Sander Geophysics

[Rudy]

Can anyone share some current info on these guys? Schedule? Benefits?

[Carrier]

The company has an excellent reputation. It was a good gig while they used twins such as Islanders.

It’s too bad they have converted to single engine aircraft, mainly the C208. It’s not very bright to fly a single at low level over remote and/or inhospitable terrain. Hope the pay fully compensates for the extra risk!

[ng78]

I'd also like some info on Sander. I've heard a lot of great things about them, if you're up for an adventure of course.

[TeePeeCreeper]

It’s too bad they have converted to single engine aircraft, mainly the C208. It’s not very bright to fly a single at low level over remote and/or inhospitable terrain. Hope the pay fully compensates for the extra risk!

Wow, funny since they have never had any accidents (incidents yes) with their 208's...
So, where did you get that drivel from?


I've got a buddy that's still working for them, he enjoys it, and is well paid. Not a job for everyone though...

[Carrier]

TeePeeCreeper, read these threads:

http://www.pprune.org/african-aviation/ ... zania.html

http://www.pprune.org/biz-jets-ag-flyin ... c-12s.html

It’s just a matter of time!

[SayAgain]

I was wondering if anyone has info on the rotations.
Is it always 2 months in? Do you get equal time off?
Anyone tried similar rotations with a family, must be tough.
Sounds like it could be interesting work. Any updated info on salary and benefits would also be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Justin.Case]

2009 Remuneration for Captains:
Junior Captain - 50K
Senior Captain - 54K
Training Captain - 62K

Perdiems vary depending on location.

After a year's work, if you qualify for the overseas tax credit you can expect a rather substantial income tax return.

Rotations are set at 2 months in 1 month out and require a lot of flexibility on either side. I would say the biggest downside to SGL is that they are rather unorganized in terms of crew scheduling. -Considering the scope of the operation this doesn't come as much of a surprise nonetheless it can be very frustrating (not knowing when or where your going until the last minute).

You can opt for more time off but then your not making any real money, which can only be done in the field. There are a few folks here with families back home, how they manage the time and distance is beyond my understanding.

This is a great job for a single guy/girl who enjoy the wandering lifestyle and have nothing tying them down. As in the job advertisement, this is a great way to see the world and what better way to do that then fly 500ft above the ground?! It makes for an incredible experience not to mention amazing photos!!

[ng78]

Justin.Case, very informative post. Do you know if/when Sander might be looking for crews again, or do they look for pilots on a fairly regular basis?

[ahramin]

Does anyone have any info on specifics of the overseas tax credit? Those pay numbers look ... lets be charitable and call it low ... for the work but maybe I'm missing something. I was under the impression that survey flying required a goodly amount of skill and hard work.

[21_gun_salute]

50k a year to fly a caravan all over the world low level, sounds a little better then flying my 152 at 500ft all over the country taking pictures for crap money haha!! (good experience tho) Any chance they take a guy with a little below 1000hrs??? ahramin, nothing is ever going to be perfect, it's what you make of it. I think it sounds like an awsome gig.

Good luck to everyone that applies.

[ng78]

Also, what might the F/O salaries be like?

[AntiNakedMan]

No Islanders? Well I guess I'm not sending a resume in now.

[wallypilot]

Does anyone have any info on specifics of the overseas tax credit? Those pay numbers look ... lets be charitable and call it low ... for the work but maybe I'm missing something. I was under the impression that survey flying required a goodly amount of skill and hard work.

you get 80% of your taxes back. in the years I claimed it, when all was said and done, my marginal tax rate was around 5%. so on the 54K salary, you'd pay about 2K in taxes....of course there are other deductions like EI and CPP that are not refunded. But on that salary come tax time(assuming all your rotations were outside of canada), you'd get about 8-11K back from the CRA. it's a nice perk. I would guess take home pay would be in the range of 45K after EI, benefits, CPP, etc. not bad for a 1500-2000 hour pilot, imho.

[Doc]

Heard some very good things about these guys. Other than aforementioned scheduling problems that can crop up anywhere. If I were young and single, I'd be all over it. It'll let you see places you would otherwise never have seen. That part of it, you will never regret.

[DHQ]

Justin.case pretty much hit the nail on the head.

For the guys that are questioning the money, I guess it's all relative. There are caravan guys making less and working harder. But at the same time, we'll be working along side other expats in the field and we're almost always the lowest paid people around. It is what it is... The tax credit is a good boost though.

Whoever asked about F/Os I think it's $35k-$45k.

Often you can score a little extra on the per diems. This amount varies a lot, but lately it's been $65-$100. On the location where it's $100, you can live alright on $20 so that's $80 in your pocket.

One of my favourite qualities about SGL is there is never any real pressure to push weather or safety limits. If a plane has to be on the ground for a week while parts get shipped out, so be it. If the pilots aren't happy with the weather, so be it. Although they may get taken advantage of sometimes, they're doing the right thing and the safety record reflects that.

The travelling is great. Sometimes the locations really suck, but there are also some great ones. In transit from Canada to the field you can take vacation days in your layover cities - we often hit up the major hubs - London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong etc.

If you're a serious family person, this probably isn't for you.
If you're a city boy that needs all the comforts, this probably isn't for you.
If you need a solid, definite schedule and plan, this absolutely isn't for you.

Edited: We still have 2 islanders and a C404. We also have 3 twin stars which haven't actually seen any service yet, but may soon get online. Most of the SGL pilots would highly encourage anyone who's hot to fly a twin star to apply immediately.. haha!

[ng78]

Great info. When Rudy started this topic, I hadn't noticed the job ad for captains, but coincidentally I applied earlier in the day as an F/O. Does anybody know if SGL are also looking for F/O's anytime soon, and if so what the realistic requirements are? Please PM if required.

[Rudy]

Most of the SGL pilots would highly encourage anyone who's hot to fly a twin star to apply immediately.. haha!

Why don't they want it? Looks like a fun little machine.

[ahramin]

Thanks for the info Wally. Take home of 45K is roughly about 63K gross for your average guy.

Too bad they have to work so hard to get it though .

[traveller1982]

Would love to know anyone working at Sanders. I have 1000 hours on an Islander and like the overseas working style. PM me if you could.

[VSF]

link to a previous topic:

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=46620

vsf

[traveller1982]

Anyone heard about interviews yet?

[ptc]

worked with SGL for 18 months before moving on last September.

In my opinion they were a good outfit to be with, travel was great and I enjoyed the flying. If memory serves me correct think after all the extras I was taking home around 60k per year. I have been tempted to re-submit my CV to the CP since seeing the ads for Capts, although word is that contracts are winding down and these positions are for contracts not yet signed.

Planes were all well maintained and enjoyed banging around the sky in the Islanders!!

Rotations were 9 to 10 weeks on and 4 weeks off.

[yycflyguy]

Guys. Refundable tax benefits should not be included as part of your compensation package. That is something between you and the CRA. Employers that tout this in their package do so because they are aware the level of compensation for international work is too low. Same thing goes for per diems. This is meant to re-imburse your out of pocket costs for doing their work abroad and should not be included in the advertising of the compensation package. Please demand an appropriate wage for your work skill.

[ahramin]

Yycflyguy, I can appreciate the sentiment that per diems are not pay, however this is not something that should be left out of the equation. Same for overseas tax credits. The level of compensation is not the most important number, money in your pocket is. All else being equal, would you rather have a job that paid $100 000 a year with no per diems, or one that paid $80 000 + $18 000 in per diems? If you want the former then you need to sit back and do some more thinking.

Similarly with the overseas tax credit, before I stated that the pay is too low for the work, I needed to know what the pay coming home will be. Comparing gross salary to net when there is a big difference would be foolish.

[Justin.Case]

Yycflyguy is right on the money. I probably didn't make it clear enough in my previous post that the tax benefit is only there if you qualify. It certainly should not be considered to be part of your compensation package. There are a number of pilots here who will not be getting it this year, myself included. Put that into your calculation!

I enjoy working at SGL so I'm not trying to slight the Flight Department or management for that matter but while they have never outright said that tax benefits are 'part of the deal', they certainly alluded to it whenever pay was being discussed... covertly misleading. Equally misleading are the many pilots here who are quick to advertise this perk with others.

The fact of the matter is, SGL simply doesn't compare themselves internationaly in terms of pay (for which we are on the low end). Instead they set their standard of pay with reference to other Canadian Caravan operators. New pilots here will soon discover that in many cases the responsibilities involved with international survey flying are a lot larger than flying pop'n'chips to Pikangikum or skydivers out of Quebec. Our rather evolved (if not drawn out) flight training program for new captains can attest to this.

As a result we are individually pushing for better pay seperate from per diems and tax benefits. We made some progress last fall with the 2009 Remuneration but most pilots here would concur that our pay vs. work provided is still somewhat unbalanced.

All things considered though, SGL is a great company with some good people behind it. I plan on sticking around!