The Good List

[Deep Throat II]

If only they would make some sort of rubber bootie covers for those GD ski boots, that they have to put on before getting in.

 

[leadingedge]

I was PM'd and told that Trans North Turbo Air was ommitted from the good list so I have made the correction.

Please PM any suggesed polling questions that could be used.

Thanks

Leadingedge

 

[Skids Up]

So just how is this going to work?

Small company - 1-2 Helicopters/ personell/fulltime/parttime employees

verses BIG company - many helicopters/personell etc.

Small company with 1 or 2 employees doesn't stack up to well against the large one with many more votes. 2 votes - (1 good 1 bad) doesn't make a very "good" showing campared with the big companies 1, 2, 5, or 10 bad votes against 30, 40 or more good ones, does it?

I worked with a number of 'small' operations and know what? They were all as good as their employees! Go figure.... "Bad" ones, (pilots/engineers) tend to get weeded cause no one wants them around. They are not good for business. And remember, no one owes you anything. So you spent a lot of money and pounded the streets for a while. Anybody twist your arm and make you do it?

Even some of the big ones (companies) are as good as their employees, and sometimes that's not so good.

They all get sitting around and trying to figure some way of rating their (company) status on the "Company Operators Sheet" and you get what you pay for.

Some companies, like the Yellowhead example, will get a bum rap (rating) just because some pilot didn't like their way of doing business? Maybe when you stay up at night trying to figure a way to keep it all going, have your whole life tied to it, (read personal debt/promises/etc) and then finally earn the right to sign the cheques, you can have a say in how it is run.

Good luck with you poll - but I think it will be a big dissapointment.

Just one man's opinion....

 

[cap]

I will only join in this vote, so to speak, in this way. My personal way of rating companies is two-fold: 1) where do the pilots that I respect in this industry and F/W congregate and 2) how long have a lot of that company's employees been with that given company?

Unless I am to believe that most of my peers that I respect in this industry are "brain dead", where they "hang their hat" says a great deal about that given company. If I see that many of the employees have been with that company for 10+ years for example, then people of any industry do not stay with firms that long unless there are good reasons for doing so....least of all in F/W or R/W charter operations where "swinging doors" is the "norm". Years ago when I was employed by Okanagan Helicopters, there was always a healthy dose of criticism of the company from within and from the outside, yet they had many employees with the firm that had been there for 20+ years and could have moved elsewhere on a moments notice. Did we have gripes or were the "waters always calm?"......no you can "bet your bippie" they weren't, but there were more good reasons to stay than bad ones to leave. Our biggest competition came from firms where their employees had been there for some time and that spoke volumes in itself about the quality of our competition and the financial "smarts" that they brought to the table. A lot of those "smarts" had also been learned as employees of Okangan before they moved on.

Everyone has and uses different personal criteria when they select what they consider is a "Good Company" for themselves. The above are my criteria.

 

[leadingedge]

Thanks for the input and I agree with some of the points made.

I am a great believer that everybodies opinion is valuable, that's why any poll or "good List" must be constructed so that is dynamic (everchanging) and also democratic. Patterns will emerge.

What I need is a set of very well balanced questions for the poll, the ones I have suggested are only suggestions.

The questions would be those question you as an individual think what makes a company good.?

Vacations for instance, pay, getting paid on time, the atmosphere or corporate culture.

It would be unbalanced for me to make the whole thing up , that's why participation for all is required to establish these polling questions.

So make a suggestion by providing 1 or more concise questions that you feel would do the best job of measuring the Goodness. Up to 10 questions.


The questions submitted to me will themselves be put to a vote, as I have suggested in past posts


Fire away!

 

[407 Driver]

Firehawk, you indeed had the newest. I'm firmly in second place in the fleet after your airplane.
DT2, If I recall correctly, AHC is about 6600 Ski ready. In my past, I recall OKG was about 63?? Ski ready, but it met that untimely end near Lupin....

 

[cap]

Leadingedge ---------- there is a problem with your proposition in my OPINION. You, me and some "newbie" may well look at the supposed final list and not agree at all with the "top 10" on that list. I may well pick the 15th company on that list and would have maybe picked that company even if there was no list made up already.......because I have a list already made up in my head........that suits me.

To prove a point, I'll make a contribution right here publicly:

.............Does the company have Loss of License Insurance and Long Term Disability Insurance?

That separates "the wheat from the chaff" REAL quick and definitely shortens that gargantuan list for this pilot. That particular question means little until you sit down and ask yourself "I've been in this business for most of my life and it's basically all or most of what I know. What in the hell would I do if I lost that profession 3 days from now and lost it forever? There are some on this board that I know of (no names mentioned) that could "dust-off" the Snap-Ons and return to the hangar floor, but not all. Perhaps they couldn't do that either from a wheelchair.

 

[MagSeal]

honestly, I think the list is a waste of time. A better idea would be to still accumulate the questions, so that those who are looking for work can use those questions, arm themselves with some knowledge, go into an interview and ask what they need to know to fit their lifestyle at that time. A single young pilot will obviously have different requirements from an employer than an older married guy with kids.
If the company can answer the questions they have satisfactorily, then you've got the first stepping stone in place. If there is lots of uncertainties, than you better move on to find something that suits you better.

 

[rookie314]

Nice ride Firehawk. It should be the best, nicest etc. did you even break 50hrs this sommer?

 

[407 Driver]

50 Hrs FireHawk? How do you Pool guys work so hard? Why don't you take 3 months off with Pay now? 😀

I suppose your effective rate on that 50 hrs was about $10,000/hr?

 

[leadingedge]

Good Question Cap!

I have added it to the list of polling questions.

Feel free to PM me questions if you feel uncomfortable with posting.

Magseal, I agree with you on accumulating questions, as those with experience(s) can help answer the question a low timer would have. I do think though that it has to be presented in a transparent democratic mannor, on a website, the cumulative input of all opinions I believe will make for a very powerfull tool not just for low timers but for those who havn't worked for a company in question.

Keepem comming!

 

[leadingedge]

Total survey questions submitted is 7.

Please provide some more survey questions.

keepem comming

 

[Frequent Flyer]

Oh my god. What a gong show. A simple question by DT2 and we are on the 3rd page with only two or three companies mentioned. A couple of you guys must work for transport or something. ( Leadingedge ) I would like to add my two cents but I am scared that I havent met the ten question criteria. Simple question guys. Who do you like to work for? Lets not complicate it.

I agree with DT2 and 407d. Both Alpine and Wildcat would be at the top of my list. Nice machines and a good crew. I hear Great Slave look after there guys aswell. Just a shame about the geography.

 

[leadingedge]

Frequent Flyer

Maybe you didn't do it intentionaly, but if I am correct Transport Canada is also an employer and should be placed on the list. If there are no objections I will add Transport Canada to the list.

I will break it down regionally.

Keep the survey/poll, questions comming.

Remember, short and concise.