Carson air

[Invertago]

Anyone have any info on Carson air? Pay, hours flown etc? Bond? Is it good / bad / or ugly?

[SkyWolfe]

Catch me online later

[flying4dollars]

Anyone have any info on Carson air? Pay, hours flown etc? Bond? Is it good / bad / or ugly?

Pay is $19K a year + 7K per diems for F/O's, and I believe its $32K base for Captains with 7K per diems. Hours range from 80-100 a month I believe. Bond is 2 years $15K and you're trained on both Metro 2 and 3. Mon-Fri job, your day normally starts at 530 and ends at 6-8 or so. You'll fly your cargo to your destination and hold all day before returning (mostly).

Medevac side, again about 60-80 hrs a month. Probably some kind of rotation, don't know about the bond on the medevac side. Bases are Vancouver and Kelowna.

This is info I know from a friend working there. So of course someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[SkyWolfe]

I have heard basically the same thing, also from folk who work there.

Wolfie

[Just another canuck]

$19K a year

Is that legal? Seriously, there's no way that would make the minimum wage requirements, would it? And if you were working as much as stated, you couldn't even get a second job... shouldn't have to anyway, but still.

Also, maybe someone can answer how they can hire a captain with such little time... thought you needed an ATPL to fly the Metro???

[C-GGGQ]

While 19k sucks it would average out to a full time worker making $9.20 an hour. At 1200 hours a year it brings it to $15.80. So no matter how you look at it yes, its above min wage. If you add the 7k per diems then its $26,000 a year which is more than i make at $11.25 as a rampie.

[username:]

Pay is $19K a year + 7K per diems for F/O's, and I believe its $32K base for Captains with 7K per diems.

You gotta be kidding me, WTF???

[Hoov]

Sounds pretty sweet, what does one do with all that cash???

[Westward_Bound]

Sounds pretty sweet, what does one do with all that cash???

Buy some crack and enjoy life?

[Flaps 1 Billion]

Yikes, that's rough cash, good time building though. GGGQ, 1200hrs in the book means many more hours spent at work, even sitting in a hotel is considered work. If you're somewhere cos the company wants you to be, you're at work, hotel or not.


Per diem is not salary.

[C-GGGQ]

1200hrs in the book means many more hours spent at work, even sitting in a hotel is considered work. If you're somewhere cos the company wants you to be, you're at work, hotel or not

tell that to the FTU's

[ZBBYLW]

The medivac pay is better (especially for the captains). It is a 4 on 4 off schedule. Some of the days are fairly bad, but others are better.

Also you have to pay for all your charts and CAPs and the like. I would not be surprised if you have to pay for the uniform (though I do not know).

I was talking to the CP and he said the reason why the pay is so low, is because everyone is coming for time building and not for a career.

Personally 19k is insulting, especially considering the price to live in YVR and to a lesser degree YYC. I earned more money that this fueling aircraft at a training airport.

[ahramin]

I wouldn't work for those wages, but if I had 1500 hours and no ATPL and could get the Captain spot, that wouldn't be too bad. Pretty scary in BC though.

I do not think the time building explanation washes though. They must have a lot of trouble getting good people at those wages, and that always costs lots of money. I have never seen an operation that treated their people poorly and got efficiency in return.

[wallypilot]

Pay is $19K a year + 7K per diems for F/O's, and I believe its $32K base for Captains with 7K per diems. Hours range from 80-100 a month I believe. Bond is 2 years $15K and you're trained on both Metro 2 and 3. Mon-Fri job, your day normally starts at 530 and ends at 6-8 or so. You'll fly your cargo to your destination and hold all day before returning (mostly).

Medevac side, again about 60-80 hrs a month. Probably some kind of rotation, don't know about the bond on the medevac side. Basings are Vancouver and Kelowna.

This is info I know from a friend working there. So of course someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Metro capt is (at least was) 39K plus 7.2K per diems, with about 3K raise per year. You don't overnight, so you can, if you choose, save money on per diems.

King Air 350 Medevac in YVR puts in 40-60 hours a month....60-80 in YLW. Medevac Capt is 55K plus 3.6K per diems. 5K raise per year. Medevac FO is 28K plus 3.6K per diems.

Uniforms are paid for, you have to buy BC CAP & LO1-2. NOAA(for NW USA), RCAPS, VFR Charts, and Alberta CAP are provided.

Good maintenance, great experience. Shitty pay for FO's. Grueling sked in YVR for the metro crews.

[flap16]

Is it legal to require an employee to purchase their own charts?

[C-GGGQ]

yup, don't see why not. Don't like it but i don't see why it would be illegal

[LegoMan]

I would be interested to hear from an FO how they survive in Vancouver or Calgary on that money. Because from looking around for a basement apartment, car loan, insurance ...etc would require me to take home minimum $2000/month. Carson's pay would put me $600/month short. Probably the lowest paying +12,500lb job around.

[farmerjoe]

iv heard CMA is even lower, and your based in the pricey rat race of ycc. If your in this for the money, you choose the wrong career.

[Switchfoot]

Anyone have any info on Carson air? Pay, hours flown etc? Bond? Is it good / bad / or ugly?

First the good news...oh wait, there isn't any. Just kidding. Can't speak as much for the metro side but you can expect long duty days five days per week (12+ hours, loading your own freight, with criminal pay, and a training bond).

As for the King Airs(medevac), YLW is 5 on 5 off. Captains start at 55K and FO's at 28K. YVR is a mixed bag for the schedule. 4 on 4 off but varies considerably from that. Maintanence is pretty good for the King Air. Long duty days at both bases...expect to work in excess of 12 hour days come summer. Pay for your own LO charts and CAP plates. Oh, and don't forget the 21K bond for the 350 (over 2 years). Don't be suprised if you get a call on your day off to come fly.

Do your homework before going to this company. Great place for experience but there are downsides. A lot of them.

A while back there were several people who bailed out of there because the employment conditions weren't great...so do your homework before you sign on the dotted line.

[flap16]

yup, don't see why not. Don't like it but i don't see why it would be illegal

Charts and plates are required to do the job safely - just like vests, boots, hearing protection, and various other equipment is required in other jobs, but employees aren't required to purchase.

Should I also be paying for the paper used for my flight manifests, the AFM, and de-ice fluid? Whats the difference between having the crew pay for their charts/plates and paying for the de-ice fluid they plan on using?

Anyway, don't want to hi-jack the thread.

[flying4dollars]

iv heard CMA is even lower, and your based in the pricey rat race of ycc. If your in this for the money, you choose the wrong career.

You heard wrong. CMA F/O's make 24.5 or 26.5 a year. 1st year Captains make $40K. Both above Carson. And no, per diems are NOT a part of your salary.

[Legacy]

I was talking to the CP and he said the reason why the pay is so low, is because everyone is coming for time building and not for a career.

That is such a cop out. That still doesn't mean you should pay poverty wages. Typically a company employee gets raises every now and then. IF the pilots take off early the company doesn't have to pay the higher salary and rehires someone new at begins them at the bottom of the scale. Just because they leave doesn't mean they should be paying 19K a year. How frikkin pathetic especially in these days where you can't buy a house for under 250K (that isn't including YLW, YVR, or YYC). KC needs to wake up for paying that low. Not sure how he can look himself in the mirror in the morning and be proud of WHO he is.

[wallypilot]

I was talking to the CP and he said the reason why the pay is so low, is because everyone is coming for time building and not for a career.

That is such a cop out. That still doesn't mean you should pay poverty wages. Typically a company employee gets raises every now and then. IF the pilots take off early the company doesn't have to pay the higher salary and rehires someone new at begins them at the bottom of the scale. Just because they leave doesn't mean they should be paying 19K a year. How frikkin pathetic especially in these days where you can't buy a house for under 250K (that isn't including YLW, YVR, or YYC). KC needs to wake up for paying that low. Not sure how he can look himself in the mirror in the morning and be proud of WHO he is.

this is such an old argument. It's not like they are doing anything different from any other mediocre company. 19K to start in the regionals in the US is on the high side...and with reputable companies. yes it's shit pay. everyone knows that, and every other crap airline in Canada does the same thing, (bearskin, air labrador, provincial, voyaguer, CMA [22.5K, not 24.5K as someone else indicated], the list goes on) if you don't like it, don't take the position. I personally would never work for that amount of money, and never did. But obviously there are people who need to stay in YVR for whatever reason and for them this job is great experience and gets them to the next step. Take it for what it's worth. It's not a career position anyways, and the way the schedule is run, it never will be. When the end consumer starts paying more for freight, then the cushiness of the job can improve. Where the margins are better, the wages are better.

It's supply and demand. lots of people don't want to leave the city, so there is always someone who will take the job.

Leave the city, head north, and you'll have a better chance of making decent money. When market conditions change, then so will working conditions.

[foxmoth]

its a bag run outfit, what do you expect?
if you go there, stay away from the owner.
don't trust the CP

[HORUNNER]

Right now I am getting about $100 less per month on EI, how the fawk am I suppossed to motitave my-self to go work for these wages.
I guess one could look forward to the per-diems,