Coke hiring

[2000flyer]

I hear that CCE is going to an all Citation Excel fleet. I heard that from a fairly reliable source, though no confirmation. I do not know whether this will mean more or less pilots. I do know that the CFO of the company has been there a long time, has a lot of clout with big Coke and is no real fan of the flight department.

Just talked to a guy from ATL the other day. Word on the street is all but one, maybe two a/c are to be sold. I think 5 pilot's have moved on already.

I don't know about today, but in the past CCE has been a very goofy operation. About 8 years ago when they were flying G2's and 3's, one would take the CEO home to FL, the other would take the president home to CO nearly every weekend. A buddy of mine flew for them. I've seen them do multiple hop days where the longest leg was 150 NM in a G2! I've also seen them do multi-day midwest trips in a helicopter.

In one instance, the helicopter was ferried to Denver. The crew hopped an airline back to ATL, went to FTY, got on the Gulfstream and flew the pax to Denver, then shuttled them around the area in the helicopter.

On the bright side, they used to offer the opportunity to get your rotary rating on their (former) B206. However, that ended in when a training accident killed one pilot in Florida.

Finally, when my friend worked there he was averaging 24 days a month flying! He left after about the fifth month in a row, giving up over six years with the company.

2000Flyer

 

[bafanguy]

Just talked to a guy from ATL the other day. Word on the street is all but one, maybe two a/c are to be sold. I think 5 pilot's have moved on already.

I don't know about today, but in the past CCE has been a very goofy operation. About 8 years ago when they were flying G2's and 3's, one would take the CEO home to FL, the other would take the president home to CO nearly every weekend. A buddy of mine flew for them. I've seen them do multiple hop days where the longest leg was 150 NM in a G2! I've also seen them do multi-day midwest trips in a helicopter.

In one instance, the helicopter was ferried to Denver. The crew hopped an airline back to ATL, went to FTY, got on the Gulfstream and flew the pax to Denver, then shuttled them around the area in the helicopter.

On the bright side, they used to offer the opportunity to get your rotary rating on their (former) B206. However, that ended in when a training accident killed one pilot in Florida.

Finally, when my friend worked there he was averaging 24 days a month flying! He left after about the fifth month in a row, giving up over six years with the company.

2000Flyer

2000,

Forgive one of the uninitiated for asking a rather basic question, but I only ask because I don't understand.

How can the most widely-known brand name on this planet run a flight department like what you describe above, and as described in previous posts on this thread ? No indictment...just a question based on what has been stated on this thread.

As a casual observer, I'd think a company like Coke would have a premier flight department that people would claw their way into and stay for a working lifetime with openings occurring only because of retirement or death. It's Coke, for cryin' out loud.

What's actually going on there...is it really the way it's been portrayed ? I've followed the comments about this flight department for over a year now and I don't read a lot of positive comments.

 

[ATRCAPT]

I always wanted to fly fighters but the other night, the wife and I were watching a special on the Blue Angels and we turned to each other simultaneously and said: "I don't think I'd get along with those guys very well."

It's one thing to be a good pilot and have your stuff together but the rod up the a$$ has got to hurt... TC

Amen, brother! There are enough a$$ holes in the world without having to work with them as well!

 

[FL350]

It's not Coke...it's Coke Enterprises. It is a seperate flight dept. As best I understand it, they are a bottling subsidiary of coke. They are seperate companies. If anyone could explain the details a little better than I, I would welcome it.

 

[sleepy]

CCE is the worlds largest Coke bottler. The are the result of a merger between two Coke bottlers (one in GQO and the other in CLT). The majority shareholder in CCE is Big Coke. However, they are two seperate companys (with two seperate flight departments (both based at FTY in Atlanta, GA). Big Coke has always paid well, but had numerous internal problems. CCE pay well, and was a good place to work (off and on). Big Coke is an up-tight place, CCE is pretty laid back (the CP rides a big harley to work, and several of their pilots were building project aircraft in their hanger). Big Coke is all G-IV's, while CCE has Citations, Hawkers, and a Challenger).

 

[2000flyer]

2000,

Forgive one of the uninitiated for asking a rather basic question, but I only ask because I don't understand.

How can the most widely-known brand name on this planet run a flight department like what you describe above, and as described in previous posts on this thread ? No indictment...just a question based on what has been stated on this thread.

As a casual observer, I'd think a company like Coke would have a premier flight department that people would claw their way into and stay for a working lifetime with openings occurring only because of retirement or death. It's Coke, for cryin' out loud.

What's actually going on there...is it really the way it's been portrayed ? I've followed the comments about this flight department for over a year now and I don't read a lot of positive comments.

What the others said... Coca Cola and CCE are two different flight departments.

To show you some of the culture. The former Av. Director was a Hawker 800 pilot for the bottler in the midwest. When CCE merged several of the bottling operations to form one company, this guy moved to FTY and was promoted to director and the sitting director was demoted to Captain (who soon left for other "opportunities").

CCE isn't a "bad" operation, or at least wasn't when my buddy worked there. They were just under staffed and had no plans on adding crews to an ever demanding schedule. At one time, four pilot's were never at home on the weekends since they flew the principal's to their "weekend" homes out of state. Also, a lot of the time the helicopter was ferried to FL for the CEO's use on the weekend.

There is one independent bottler that I know of still around. They recently combined the Chattanooga operation with Charlotte.

Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't sneeze at an opportunity with them at one time (a testament since I applied back in the early 90s). However, they're being cut WAY back and are letting pilot's go as of a few weeks ago. I've seen several of their planes listed in the "Controller" for sale. What I told y'all in the previous post, as stated, was several years ago. I'm not positive, but I don't think the guy running the department then is still in charge.

2000Flyer

 

[RVR5000]

I think I'll switch to Pepsi..

 

[FNG24]

Can anyone with good insight elaborate on BEllsouth, they are hiring right now....thanks gents..

 

[hbrow15]

I use towork for CCE a few years back as a supervisor in a bottling plant in Fl. My plant manager was the CEO's son and basically working his way up the coroprate ladder. As stated earlier CCE and Coca-Cola USA(Big Coke) are two seperate companys and thier is a deep division between the two companys almost like Coke vs Pepsi. When I spoke to the director of aviation a few years ago I dont know if he is the same one now but he came over during the summerfield merger, the chief pilot I never spoke to but exchanged emails and he did come across as pretty cool guy, whenever I flew up to Atlanta they invited me to park my airplane in the company hangar. It's saddens me to hear they are cutting back on the flight Dept but it was only a matter of time the stock price fell pretty low just before I left so figured the toys would leave soon.

 

[AV8OR]

Does anybody know if Brian Ross still works for CCE? Did some work for a him in the early 90's. Would have killed to work there way back when....I was single.