Ameriflight OAK Base?

[airpilot]

Can anyone tell me about Ameriflight's OAK base? I have heard rumors that it is not the best managed base, although I also hear the upgrade times are shorter that most other bases. Also, where do the Lance routes go? And last of all, how hard is it to get short term housing around there?

Thanks

 

[amfteamster]

I have heard rumors that it is not the best managed base,....


There is not a base at Ameriflight that is managed well. We need a union.

 

[everyonedoa360]

BFI is the best they have, but it's just about all sa227 and 1900s so it might be hard to get into the rain forest base.

 

[Trout]

Amfteamster...Quit, leave, go away...The majority of pilots at AMF don't want people like you around. F-ing crybabies. AMF is not here so life is good for you. Its a business. They are here to make money. Not provide you with a week off at a time, layover apartment and layover car.

 

[CaptBuzzard]

Most 135 cargo ops have an apartment or crash pad of some sort to go to during a layover. Since most of the cargo flying that Amflight does is early morning departures with a return trip home later in the evening, they put pilots up at the crash pad for the day. Sure beats hanging out in an FBO all day. The company I used to work for had apartments in all of the cities we flew to. Some were pretty nice, others downright nasty. We had crew cars to go along with the crash pads too. They all had beds, couches, cable t.v. and kitchens. I appreciated a place to sleep or lounge around at after flying in the middle of the night.

 

[amfteamster]

You girls act as if a layover facility is a luxury. That is a necessity. Anyone who will take legal rest while sitting at a FBO is not fit to be a professional aviator.

 

[DO328-JET FO]

AMFTeamster,

Most of AMF's lines do NOT provide for legal rest at the layover. The only one I flew that did was from Burbank to Bakersfield in the Lance.

A company does have to make money. And in the aviation industry, if you want to make a million, you start with two and quit when you get to one.

Ameriflight does treat their pilots pretty good. I enjoyed my time there. That is if you show up for work on time, do a good job and don't complain. Is that too much to ask?

I hope AMF never gets a union.

328-JET FO

 

[amfteamster]

Ameriflight was a decent place to work when I came here too. Things have changed.

We have new management that has little to no management ability and as a result life sucks for AMF pilots now.

A union would force these guys to follow their own rules. At Ameriflight, company rules and policies change whenever AMF management feel like changing them. Usually to cover expenses incurred by poor decision making on their part.

It is not much fun to take pay cuts to cover for poor management decisions.

Trout,

You are very wrong if you think the majority of people at AMF don't want a union. Generally speaking, the only ones who don't want a union are the people who do not have enough experience to realize they need one. Your 2500 hours probably puts you in this category.

 

[wingnutt]

Your 2500 hours probably puts you in this category.

...so much for subtlety

 

[Trout]

Your 2500 hours probably puts you in this category.

Maybe you're right. I'm not sure what my 2300 hours of flying for AMF means (its been a while since I updated my profile). Maybe if I had all your experience I would understand.

But give some examples, maybe even an argument, instead of these random accusations and then I'll listen.

What pay cut?

What broken promises?

What poor management?

You seem to be keeping all these management atrocities a secret. Educate us.

 

[amfteamster]

Maybe you're right. I'm not sure what my 2300 hours of flying for AMF means (its been a while since I updated my profile). Maybe if I had all your experience I would understand.

I'll tell you what it means. It means that you have 2300 hours of flying between 2 airports. It means that you started flying at AMF when you had 1200tt and barely meet the IFR mins. It means that you have never worked anywhere else. It means that you don't know sh!t. You don't even recognize it when they shovel it down your throat. (Thats why guys like you are refered to as mushrooms here at Ameriflight. Management has kept you in the dark and feed you sh!t and you have started to like the taste of it)

Ask a CVG guy about paycuts.

Ask a Dallas guy about broken promises.

Ask anyone who has worked with Gary Hart before about poor management.

Ask yourself if you know anything at all other than what you have been spoon feed by Management.

 

[SA-227 Pilot]

AMFTEAMSTER,

You must not have many friends; you are a very angry and upset person. I like to use this board to exchange info, not to hear babies like you cry and moan. I'll tell you what. If Ameriflight is so mean and nasty to you, QUIT. GO AWAY. Ameriflight has been a great place for me and I appreciate the Job. If you are not aware of the current situation with the aviation industry I will let you in on a little secret. The aviation industry is in an economic SLUMP. I am sure that you would much rather work for a company that spent money hand over fist even what times were tough and put itself out of business. Sure, because when that happened you would just go find another job, wo gives a CRP about the company that went under. You talk so much about bad managment. Let me guess, here's your business plan. Revenue down, expenses up, wo cares spend lots of money, delcare bankrupsy. Dude, you could not manage a lemonade stand.

 

[SA-227 Pilot]

AMFTEAMSTER,

By the way. What pay cut?? I thought you were getting a 3% raise in July.

 

[amfteamster]

ya, and a reduction in units paid.

 

[Sir Humpalot]

I cant believe that you people think that amf management follows the rules. I have been here for awhile and know that OAK managers look the other way to break regs for their needs. But when there are problems, they wash their hands from the pilots. I have seen many things here and the pressure that new pilots have to keep Kurt and the bow-tie manager happy and off their backs.

I dont like amf and 90% of pilots dont like it either. Do you ever wonder why OAK is always hiring pilots at a faster rate than the other bases? AMF is a problem and the FAA knows that....i will never break a reg to keep managment happy. Hell, i dont really give a rats ass about landing within 4 minutes of our ETA either. or flying at max power in cruise to get the package their.

Here is a little news...if you think that amf is a great stepping stone, then i can show you numerous pilots who have been busted or fired to make kurt and his goons happy.

 

[Trout]

90% of pilots dont like it either.

90%? Are saying that 180 out of 200 of our pilots are unhappy? Even if you're right, how could you know that?

And all we're getting are baseless accusations. Give some examples.

What regs are being broken?

What do you mean the FAA is aware of us breaking regs?

And AMFteamster, you're a CVG pilot, what pay cut?

How did Dallas guys get screwed? You obviously know, share it with the rest of us.

I'm asking because I really have not heard anything except this empty complaining.

And also, bring it up a notch, Amfteamster. Be professional and stop questioning my knowlegde or experience. You really know nothing about me or my history. You're better than that.

 

[MetroSheriff]

Amfteamster...Quit, leave, go away...The majority of pilots at AMF don't want people like you around. F-ing crybabies. AMF is not here so life is good for you. Its a business. They are here to make money. Not provide you with a week off at a time, layover apartment and layover car.

Sounds like a management shill if I ever heard one.

 

[Sir Humpalot]

You are right....management reads this **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** and are always trying to find out who is who. Why would management always be so worried by checking this board everyday?

I can give you some cases about breaking regs. I was flying out of an airport and the weather was below minimums for takeoff. I called and the management told me that "who would know?" What kind of stuff is that....ofcourse i didnt take off and had a walk to the bloody mr bowtie's office.

There was another lance pilot and our chief in Oak had him fly through a thunderstorm and was laughing about it. I was in dispatch and was shocked by his unprofessionalism.

I have seen more than my share of looking the other way. I know it happens and you are probably asking why still stay there? Well i have a family and bills but one thing for sure, i dont jeopardize my future for packages. I dont give in and they know that. I even went to the FSDO and complained and they were very receptive. I dont give a **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** about the management as long as the maintenance is good....thats all i care about.

Oh yeah...ask the guy at OAK about the incident this month and how everyone came down on him. No professionalism....didnt even have the courtesy to talk to him privately.

 

[Hose A. Jiminez]

90%? Are saying that 180 out of 200 of our pilots are unhappy? Even if you're right, how could you know that?

And all we're getting are baseless accusations. Give some examples.

What regs are being broken?

Ok, How about:

Pilots with less experience being pressured to fly IFR into airports that are legal for VFR only

Being pressured to launch to an airport without the wx being forcast above minumums and being told that this was within the regs by (ex)upper mgmt (?!?!?)

Being asked to "adjust" duty times to accomodate the customer or mx problems

changing 6 day lines from 48 units to 40 units (effectively cutting pay)

changing 5 day 40 unit lines to 6 days (effectively cutting pay)

going from three weeks on one off to six on one off (effectively cutting pay)

going from three weeks on one off to all weeks on with 6day lines
(effectively cutting pay)

Being hired to live in or commute to CVG and bid lines and forced to move to an outstation base.

etc

etc

etc

AMFteamster is right. Alot of people here are getting screwed and dont even know it. They dont know any better. Mgmt hands them a turd on a stick and tells them its an icecream cone. They smile and start licking.

 

[Sir Humpalot]

I have one up on you.

How about flying ifr into an airport that doesnt have weather reporting. Flight 212 to chico arrives before the airport is open and they dont have any atis or wx reports.

Here is another one, when your Pitot heat is inoperable and told to fly below the freezing level. I was in a layover with a new pilot and couldnt believe that Kurt told him to fly below the freezing level.

I have another one,..there was a pilot with an inoperative oil temp gauge and he was told to continue and make all his stops even though that was a required equipment.

And they say that we dont need a union. Let me correct myself. 80% of pilots in Oakland hate it here.

you want more...i have lots more

 

[Freight Dog]

Has anyone called BUR Flight Ops and told them what Kurt is forcing them to do? When I was there, I did exactly that, and BUR flight ops told me I was right, he was wrong and they overrode his decision.

Unionizing is not a win for employees, but rather a failure of management. In case of AMF, I think the management should actively solicit feedback from pilots and if something is prevalent, they should act on it. For example, if OAK pilots are massively complaining about Kurt's chronic assholia breaking out, he should be warned, and if he doesn't take steps to cure it, he should get canned. I know I wouldn't want union if I knew my management genuinely cared about my and my fellow pilots' concerns.

Trout, there is a fine line between business making money, and unsafe working environment that sick people like Kurt and his bow-tied OAK station manager are advocating.

 

[qwerty]

Kurt passed away, out of respect, let him rest in peace.

 

[Sir Humpalot]

I didnt like Kurt as the asst chief at OAK but as a person, he was good to me. As a pilot, he knew his stuff. I was so shocked about his death earlier this month. May his family and freinds always remember him, cuz i will certainly.

I didnt agree with him many times, but i never disrespected him either. He was certainly a character. I remember his favorite line "you still dont get it do you?" I used to see him every morning when i left and at night, when i get back to base, he was always there listening to the same pilot bull**CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** that he has heard for 10 years. Maybe the hardest working pilot at amf. I didnt see him as the chief, but more like the babysitter. May that be a testimonial to his hard work. At the xmas parties, he was the life of the party and my girlfreind always asked me if he was the chief?

 

[Freight Dog]

May he rest in peace and God bless his soul. I truly didn't know he had passed away.

What happened?

 

[CorpLearDriver]

Hmmm, sounds seriously like someone needs a vacation. I flew for Cal Air/AMF for over 14 years (1985 - 2000). Yeah, I'm one of those guys who hung around there a while. I had my gripes and complaints over the years too. However, I've been around a while and no place will be good enough for some people. Some folks are just not happy unless they have something to complain about and to get some attention. Maybe it isn't the case here. I'm not there now, so I do know the whole story. But I can guess much of it, as it always repeats itself.

In those nearly 14 years, I saw growth in the seniority list from 64 pilots to nearly 230. I saw major base expansion and I also saw 4 attempts at organizing a union. The biggest problem with the organizing of one was that it was always during the lean or slow years where people were not getting what they wanted right away. Sure the work was hard and the pay and glamor are not there.

I was at AMF when they were shut down and lost their original certificate. I was also paid for the two weeks it too to go the the process of getting a new certificate and start operations again. The company took a big hit then and ALL the pilots were paid during that time period. Nobody was laid off. That was a management decision, not because of a Union. I really don't think a Union will help you all that much.

Now I am sure you have some legitimate gripes. But face it, you still have a job when a lot of folks do not. You are still paid to fly. Tough it out and things will eventually get better.

I've said my piece.

I'll tell you what it means. It means that you have 2300 hours of flying between 2 airports. It means that you started flying at AMF when you had 1200tt and barely meet the IFR mins.

 

[CorpLearDriver]

This too is cyclical. At one point it was BUR then CVG, it ebbs and flows. So no matter what base you are at, it will happen there at some time or other.

Now, here's an example from my past at AMF. Once while I was based at ONT, I flew a Beech to OXR. I was running a bit late one after noon, and the landing gear failed to extend. Eventually I got it down without having to pump it. I was unable to reach BUR dispatch on the radio and landed at OXR after having done a fly by previously. (point #1, ANY time you do something like a fly-by, a report is generated by the tower to the FSDO).

Now being the good employee I was and taking into account the 6 airports between OXR and ONT, VFR WX, being 1,000 lbs under gross wt. and a few million other things when we start rushing and pressuring ourselves, I stiff-legged the Beech to ONT (with Cargo on board) THEN wrote up the squawk.

3 or 4 days later I get a call from John Hazlet. I get called into his office (he was Dir of Ops at that time) and proceeded to chew me a new you-know-what. He explained that AMF lives in a fish bowl and when the FSDO calls him and asks about an incident, and he doesn't know the first thing about it, it looks REAL BAD! He mentioned something about "when your good, your very good. But when your bad, you really stink." Anyway, I was put on probation, the FAA slapped my hand pretty hard and I survived to be ashamed of being that dumb.

I don't tell this story lightly because it is embarrasing. But it happened and I shared it with many junior crew members there so that they might learn when it was time to say NO. So, if someone is "pushing" you to fly a broken airplane, it is "YOU" who really makes the choice and if you get static about it, speak up to the next level.

This is just from my prospective. Take it for what it's worth.

I cant believe that you people think that amf management follows the rules. I have been here for awhile and know that OAK managers look the other way to break regs for their needs. But when there are problems, they wash their hands from the pilots. I have seen many things here and the pressure that new pilots have to keep Kurt and the bow-tie manager happy and off their backs.