FLOPS Maintenance Sucks

[skanza]

That's really dissapointing. The maintenance people need to realize that they need to be humble. Repairing aircraft a safety sensitive and if you let your pride get in the way (e.g. lying about what the problem was) you're bound to get someone hurt. I see that too many times with mechanics. They, like pilots, need to resist getting to complacent with the job at hand. I'm sorry that happened to you at a FO facility (not that we or I can control them), but I still support them over an outside vendor.

 

[TORCH67]

Haaa Bazooka's is like crossing a cheap diner with Hooters! Just like Crossing Newark with Vegas and you get Atlantic City! Gotta love the soft spoken Jersey Girls!:laugh:

 

[simba]

OK - so you feel a lot of pressure from Scheduling. Don't you think that the maintenance department feels the same pressure? I hate to say it, but I've seen the maintenance controllers as well as the maintenance facilities get over-ruled by Scheduling's need for an aircraft. The result - the plane gets pushed out of the hangar with more MEL's and MDL's than it showed up with.

Hope you guys see the industry treand: maintenance is handled by outside vendors. That's where FLTOPS is heading.

 

[jetwash]

I heard they are going to be opening a Las Vegas MX base now that APA is closed.

 

[FR8DOG777]

Las Vegas MX

Who in their right mind would come to work for FLOPS. Does FLOPS think they can attract talented employees anywhere? I don't. FLOPS will have a hard time staffing at the moment if not for the rest of FLOPS term in business, how ever long that might be.

Recent actions from the FLOPS leadership show that they truly only care about one thing, and no it isn't to show a profit. It is themselves. That is the only thing they really care about. I predict that with the latest predatory firings, and people quiting, FLOPS will end up short handed. Not just in staffing with the pilots, but including the OCC and maintenance. This company will flop due to the lack of qualified help. No pilots, No fly. No mechanics, No planes. No OCC, No big picture.

Aviation is a relative small industry, and most people don't forget easily, or soon. Flops/TravelAir had a Raytheon maintenance facility in Las Vegas. They closed it suddenly just like they did Denver's, without a moments notice. I suspect I won't see people beating down the door to come and work at FLOPS. With the current management, I don't think we ever will.

 

[400pilot]

LAS will be staffed by 4 mechanics from MCC. 1 month rotations.....

 

[FR8DOG777]

LAS will be staffed by 4 mechanics from MCC. 1 month rotations.....

You are joking right??? MCC is understaffed themselves. So is TEB for that matter. Do you think they will find any underpaid mechanics that are currently working for FLOPS, relocate to Vegas. Here today, gone tomorrow with the current management.

Lets see, let me uproot my family sell my home change my kids' school, have my wife quit her job, and move to Vegas. Then all of the sudden FLOPS realizes it was a mistake to open a maintenance base in Las Vegas, and closes it down without notice. No mechanic is that hard up for a job to relocate for FLOPS. The tier policy proved that no pilot would move for FLOPS either. This company isn't worth the effort.

 

[400pilot]

You are joking right???

No

Do you think they will find any underpaid mechanics that are currently working for FLOPS, relocate to Vegas.

They aren't relocating. 1 month road trip.....

All per the lead at MCC...

 

[netjetwife]

My sympathies to the mx families. I bet that's not what they signed on for. In this case I'm using "signed on" only as a figurative expression---unfortunately. Rumor or not, it certainly reinforces the need for a contract. Hang in there Options pilots!
NJW

 

[FR8DOG777]

I personally can't imagine being away for a month at a time for FLOPS. Eight days is way to long. The maintenance people that choose to go to Las Vegas for a month at a time may realize that FLOPS really doesn't care about them or their families. Are they going to put these guys at the Amerisuits for a month? That in its self is enough reason not to go to Vegas. I am sure FLOPS will sucker someone in to going to Vegas, but I bet it won't last for a month.

 

[simba]

About the MCC & the 1 month rotations, I heard the same rumor. Not quite sure that it's true because they haven't posted any mx job openings on the website for MCC.

I believe MCC is next on the chopping block. It was said in a departmental quarterly meeting, at the flag pole, that FLTO wants to control the fixed cost of mx and that the variable costs associated with outsourcing mx are much cheaper and easier to manage. Management indicated that outsourcing is the way the company is heading (ie. close FLTO out stations - shrink the mx dept to meet the shrinking of the fleet).

The only way to combat the safety and quality issues that outsourcing cause is for the mx dept to organize like the pilots.

Shortly after they closed APA and then stuck it to us with the benifits there was a very strong reaction in the mx ranks. A few contacted the IBT and it looked like the mechanics would follow in the footsteps of the pilots. I'm sorry to report that the momentum has died off. The IBT has not contacted the few that were willing to shoulder the burdens of organizing and the few continue to knock on the IBT's door.

Lately it seems that some of the mechanics have decided that bad benifits are better than no benifits, and some have said that they think the company will turn around and "show some love" when they start showing a profit. How do those that are dedicated to the organization of the mx dept combat the willingness of people to stick their heads in the sand and hope that the problems go away?

Management has mentioned that they want to open a base in LAS. But last year they said that they wanted to open YNG as a foul weather substitute for CGF and that didn't happen. As for me, I will continue as I always have: believing only half of what I see and nothing that I hear.

 

[dime line]

Lately it seems that some of the mechanics have decided that bad benifits are better than no benifits, and some have said that they think the company will turn around and "show some love"

Damm, Keep dreaming Brother, Thanks for the good MX though (if your one of the good ones)

 

[FR8DOG777]

We must remember that most mechanics at FLOPS have been here a relatively short period of time. They were Raytheon mechanics not too long ago. Some will think that FLOPS will pull through for them and their families. The pilots have been there too. It wasn't too long ago when we thought they might pull through for us also. Guess what? It never happened and without a fair contract it never will. This company has had the freedom to rape the pilots for years. They have pretty much taken all they can from the pilots. It is sad to see Management now turning on their newest group of employees, the mechanics. They are in for the worst ride they can imagine at FLOPS. I will suggest to the mechanics to either get out now and pursue your career at a respectable company, or band together as a group and unionize yourselves. I am sure there is a NetJet mechanic on this forum that can lead you in the right direction for unionization. Unions won't fix everything overnight. If you choose to organize I will say it isn't easy and takes a lot of hard work. I believe it is worth it. Best of luck to all the mechanics at FLOPS. They also deserve to treated and paid like the professionals they are.

 

[simba]

Maintenance Forms

Just want to let you all know that FLOPs has changed the 501's yet again. The forms are going back to the way they were before, but they will remain printed in portrait. To make things even more complicated, they didn't tell a single wrench that the MEL proceedure was to stay the same as we are currently using until the new GMM is approved by the feds. To compound the problem, the QA guys in CGF can't seem to get on the same page. Therefore, I would expect a huge game of "fax tag" and "fix it" to be played in the very near future. I personally faxed a sign off four times the other night.

Change for change's sake is great fun!!!!

 

[ProFracPilot]

Do you mean we're going back to a loose-leaf, aircraft specific, serialized page arrangement?

 

[Voice Of Reason]

Skanza

Wow. You guys are rough. I'm not a "managment puke", I'm not in management. I'm not hiding behind my computer any more or less than all of you are. (No names posted here).
I don't think that pilots don't deserve good things (food, hotels, rest time), they do, just not *the best* like we seem to be requesting.
Along with not being a company troll of management tool, I am one of those foreign-car-driving-npr-listening-to-can't-stand-pop-culture-authority-questioning-sick-or-others-trying to force thier opinion-or-sell me something- people that a lot of narcissistic people hate.
Peace folks.

...and yet, here you are over a year and a month later, dedicating all of your time to forcing your convoluted views about and obsession with FLOPS pilots down everyone elses' throats.
Noooo....you don't work there....(sarc). You DO, just not as a pilot. What a sad existence you live.

 

[dime line]

...and yet, here you are over a year and a month later, dedicating all of your time to forcing your convoluted views about and obsession with FLOPS pilots down everyone elses' throats.
Noooo....you don't work there....(sarc). You DO, just not as a pilot. What a sad existence you live.

Didn't you get arrested?

 

[x402]

...and yet, here you are over a year and a month later, dedicating all of your time to forcing your convoluted views about and obsession with FLOPS pilots down everyone elses' throats.
Noooo....you don't work there....(sarc). You DO, just not as a pilot. What a sad existence you live.

.

He's an equal opportunity anti-union scumbag. Speaking right up on the Flex thread.

Hurry up I think Alpha has cards out, perhaps you can let them know the Company is their friend.

 

[skanza]

...and yet, here you are over a year and a month later, dedicating all of your time to forcing your convoluted views about and obsession with FLOPS pilots down everyone elses' throats.
Noooo....you don't work there....(sarc). You DO, just not as a pilot. What a sad existence you live.

I gotta say, I'm not dictating or forcing anything on anyone. That would be impossible because you don't have to agree with what I write and visa-versa. That's why this called is a forum.
And how do you know that I'm not a pilot at FLOPS? Can you prove that you are? I'm sure your existence is much worse than mine...no wait, I don't have your facts so I can't make that assessment. Oh well.
The purpose of this site, I believe, is for all to share their opinion, unfortunately, we (me included) get to passionate about our own and put down those whose thoughts differ. Kinda like organized religion...

 

[Voice Of Reason]

.

He's an equal opportunity anti-union scumbag. Speaking right up on the Flex thread.

quote]

FLEX THREAD??? What ARE you on. I haven't even READ the "Flex thread" I've already read the same thing over and over and over for the past few years on the FLOPS and NetJets threads, why repeat the experience. Get a clue and spit out the IBT Kool-Aid for a second to know who you are even talking to. IBT AND these lowlife frac mgt groups are equally to blame in this fleeting segment of the industry