Want a Ramp Job?

permateacher · Post by **permateacher** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 2:24 pm

Hi There,

I'm on the ramp at Tran$west and just got onto an aircraft. They'll need to replace me as well as do quite a bit of hiring for the summer. There was just a lot of internal company movement and that should create some positions. They have a hiring process based on WJ's, and this would be a great place to visit if on a road trip (like me last year at this time). Ask to speak with someone in HR in Saskatoon. There should be positions opening up at all the main bases. I'm not important enough to help anyone get a job, but I sure would have liked to hear information like this when I was on the road. I know it kind of sucks to work the ramp for a while when all you want to do is fly, but I'm starting to think it's the only way these days. Just make sure you're willing to work your a$$ off while you're there, or you may be there longer than you wanted.

Good Luck

180 · Post by **180** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 2:57 pm

Edited because I was a ranting A*#$hole.

CAL · Post by **CAL** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 4:01 pm

Good luck getting an interview with Transwest...

permateacher · Post by **permateacher** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 7:05 pm

Hi,

Have you tried the decaf? Gimmie a break, I was just trying to pass on a tip to a fellow road-tripper. No need to tear me a new one. Lighten up man.

N8 · Post by N8 » Mon Mar 08, 2004 11:54 am

180 wrote:Quote:

Look at it this way. If you owned your own aircraft, commercial or not, would you just let any Joe Stanger fly it?

Working the ramp, dock, office, wherever is an opportunity for employers to see how you tick, how you handle stress, how you deal with people, what sort of decision making skills you have.

I don't think that's why many operators put guys on the ramp. I think they just want to have someone there who can take an empty seat in the aircraft at a moments notice.

If they needed someone now, I don't think they would put their operation on hold and ground the planes just so that they can "get to know the guy first".

I'm sure your case applies in some situations, but not as many.

Oh ya, take it easy on permateacher. That was quite the tongue lashing.

ahramin · Post by **ahramin** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 3:20 pm

180:

I realise I'm being curt, but WTF?

In my humble opinion, being polite is a good thing most of the time. Just a suggestion.

In addition, operators use rampies because they can. Not because they must. Most dangle a carrot of a flying job and pay substandard wages. If they needed a seat filled and did not have rampies, they would not let the airplane sit while they got to know you. It is true that you get to know someone when they work the ramp, but lots of operators get by without slaves. I never worked a ramp or an instructor job but here i am in twin turbine equipment.

permateacher:

Good for you. Thanks for the tip.

180 · Post by **180** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:21 pm

I did say one positive thing:

"Permateacher, good for you for proving your worth and being rewarded with a flying job."

N8, I believe the word you were looking for was "Seatcover".

Abrahim, being polite IS a good thing most of the time.

Permateacher, Maybe I should lay off the triple espressos, and maybe I was a little harsh.

But here's the thing. If you had saved the cash you spent on your instructor's rating, and had taken that ramp job 3 or 4 years ago (however long you were instructing for) you'd probably have a thousand hours or more of right seat turbine time, and you'd probably have been logging multi-PIC time in a Navajo for the last year or so.

The way you worded your post, sounding kind of convinced now that the ramp was probably the way to go was, how you say.......

I don't want to 'tear you a new one' again, so I'll bite my lip.

It just surprises me, that in this day and age of information exchange, that more guys don't get it. Everyone wants to know how to get into a 1900 or a (insert your multi machine here.)

There's no mystery my friend:

GO NORTH. HUMP IT ON THE RAMP, DOCK, OR IN THE OFFICE. PROVE YOUR WORK ETHIC.

I guarantee you you'll be rewarded. End of mystery.

The only question left, is how fast will you be promoted?

But dat's-a-whole-nother-story.

Again, sorry for not using any KY on my original response.

Snowking · Post by **Snowking** » Tue Mar 16, 2004 9:46 pm

I know a guy that just got laid off from Transwest a little while ago. I kind of got the impression that they were downsizing. Anyone know anything about that?

shimmydampner · Post by **shimmydampner** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 4:05 pm

180, take a friggin valium or something. The guy was just trying to pass along valuable info to job hunters. Jeezuz, why do so many people on this forum just like to bitch at people for nothing. Don't worry, you're not the only one who has taken it up the hoop working their ass off on the dock. If you gotta take out your frustration from how shitty the industry is (and yes job hunting is frustrating, I know, I'm there too) do what the rest of us do and take up heavy drinking.

frog · Post by **frog** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 5:55 pm

I still don't really get this contest between flight instructor and ramp workers. According to me they both lead to the same spot.

180 said that if Permateacher would have worked on the ramp for 3 or 4 years, he will be logging MPIC on navajo today.

Funny ! I started to instruct 3 years ago and today I am flying the Navajo and I am the CP of the operation with of course An ATPL. The past years I logged over 300 MPIC in order to meet the Cp requirement.

My point is that there is not a better than the other...
some guys will do great on the ramp, some other will do great as flight instructor to start the career...........Amen ![/quote]

TopperHarley · Post by **TopperHarley** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 6:00 pm

permateacher,

Congrats on your job! I'm sure you will really enjoy the metro and your new career.

180,

I don't think you are being fair on instructors. 1000 hours is not 10 hours 100 times over, and instructing hours are not useless. You obviously have no clue and I don't think it is fair to generalize these people like that (no, I am not an instructor myself, but I certainly respect them for their work).

I know many people who had over 2000 hours of instruction and moved on to bigger and better. At my flight school, I have seen instructors go onto metros, 1 went to bearskin (yes, an instructor got on with the bear... it is possible), 1 is now F/O on the 1900, etc etc. I know people at Kenn Borek who used to instruct, I have spoken to Air Canada captains who used to instruct, etc. You get the picture.

It's not so much your experience as it is your attitude. Permateacher proved this one.

Perma, please don't let anyone ever convince you that your past experience was useless, because it wasn't. I will guarantee you that 5 years down the road, you will not regret your decision one bit. I'm sure you learned a lot, and you should be grateful for this. Good luck with the flying! It was definetly classy of you to post this tip on here to help other low timers out. It shows that you care and that you have a lot of heart.

180, I didn't mean to attack you personally, but it is not right for you to judge other people. How would you like it if I said that bush pilots were nothing but drunken rednecks who loved to brake the CARs? This is certainly not true, and it would not be right for me to go putting down bush pilots in this way.

To all the instructors out there, your time will come. Just be patient, and don't take your frustrations out on your students.

Chris.

TopperHarley · Post by **TopperHarley** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 8:31 am

Forgot to mention... permateacher, please check PMs.

clubzed · Post by **clubzed** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 1:33 pm

Hey guys,

Jeezuz!! - Nice to see that we're all still getting along together isn't it? Sounds like we have an ex-lawyer type in our midst who's just discovered that pro-bono work is the norm in aviation!!

Smell the jet fuel - keep the dream alive!! - good luck Permateacher.

Want a Ramp Job?

Want a Ramp Job?

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