Trail Blazer

[x402]

How's the QOL for crews working for TMC? Are they expecting to expand their fleet beyond the Hawker 800's?
I'm asking this here rather than in charter because of their close ties to EJM and subcontracting for NJA.

 

[Safetycheck]

Pennies

You will recall a few weeks ago in the TV news, workers were demonstrating for higher minimum wage. A few Trailblazer pilots were seen with signs in their hands demanding higher than poverty level wage for their labor.

imp:

Pilots are sometimes their own worst enemies. Why work for substandard wage?

 

[flydog1]

How's the QOL for crews working for TMC? Are they expecting to expand their fleet beyond the Hawker 800's?
I'm asking this here rather than in charter because of their close ties to EJM and subcontracting for NJA.

We have agreements to supplement there lift. I wouldn't call it close ties, at least I wouldn't think... I know on the 400xp side trips are few but we have the mins and agreements to do them if needed.. I think there will always be options and considerations for larger a/c here. Life isn't that bad..could be better, yes. In time I think it will...

 

[Jack Mehoff]

Pilots are on a day rate with a min guarantee that give the company the ability to cut you short 2 days pay each rotation if they chose. If your plane goes in to MX 2-3 days prior to end end of the rotation and there are no other aircraft to put you on, they will send you home early unpaid.

rotations are 15 out 13 home unless the oncoming crew gets delayed or sick. In that case you will be forced out until the crew calls in healthy or arrives. Training can be done on off or on days but if you train on your On days you only get paid $100 a day not your daily rate. IF you train on your Off days you get your daily rate. Essentially TMC is trying to push crews to train on off days. That is brutal going to recurrent for your check ride after already being out 15 days!

No vacation, and only 2 paid sick days per year. I know we have had a guys break an arm or shoulder and still go out on a trip. They couldn't load bags or physically fly, but could swing a gear and work the radio. Since they had no way to get a pay check if they healed up at home they had to go out and fill a seat with the Chief Pilot's permission. I'm not sure how legal that was given they couldn't actually fly the plane if the other pilot was incapacitated.

The Hawkers are 16-12 years old with 9000-11000hrs on them and break constantly. MX will ask you to carry items, some crews carry items on their own in fear of going home early if they down the plane. Yearly raises on done on "Merritt" at the CP's discretion.

Attrition is north of 60% and management likes it that way. Their philosophy is "If you don't like it, leave. We have 4 resumes for every pilot here." Its a job to work at while you find a real job.

 

[BuckMurdock1]

How's the QOL for crews working for TMC? Are they expecting to expand their fleet beyond the Hawker 800's?
I'm asking this here rather than in charter because of their close ties to EJM and subcontracting for NJA.

You do realize that a lot of furloughed NJA pilots read this board, don't you?! You probably could've left out the last sentence.

 

[johnsonrod]

Pilots are on a day rate with a min guarantee that give the company the ability to cut you short 2 days pay each rotation if they chose. If your plane goes in to MX 2-3 days prior to end end of the rotation and there are no other aircraft to put you on, they will send you home early unpaid.

rotations are 15 out 13 home unless the oncoming crew gets delayed or sick. In that case you will be forced out until the crew calls in healthy or arrives. Training can be done on off or on days but if you train on your On days you only get paid $100 a day not your daily rate. IF you train on your Off days you get your daily rate. Essentially TMC is trying to push crews to train on off days. That is brutal going to recurrent for your check ride after already being out 15 days!

No vacation, and only 2 paid sick days per year. I know we have had a guys break an arm or shoulder and still go out on a trip. They couldn't load bags or physically fly, but could swing a gear and work the radio. Since they had no way to get a pay check if they healed up at home they had to go out and fill a seat with the Chief Pilot's permission. I'm not sure how legal that was given they couldn't actually fly the plane if the other pilot was incapacitated.

The Hawkers are 16-12 years old with 9000-11000hrs on them and break constantly. MX will ask you to carry items, some crews carry items on their own in fear of going home early if they down the plane. Yearly raises on done on "Merritt" at the CP's discretion.

Attrition is north of 60% and management likes it that way. Their philosophy is "If you don't like it, leave. We have 4 resumes for every pilot here." Its a job to work at while you find a real job.

I assume by "old Hawkers" you are referring to the older Beechjets. I thought you guys operate newer Hawker 850s and 800XPCs? Those look pretty nice up front with the PL21... I also read the Beechjets will also be upgraded to the newer XT versions.

 

[t-bone]

They bought XOJets Hawkers, which were previously NetJet's. Nothing new about those except fresh lipstick

 

[skier17]

I assume by "old Hawkers" you are referring to the older Beechjets. I thought you guys operate newer Hawker 850s and 800XPCs? Those look pretty nice up front with the PL21... I also read the Beechjets will also be upgraded to the newer XT versions.

Not sure about the 800's, but the oldest Beechjets that we have are from 2006. Oh, and yeah we are getting the upgrade to the XT on the Beechjet fleet, should be nice.

 

[Jack Mehoff]

Johnsonrod,

No, I was referring to the Hawker 800 fleet. Only 8 of the 23 Hawker 800s are proline21. The rest are old NJA/XOJet frames. Vintage of 1998-2000, Just new paint to lipstick up a pig. Even the 8 800XP prolines are early 2001-2004 I think the newest one is an 07. I think the average 800XP Honeybucket has around 10,000-11,000hrs on it. But they look new and pretty on the outside!!

More then a few times I've had passengers come up front look at the gages and ask "So, how old IS this plane?"

 

[johnsonrod]

Johnsonrod,

No, I was referring to the Hawker 800 fleet. Only 8 of the 23 Hawker 800s are proline21. The rest are old NJA/XOJet frames. Vintage of 1998-2000, Just new paint to lipstick up a pig. Even the 8 800XP prolines are early 2001-2004 I think the newest one is an 07. I think the average 800XP Honeybucket has around 10,000-11,000hrs on it. But they look new and pretty on the outside!!

More then a few times I've had passengers come up front look at the gages and ask "So, how old IS this plane?"

Interesting. Are Hawker pilots dual-rated in the older and newer (PL21) versions or do they have separate pilot groups?