Avantair Heads Up

[angryoneincher]

Hey Puke, Apparently your negative attitude and eagerness to spread rumors and the half truths of like minded malcontents has had an opposite affect on the good people you have attempted to influence. Apparently there are others who have been interviewed and were hired that do not share in your pessimistic, doom and gloom, the sky is falling outlook.

I noticed you didn’t bother to share these opposing viewpoints with the rest of us. Was that because these other opinions did not support your agenda?

Since I knew you wouldn’t, I have gone ahead and copy/pasted the summaries of two new hires. Clearly there is a difference of opinion.

• Interview experience:
  At the risk of turning this great resource into just another FORUM, I felt I had to submit my positive interview experience with Avantair. Received a phone call from E. P. at the end of March, went through phone interview portion. Why Avantair? What do you know about the company? What are you flying now? Why leave current job? Brief information about the company, then offered interview. Pay your own way, so I researched various forums, got some PMs back with positive information, and decided to spend the $$ to travel to TPA. Met at the airport by their company driver, one other interviewee with me. First, paperwork, followed by info session with DO, C. M. Very forthcoming with info, didn't confirm or ridicule rumors heard, but was straightforward with his information available. Big things happening soon, and ramping up hiring to keep up. HR questions: Why Avantair? Customer service questions: remember that this is NOT 135, the pax are the owners! Do everything you can to please them, with safety being the ruling factor, but don't forget that in 91K, owners do hAve some operational control. Kids writing on the wall with crayons?! (Don't treat them like you'd treat your own at that point) Overfueled? (Owner arrived with extra pax for long leg, and you can't de-fuel this aircraft) Tech questions: Aspen approach, holding speeds, holding entry, do we need an alternate etc. Job offered at interview, flight $$ reimbursed if hired (they really want to weed out the "job fisherman") Looks like a good schedule, pay is very competitive, upgrade fast (everyone hired seems to have PIC minimums), hence the mins requirements, and they all seem to enjoy the airplane. Both E and C are very net savvy, and they don't like backstabbing from within on forums and chat rooms. Freedom of speech is great, but don't bite the hand that feeds you. If there's a problem, take it up with someone who can do something about it, don't just complain like a regional pilot! All in all, I'm looking fwd to it, looks like a place to go and stay. PS (E, if I gave away too many questions here, sorry, just tryin to help get some more quality pilots on-line!)

• Interview experience:
  I flew in for an afternoon interview after being called by E. to confirm some of the information on my resume. I was picked up by the driver from the airport and dropped off. When I arrived at the office C. the DO and E. his Assistant had me fill out an application. The facilities were not much but it was explained that they had just moved and most of the furniture had not arrived yet. When I was finished C. and E. went over the power point presentation about the company. During this time we were asked about what we knew about the company and the aircraft they operate. When that was finished we were able to ask any questions. During this time I asked some very pointed questions and feel that C. was able to answer all the questions honestly. He strongly emphasized that he wanted you to think about the choice you were making and if you had any doubts to think about it long and hard before making the commitment. When the presentation portion of the interview was complete we went into the one on one portion of the interview. C. left the room to work on an issue that had come up during the first portion of the interview so E. conducted most of the one on one. I was asked the typical HR type of "what would you do?" questions. She also asked questions about an approach plate with a METAR to go with it. All in all the interview was a positive experience. I know that many of the people were offered a tour of the facility but I was unable due to the fact I had a flight that was leaving.

Now Pukeuke:, I don’t know and I really don’t care what the motivation or grudge is that has caused you to want to try and drag down a company that is so obviously putting a lot of effort into working together as a team to solve issues. Your approach of attacking, pointing fingers and blaming one another shows your obvious lack of maturity and educational level as well as an unwillingness to work at making a change. It is an obvious Monday night, arm chair quarterback technique developed by a self centered, lazy natured cling-on.

If you really believed the negativity that you preach, please by all means, either get your lazy fat @$$ in gear and find another place to work, or lend a hand and help us influence the company to continue with its current direction of changes.

All Puke did was copy and paste something someone else wrote. If he agrees with that opinion, so what? Doesnt make him any more wrong than you. In fact, your ridiculous, garish message makes you the tool, and suggests that you're trying too hard. Based on past events, I would venture to say that Puke probably has valid issues.

 

[Autoparts2]

Avantair????????

And they still have an $18,000.00 Contract that should only be signed if you are desperate for a job flying a turbo prop.

 

[whiskytangofoxt]

Now now, Auto that is pretty sad, Its not what you fly, its what you earn, and if you don't like the contract, dont come, its a free country. Besides the P180 does not fly like a turboprop. it is a fun plane to fly and the crews are excellent to work with. you can call me managment if you want, but i am not.

 

[Autoparts2]

Like you said.......

Its what you earn...........$30000.00 to start. Signing for an $18000.00 contract is more than half of your first year salary. Just does not make since to me. Only my opinion.

 

[hammer2]

Roll and Pull, you will find that flight instructors get happy when they move up in the world of aviation.

 

[Coool Hand Luke]

Just curious, since there is no sim and training is done in the actual aircraft and ground school is "in-house" how on earth would this cost $18,000? Just some arbitrary number? Personally, I think training contracts are B.S. Not paying you until you are finished with training is B.S. Take care of your people and pay them what they are worth and you don't have to worry about retaining your "key personnel". But hey, that's just MHO.

 

[cjdriver]

Training Contract

When I started with Options, they didn't have a contract, then someone hired on to fly the Challenger, went through training and got typed, and never showed up for work. After that we all had to sign a contract. Then I went to a sleezy part 91/134.5 job and signed a contract with no amount specified, and when I left they held me up for a bunch of bogus training costs that probably went in to the chief pilots personal account. The owner is going to find out though, and he'll probably have the cp arrrested. Be careful out there, there are a lot of companies and chief pilots that will take advantage of you.

 

[TheBigH]

why is this contract such a big deal .... nobody is going to avantair to enjoy the 30,000 first years pay ... there's no type, it's just a "prop" as some of you say ... so where is the logic behind coming here, getting a few hundred hours of prop SIC and leaving ??? everyone being hired already has plenty of that and most of us have the PIC time also ... I have no reserves signing the contract, I did so w/ my previous airline twice, once for initial and once for upgrade but stayed there til the end of the contracts because it's the honorable thing to do ... if you're not willing to put in at least a year with a company, contract or not you're gonna look like an a$$

if you're planning to leave early bring 18K, if you're planning to stay (like you should if you want to work there in the first place) there's nothing to worry about ...

and they do send you to FS for systems training, no way worth 18K but that's what they want, if you don't like it move on to a company that fits YOUR desires ....

 

[cjdriver]

I agree

You should not go to work for someone if you don't plan on staying, and i doubt many do that. But if you're told one thing about the job, and find out it's something else once you get there, that's something entirely different. Believe me, there are CP's out there who will paint a rosy picture, then pick your pocket, withholding promised per diem, rental cars, insurance, days off, etc. Then what do you do? You step up and live up to your word, even when they don't, cause it's the right thing to do. But you get the he!! out of there and minimize your losses. I'm just saying, beware - it could happen to you.

 

[P180puke]

Puke, I like to call that font color: "get your attention pink" and look, imagine that, it worked. Like a neon sign in front of the stripper club. it got your attention and sucked you right in. Thank you for playing Puke.

Uhhh, yea. I'm playing. Hey, any form of desperation that works for ya.