AvantAir

[otisA300f]

Anybody know anything about AvantAir?

 

[Gimpy]

A friend of mine works there as a pilot and he says it's pretty disorganized right now. I don't know what it might be working in dispatch, but I would imagine if it's true for pilots it's probobly magnified working in the HQ.

 

[ShutupandFly]

The location of flight ops is great, PIE, and the friends I have working there seem to like it. Although they are still not doing the flight planning they are trying out Navtech.

 

[Skaz]

do they only take US Citizens? no expats, even with the whole TSA and FBI background thing and greencard?

 

[kack911]

Sorry to "necropost" but I just HAD to give my two cents about this place...

If you are a licensed dispatcher who likes to dispatch, don't even THINK about working here. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why a dispatch license is required to do this job...

We don't flight plan, we don't do performance, we don't coordinate diversions, Mx Control doesn't tell us what MEL's are on the aircraft, we don't get systems training, we don't jumpseat, we don't have an FOM or any written guidance for what we're supposed to do...

The vast majority of the crews are not of a Part 121 background, and most have no idea what a dispatcher can do for them. If I try to tell a crew that they're captured by an AFP inbound to TEB and that the average delay is 3+ hours, they usually babble something like "don't worry about it, I know what I'm doing."

If I try to tell a crew that there's +FZRASNPL at the destination, they could give a sh*t less. Yet the same guy will divert when he's still 150 miles out because the ATIS reported 200-1/2 and the mins for the approach were 300-1/2. The usual fruitless argument about visibility being controlling follows.

I gave up months ago.

Basically, I sit here all freakin' day and enter OOOI times into the computer. Thats it. I sit here for 10 hours, and don't do a G*d D*amn thing.

If you're in it solely for the money, and want to live next to the beach, this is a great job. I make $35,000 to sit on my duff and surf the internet for 10 hours a day...

But anyone who takes pride in their skills, and enjoys "doing the dispatch thang" needs to keep clear of this place.

Tell your friends.

Best Regards,

The Kack

 

[h25b]

The vast majority of the crews are not of a Part 121 background, and most have no idea what a dispatcher can do for them. If I try to tell a crew that they're captured by an AFP inbound to TEB and that the average delay is 3+ hours, they usually babble something like "don't worry about it, I know what I'm doing."

Sounds like an average day in TEB...

 

[Skimatic]

kack911:

Many of the crewmembers I have been paired up with were ex Part 121. Almost all of them (Including me) have said that the Avantair in house training program is one of the worst they have ever seen.

Look at the GOM: its out of date, contridictory in many areas, poorly defined rules, etc. According to the GOM, we are still based in CDW with the POI in TEB. I have heard that it is in MCO and based in PIE.

Do we have a safety program? Haven't seen one yet.

Do we have a annual winter icing program like many of the large Part 91K/135 frax/Part 121 carriers? Nope. Not even a handout.

And the list goes on. But heaven forbid to not fill out the interior condition checklist at the end of your tour, blanket messages go out immediately.

But since we are losing so much money, vendors not getting paid, etc, it may not be a viable place to stay on for much longer.

Enjoy that surf for 35K!

 

[kack911]

kack911:

Many of the crewmembers I have been paired up with were ex Part 121. Almost all of them (Including me) have said that the Avantair in house training program is one of the worst they have ever seen.

Look at the GOM: its out of date, contridictory in many areas, poorly defined rules, etc. According to the GOM, we are still based in CDW with the POI in TEB. I have heard that it is in MCO and based in PIE.

Do we have a safety program? Haven't seen one yet.

Do we have a annual winter icing program like many of the large Part 91K/135 frax/Part 121 carriers? Nope. Not even a handout.

And the list goes on. But heaven forbid to not fill out the interior condition checklist at the end of your tour, blanket messages go out immediately.

But since we are losing so much money, vendors not getting paid, etc, it may not be a viable place to stay on for much longer.

Enjoy that surf for 35K!

Hey Skim,

You're right about the number of guys with 121 experience, I shouldn't have made a generalization like that. In my defense however, it certainly feels like there is a lack of a meaningful PIC-Dispatcher relationship. I assumed that meant a lack of 121 experience with "joint-operational-control"...but I admit there is the slight possibility that ex-121 guys might actually be glad not to be required to share control with a dispatcher.

As for the rest of it...Amen.

I've asked repeatedly for clear, concise written guidance on a wide range of things. Not the least of which is Cold-Weather/De-Icing, ASAP/safety reporting, trip approvals, etc... Yet, we have nothing.

Insofar as "dispatch" has been instructed, the only factors we're required to look at when approving a trip to an airport are 1) Is the aircraft capable of carrying the proposed payload, and 2) Is the aircraft capable of flying the sortie non-stop assuming full fuel.

Thats it.

Nevermind that the airport is surrounded by high-terrain in all quadrants, the runway is 3700 x 75ft, the field elevation is 7,000ft, there's no instrument approaches, no ASOS, no VGSI, you've got 7 pax, a full bag of fuel for a 3.5 hour trip. Oh, and its at night...on your 7th day...at the end of a 5-leg day.

According to the current guidance...I shouldn't have even looked at all of that. I should have approved the trip based on the fact that we didn't exceed the structural limits of the airplane, and (without regard for runway performance) we are able to carry enough fuel to fly the Great Circle route to the destination on a Standard Day in calm winds.

Fun huh?

Like you said, training in non-existant. Hey, what is the max crosswind component on a contaminated runway anyway? I guess I don't need to know.

I could go on and on, but its fruitless. I feel bad hanging crews out to dry, while the managment and the FS department concoct new ways to screw you over.

Just know there are a couple of us in FF who can genuinely help you if you have an issue in flight, on the ground, wherever. We have limited equipment and resources to do it with, but we have the knowledge and experience to make up for it.

The Kack

 

[Rally]

They'll box themselfs in. These pilots are big boys and girls taking known decisions with out enough guts to turn down a trip or take other alternatives. I know a few people there and they are just to willing to please the "customer" and kiss ass to management to they can go fly for SWA or something in a few years.

 

[TheBrain]

I worked there for 4 months - i'd rather be unemployed.

 

[otisA300f]

Thanks for the info. Looks like the grass isn't greener over at Avantair. Hopefully things work out were i'm at now. "boxes don't bitch, just the pilots"