
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. .
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Post by . . »

cummon now bandaid. I heard they should be up and going agian today. I guess it was the wrench side that they cracked down on. Anyone with specifics?
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grouchy
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Post by grouchy »

Maybe in light of the Keystone thing this is a pre-emptive strike.....who's next. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :cry:
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Disco Stu
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Post by Disco Stu »

Sounds to me like the OC was suspended by TC yesterday/last night.

At one point this weekend, only the 2 caravans were flying. Then a conquest and 1900. Now, nothing. Maintenance related from what I hear.

Can you imagine the disaster their parts department must be operating like a dozed different types? Piston singles to turbine singles to turbine twins, with not a common engine amongst the group?
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CD
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Post by CD »

Safety concerns ground airline Defects discovered in Manitoba fleet

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
02/01/2005
Leah Janzen

A Manitoba airline that serves the North through passenger and medevac flights has had its entire fleet of 25 planes grounded by Transport Canada due to safety concerns. Transport Canada spokeswoman Kate Fletcher said Transport Canada inspectors conducting an audit last week of Skyward Aviation's maintenance and operations procedures found some problems with the condition of a number of aircraft.

Transport Canada issued letters of notification to the company about the defects on Friday and ordered 13 planes out of the air.

The entire fleet was grounded yesterday, hours after the Free Press began making inquiries on the status of the airline.

Fletcher said there were specific defects on some of the planes, in addition to general concerns about training, aircraft maintenance and management systems.

In a statement released last night, Transport Canada said it had "taken this action in the interest of public safety because the Department identified safety deficiencies during an audit of the company. Today's suspension does not preclude any further regulatory action at a later date."

Skyward is prohibited from any service until it shows the deficiencies have been corrected, Fletcher said.

She said as far she was aware, Skyward had a good record previously.

"This is something we don't do lightly," she said. "It is a significant step, but during the course of the audit, we identified issues and sometimes there comes a point when a decision has to be made that requires immediate action and that's what we did in this case."

A call to Skyward Aviation president Frank Behrendt was not returned yesterday.

A spokesman for the province couldn't be reached last night to determine if alternative medevac services have been arranged.

Skyward Aviation conducts regularly scheduled flights between Winnipeg, Thompson and a number of small, aboriginal communities in the North and in Nunavut.

The company also provides a charter service and maintains six air ambulances, making it the largest medevac service provider in the province.

Planes from other small airlines were pressed into service over the weekend to cover Skyward's flights.

Fletcher did not say when the planes might be back in service.

Thompson-based Skyward Aviation has been in business in Manitoba since 1987.

The company has 260 employees located in Winnipeg and Thompson and at Manitoba stations in Norway House, Cross Lake and Garden Hill, as well as Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

Last year, Transport Canada also grounded another small Manitoba airline due to safety concerns.

Keystone Air Services was grounded for two weeks in February 2004 after inspectors found problems with the company's maintenance procedures and documentation.
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Doc
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Post by Doc »

A knee jerk reaction from the Keystone case, I'm sure. That pesky paperwork must have been a little off. It's only the begining! Notice that the "spokeswoman" said NOTHING! TC dosen't have the pills to advize the public of what's really WRONG? C'mon woman...out with the dirt. Either that or STFU!!!
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Cat Driver
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Post by Cat Driver »

Hey Doc, maybe Kate Fletcher got wind of what happened to Bonita Smith when you make the mistake of telling it like it is at TC? :roll:

Cat
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grouchy
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Post by grouchy »

I wonder how long TC has been sitting on this before doing an audit. Winter roads are open and in good shape, shouldnt hurt them too much till they get their act together.


BCASFlyboy
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Nothing else up but I get way too much, for a guy my age :wink: :P :lol: (if that's possible.) :lol:
Thanks for asking.
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bandaid
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Post by bandaid »

Well I hope that the pilots, mechanics, customer service agents, rampies working for that company don't go without a paycheck this month. Going to be some hungry people if that's the case. Hope everything is all right for you guys up there.
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Wiseone
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Post by Wiseone »

Lets see:

They made it on to the front page of the Winnipeg Free Press.
Carried on Global news.
Carried by National Post
Carried by Alaska Chronical
Carried by CBC Radio
Carried by CBC North
Carried by Fort St. John paper.

Will be carried on Winnipeg Sun tomorrow.

Company has not responded to media.

Folks, this is how NOT TO deal with the media.
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shitdisturber
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Post by shitdisturber »

I wonder how many of the defects found at Skyservice are your typical TC chickenshit as anybody who's ever dealt with them more than once I'm sure is familiar with.

Saw a Piper Cherokee get grounded once for a tiny ding at the very tip of the exhaust pipe.

Had one genius from TC try to ground an aircraft because it was missing the data plate. It wasn't missing, he just didn't know where it was supposed to be; "data plate found after a brief search in the correct location." :roll:

Possibly my favourite was the finding that one of Cessna's original paper placards was a bit the worse for wear on a 172; ie the edges were a bit chewed up. I rectified this horrendous breach of aviation safety by applying scotch tape to the edges and they were happy.

Your tax dollars at work! :wink: I'm sure various others on this site have similar and/or worse stories to tell.
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Post by Cat Driver »

The most stupid one that I have been a victim of was one of TC finest told me they would not approve my Aerobat because I had converted it to a tail wheel and it was not approved for spins...

I had to go his superior to get this moron off my case....

Oh by the way he was a Flight Training Inspector...and I offered to send him a dictonary for Xmas so he could look up the meaning of "supplementary" as contained in STC.

Where do they find these mentally challenged idiots?

If you would like his name PM me.

Cat
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The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no


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Post by Schlem »

Any more semi-official stuff on this?

Last rumour I heard was that the entire fleet is grounded, OC pulled as well as their AMO.

All pilots and agents layed off today.

Very bad news if true! :cry:
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Post by sprucemonkey »

Its funny. Years back Gillam air had an audit when I was there and the T's were crossed and I's dotted, so company still operates????? Don't need to get into the fleets condition........
Keystone still inhibits our skies and is probably filling in for Skyward right now. :cry: Poor poor TC inspectors. Teach TC a lesson there Cliff. Its there fault, not yours! Then everyone else can follow suit; with lawsuits.
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Post by Disco Stu »

Had heard a rumour that they were going into recievership.

Getting all kinds of bad press though.

Hope no one loses their jobs.
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Post by Disco Stu »

Pilots laid off with 48 hour call back notices apparently.

Some PPCs revoked after TC reviewed training records.

So a little birdy told me........
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Doc
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Post by Doc »

All this from TC, and nobody has even run out of gas yet? Revoked PPC's? So the pilots cant even go work elsewhere? I see they were looking for a DFO just last week......bet the resumes are just pouring in for that position....."quick, pass the wheel...we've hit an iceberg!"
Too bad the industry cant audit TC? Gotta wonder what we'd find.
The whole thing makes me puke! We have a government agency who can march into an operation and just shut the doors without informing the public of the problems! I for one, would like to know what they've actually found...is there a real problem, or is the paperwork just not up to date? OR, are the wings really going to fall off? Skyward's fleet is so varried, that I'm sure a problem wouldn't be fleet wide....that's just TC flexing the muscle that WE, the industry lets them flex! C'mon TC, what IS the problem????? This fricken industry is phuqued up enough without throwing a bunch of people out of work! I've never heard that Skyward is a bad apple.....and I've heard lots of crap about some companies that are allowed to continue their somewhat shady practices.
End of rant.
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TROWL
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Post by TROWL »

There are lots of little bridies in aviation. One of the one's from Skyward mentioned just how bad their mtce is, miserable stores, aircraft violating the MELs. Consensus is that they're down for a long time.
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