Empire

[fokkers&beer]

Ouch, that hurts Lionofzion, I left because it was my time, I started to get a little bitter toward the end and I always say if you get that winey its time to find new work. The CP is the one who finally gave me the gumption to get resumes out. I will be truthful however, I miss most of my FO'S, and fellow Caps on both sides there, and I really miss SE.
I'm not complaining, I like where I am, this trip I'm on now has been a blast, but it really wasn't that bad over there.

 

[Randy Clark]

Not that bad, but..................

You could have spent your time at MAF and maybe your resumes would have gone out a lot sooner.

 

[Lionofzion]

F&B, things have got a lot worse since you've been gone. I agree, we have a great pilot group and it sucks to see them treated the way they are. I don't know one person who isn't actively looking at other companies.

 

[tsky]

Having flown both the 135 & 121 sides I can say that the 135 world is not all that great but is far better than the 121 side. At least flying the Caravan you have a C.P. that looks after it's people. Q.O.L. for most F-27 & ATR pilots is very poor if not non-existent. Eventhough pay, per diem and insurance are way behind the curve (and will never get better), it's the ignorant, iron fisted management style of the company that made me look for another job. If you come here you will sign a no-holds-barred, long term, ridiculous training contract for sub-standard training, be forced to move at the companies whim, never be home and have your senority and bids laughed at. The only saving grace is the pilot group but seeing them continuously bent over is depressing. It's too bad because Empire used to be a decent place to work but has gone down hill very fast. Why anyone would come here when they could go to Skywest is beyond me. Greatfully my time there is done and I don't have to deal with it any more thanks to J.B.

Empire is what you make it out to be. For me, 90% of the time it's a great place to work, and 10% of the time it's not so great. Don't come here and expect to fly shiny RJs or build loads of flight time. But for some guys QOl is pretty good-some get shafted as well. The grass is always greener on the other side when things are crappy. As for myself, even though I sometimes get frustrated with management, it's been great working here-the flying up in SE Alaska is second to none, and that's something that I couldn't have done at most other regional airlines. The guys/gals to fly with here are second to none. When I get some more time and experience, I'll probably move on to another company. Or maybe I'll be a lifer because nobody likes turboprop freightdogs.

 

[Roger Murdoch]

I'm not sure what kind of QOL you were looking for Lionofzion, but I've been here for 3 and 1/2 years and average a week off a month, done flying Sat. morning and don't fly again until Monday evening, get 3 weeks paid vacation, have upgraded after 2 and 1/2 years, can call the CEO whenever I want, know how the company is doing financially, can jumpseat on a number of carriers and soon to be CASS compliant, can request travel changes with the person who handles those arrangements, usually get days off when needed when talking to the person in charge of scheduling, get a hotel room to myself all the time, get a rental car with gas paid for, and receive Thanksgiving and Christmas bonuses $$ other than coffee mugs. I never met you so maybe Empire did somehting wrong to you, although I have not heard anything like that. Empire can definitely do some things better and yes, our C.P. could be more stand up for our causes, but to come on here say what you did was IMHO ridiculous. I wish you the best of luck at OO but just remember that there are people back here that do enjoy their QOL. There are a lot of pilots that have been over 10 years.

 

[Roger Murdoch]

And by the way tsky, chicks dig turboprop freightdogs.

 

[blingair]

I'm not sure what kind of QOL you were looking for Lionofzion, but I've been here for 3 and 1/2 years and average a week off a month, done flying Sat. morning and don't fly again until Monday evening, get 3 weeks paid vacation, have upgraded after 2 and 1/2 years, can call the CEO whenever I want, know how the company is doing financially, can jumpseat on a number of carriers and soon to be CASS compliant, can request travel changes with the person who handles those arrangements, usually get days off when needed when talking to the person in charge of scheduling, get a hotel room to myself all the time, get a rental car with gas paid for, and receive Thanksgiving and Christmas bonuses $$ other than coffee mugs. I never met you so maybe Empire did somehting wrong to you, although I have not heard anything like that. Empire can definitely do some things better and yes, our C.P. could be more stand up for our causes, but to come on here say what you did was IMHO ridiculous. I wish you the best of luck at OO but just remember that there are people back here that do enjoy their QOL. There are a lot of pilots that have been over 10 years.

I don't think the Lion was that far off the mark. All of the above mentioned points you made are pretty standard at other companies. If being able to make a lost phone call and have a hotel room to yourself are all you need to be happy then you're a better man than I. I wouldn't mind a little human dignity. As for the the comments about Empire being a great company 90% of the time, I can't figure that one out.

 

[blingair]

P.S.- if you think EA is so great then why do you want to move to Regina so bad?

 

[ATRCAPT]

Okay, as a former EA puke here's my two cents. Yes, some folks have it pretty good. If you live at your base, and don't really care about building flight time it can be pretty descent. BUT, don't kid yourself. Empire is concerned with Empire and Empire only. If they think they will benefit by shafting one or all of the pilots they will. They've done it before. They hosed several people in the nearly six years I spent there, myself included. In fact, I sold my house and moved based on a lie from management. To be fair, a lot of what appears to be Empire's cluelessness is simply their reaction to some half-baked plan cooked up by FEDEX that usually falls through at the last moment. Due to that fact alone you can never be sure the base where you just built that new house will still be open in a year.

On a brighter note, as previously stated, the flying is SE is top notch, and I was NEVER asked to do anything I felt was unsafe. They respect the captain's judgement for the most part. The pilot group is top notch as well.

All I'm saying is be careful. Take EVERYTHING management promises you with a gigantic grain of salt, and don't expect a pat on the back for going the extra several miles. Don't expect your seniority number to mean anything. Don't expect your bid to mean anything. Don't expect to be paid industry standard wages. Expect the rules to be changed at the companies whim. When the rules do change, don't expect to be notified. Expect to have you per diem money delayed if you forget to cross a "T" or, worse yet, dot an "I". No matter how much dispatch pleads, don't EVER, and I mean EVER put ANYTHING, but the Jepps on your own credit card. They still owe me money for a hotel room.

But, as Tsky said, the kind of experience you'll get at EA is something you would never see at Horizon or Skywest.

Yikes, I didn't mean to bag on them this much. Sorry fokkers&beer, but I gotta tell it like it was!

 

[Lionofzion]

"On a brighter note, as previously stated, the flying is SE is top notch, and I was NEVER asked to do anything I felt was unsafe. They respect the captain's judgement for the most part. The pilot group is top notch as well."

Those days are over. Nows captains are quarterbacked to death and pilots are asked to fly airplanes without proper mx. 1.-Just ask the ANC captain who was raked over the coals for doing a emergency A/C evac because of zero vis. smoke in the cockpit and a Level 3 M/W. Mangament told him that he should have known what type of smoke it was before evacuating. 2.-Or the captain who due to a A/C design flaw over tq'ed a engine and the company wanted him to fly it over a thousand miles to their Mx base with the gear pinned.