Amflight pilots

[citabriapilot]

Kangaroo,

You are way off base dude. I'm going on my second year and I have never once been pressured to do something illegal, I've seen people refuse to fly because it was illegal and I've never been scolded, lectured or seen anyone "canned" for it. As far as SOP goes, I've seen people canned for NOT following SOP.

 

[Whistlin' Dan]

I too, have had some experience with AMF and the guys who are running it, from GR on down. Overall, it was one of the more professionally run 135 outfits in the country, both operationally, and in a business sense. Look at how long they've been around...since the late 60's. That doesn't happen when a company routinely asks pilots to break the rules, and they don't grow to the size they have by charging less for their services than it costs to provide them.

I'm not fawning over GR or AMF. I'm aware of at least one incident in which a pilot refused a direct order from a flight manager that probably saved his life, but cost him his job. I'm sure there were others. But overall, it's a pretty clean operation.

We did seem to average about one significant "event" each year I was there, but only one of those was attributable to MX, and that was in a factory-overhauled component. Most involved errors in judgement, not skill. That's the problem with all single pilot flying (military or civilian)...there's nobody sitting next to you to tell you that what you're doing is stupid, or that if you do what you're contemplating doing, they'll report you to the Chief Pilot.

Whatever the causes of this accident, my condolences go out to the crewmembers families and friends.

 

[DirtyBeech]

Here's the real deal with AMF folks...
you get pressured into breaking every far and company sop if it works for them, to make them look better in front of their customers, ie ups and dhl. But if you get caught breaking rules and regs by the feds they leave you out to dry and won't go to bat for ya. And if you say NO to AMF, they'll either can you, or you'll be labeled as someone to bypass if a better route or equipment opens up. Every day for two years I felt the pressure. I quit. And I knew the cpt for a long time. Saw him one week before the accident. And we all miss ya buddy....

I've been here three plus years now and have had none of the above happen. I've told the customer and the company no on numerous occasions with no ill effects. I have seen quite a few boneheaded things done, and if the pilot fesses up then usually it's no harm, no foul. I have never see the company do anything other than back a pilot when it comes to the feds. I have seen several people canned for doing something illegal/stupid and lying about it to management.

I have a feeling the only person pressuring you to break the FAR's and SOP's was you, and we're probably better off without you.

 

[DeathPencil]

Pressured to go by the company? Not once in over 5 years. If anything, I was held back when I thought I might have been able to go.
A crashed airplane makes no money.

 

[Freight Dog]

I never felt pressured at AMF either. They'll ask you to do stuff (non-pilots), and you tell them no, that's the end of it. I told no to a non-pilot base manager, and that was the end of that. If anybody gives you grief, you tell them it's not their call - it's yours. Ameriflight is the perfect place to truly learn to be a pilot-in-command.

 

[Hootie9750]

Ameriflight is a great place to get some real PIC. I havent even hit the one year mark and Ive said no with no worries about being canned. Ive also made a booboo and didnt get canned. They fire people if your dishonest or making sh*t up. Ive seen two people canned since Ive been at AMF. First guy was an idiot and would fly around without required equipment or with broken equipment and he didnt even know what was illegal or not. And they still gave him 4 or 5 strikes before he was out. The other dude wouldnt submit to a piss test....Nuff said.

 

[fatdumbandhappy]

I'm new to AMF and the environment here is NOT "fly or your fired", the flight department is very supportive and they will back you up as long as your honest with them and you keep them informed.

Happy Flying

 

[Cpt Kangaroo]

You folks are right...

by saying how great AMF is letting you to truly become a PIC. I wouldn't trade my experience there for nothing. Made some great lifelong friends at AMF. I should have mentioned that I specifically was talking about BIL and not AMF as a whole. I've been around the system, everything worked out great, BIL is the step child. If we ever completely followed the rules 60 percent of our flying would be cancelled yearly for weather and other related issues. The ops manager up there is truly out for the cash and nothing else. The "new" acp is completely useless. The base has gone down fast since last OCT and we all knew something like what happened to Carl was going to happen, unfortunately it did quicker than every one of us up there thought. This is my personal experience and by no means do I mean it to reflect upon the whole of AMF's daily practices. Newbies avoid BIL.

 

[tinman]

Cpt.,
Agreed about the ops manager.

 

[DeathPencil]

I am curious how it can be said that 60% of the flying at a particular base is illegal. Did you not fly more than half the time, or did you knowingly make illegal flights?
If this is really going on, do the right thing and go up the chain of command. Talk to the CP in BUR if you can't get anywhere locally instead of making allegations on an internet message board.

 

[Cpt Kangaroo]

No allegations, just the truth. Someone asked on this internet message board and I'm telling you what's really going on. Why would I make stuff up like this?? Why do you think I left??? How AMF handled the whole situation with that memo was pathetic. They mention Carl for one stinky paragraph and the rest glorifying someone who wasn't even an emplpoyee yet of the company. Come on. Chain of command huh??? The current CP is a pawn too. Nathan was the best, and he too knew what was going on a went on to greener pastures flying G jets. Just because an AMF pilots run that he's been doing at that particular base has been running smoothly doesn't mean the whole company is. Look at San Juan????
Call any pilot in BIL and they'll tell you the real deal up there.

 

[Whistlin' Dan]

It's a little late now, but if you had specific names, dates, etc., you should have brought your allegations, in writing, to your POI. (or whatever the Pt.135 equivalent might be) It would have been a good idea to have a sit-down with a lawyer who specializes in "whistle-blower" law before you did it, if for no other reason that to ease your exit from the company, and give you a little spending money with which to find another job.

In a situation like that, CC'ing whoever Chairs the Aviation Subcommittee in your state isn't a bad idea either. Make sure they know they're not the only ones who are being appraised of the problem.

I never meant to leave the impression that AMF wasn't "appreciative" of pilots who sometimes "stretched" the rules in their favor. ALL companies do that. I was just saying that it was never a requirement of the job, at least while I was there.

 

[time builder]

Here's my .02. AMF captains are among the most qualified pilots around, you have to be to fly single pilot IFR. If you can't make a go/no go decision on your own, you're not fit for the job.
I do remember a clash between an AMF capt. and a manager. The weather was below mins at the destination, the manager told him "get there or its your badge." The captain made it as far as he could and diverted 30 miles down the road (just barely made it in there). Who do you think lost their job? We had a new manager within a month.

 

[DirtyBeech]

I'm pretty sure any Amflighter leaves the company for greener pastures if a G is involved. Nathan was the second guy to do that, and if you are trying to correlate his departure with your problems in BIL, the provide some proof or don't throw that in their alltogether. Sheesh, it's like saying Dirty saw the crap going on at AMF and decided to move on to Southwest.

Btw, the best thing to have done would be to go up the chain of command and over it if need be, and not quit and start something on an internet message board.

 

[Linetech]

Ill give you that Nate dog was good. All the BIL guys are always in a good mood or so they make it seem when they check in & out.