Grand Air Aviation

[jdru25]

I was surfing the web and came across a company called Grand Air Express that is based in Toledo. I was wondering if anyone had any information on Pay, Schedule, Bases, and Minimums to apply. Any info would be great. Thanks.

 

[C77MD80]

I worked at GAE back a few years, it was not a bad place to build some time. They might have been rough around the edges then but I have heard they are not anymore. I left to fly at a commuter that had one year upgrades plus a schedule and I thought that it was a better opportunity at the time. Once you started a trip at GAE you never knew when you were coming back. All on-demand, mostly automotive parts. Call them up and ask them your questions directly, I no longer know who the chief pilot is but the number is 419-861-6731. When I worked there, the mins were 1200 ttl/135 mins, they started you in the Aerostar single pilot.
Hope that helps,
chris

 

[averyrm]

I worked for Grand Aire too, it's a horrible place DON'T GO THERE. The maint. is worth crap. I was helping out a guy doing some engine work on a falcon 20 (I was line service) he dropped a screw and put a magnet down in the nacelle to pick it up and came out with a bundle of cut safety wire. I've heard the owner (Tahir Cheema) actually come running out and tell a pilot he was being too safe and to leave. People get fired for no apparent reason all the time because the owner is a jerk. Basically I worked there as line service to get a shot at a job as SIC but after one summer figured out there was no way I would fly one of their planes. Way too dangerous. They've had 5 crashes that I know of and I only worked there for two summers. The pilots are generally nice guys, and most of the people you work with are pretty cool, just not the boss and some of the management.

I got fired because as I was watching a wing, the boss purposefully turned throttled up a falcon (to teach me a lesson for not running to his car on a 105 degree day when he needed it washed) and knocked be back about 5 feet into the leading edge of another aircraft wing. I confronted him about it and was fired on the spot.

I almost forgot - they've also been fined multiple times by the FAA for violating maint. requirements. (50k plus fines)

 

[jdru25]

Wow, five crashes.......were these crashes fatal?

 

[averyrm]

Only one of them was fatal (the most recient) but the other four involved the complete destruction of the planes and a lot of luck on the part of the flight crews.