rotorcraft leasing co

[LeakyLucy]

Anyone know anything about these guys on the Gulf?I never see anything posted on them.Does anyone work for them and are they a good employer with good machines and facilities?They seem to be needing people all the time.

[Revolutionary]

They are a 'small' operator in the Gulf of Mexico (small still means several dozen helicopters though) operating mostly single engine Bell aircraft and one or two 412s. As a small operator they cannot match the wages and benefits of companies like PHI, Air Logistics or ERA but the lines of communication should be short and I have heard it said that they have a 'family atmosphere'; something that PHI certainly does not have. All the companies in the Gulf seem to be needing people all the time these days; both because of an expansion of activity and because people are always using these companies as a springboard to bigger and better things. If you're interested in a job in the Gulf and you have, say, 1,500 hours, give every company a call. You'll likely get multiple job offers and you can pick the one that suits you best.

[helonorth]

I work for RLC and think it's a pretty good company to work for. The
wages and benefits are are pretty much identical between the largest
four GOM operators. We have 75 aircraft on contract, mostly 206B, L
and 407's. We are pretty full on pilots but of course are always hiring,
as are all GOM operators. I now have enough time and offshore experience
to walk into a job at any GOM operator and I am not going anywhere.
We have a good safety record and are improving. Anyone who has a
"strong opinion" about RLC knows not of what they speak.

[skiddriver]

It may be a good company to work for, but I've lost count of the number of forced landings RLC has had in the last 3 years (7...8?), many of them offshore. And the fatal accident in 2004 belies the "accident free since 1998" claim on the website. So from a customer's point of view, it's not inappropriate to have a few questions.

[zalt]

I hear they work there fleet very hard, especially on their Apache contract. There were rumours that CHC were going to buy into them and more recently that they are going to take 50 aircraft from Air Log, which is where their new Chief Pilot came from.

[helonorth]

I couldn't find anything that said anything about being "accident free".
um...lifting... your friends "could walk into pretty nearly any job pretty nearly anywhere on earth. They sound infinitely over qualified to be
helicopter pilots! I'm sure the original poster would love to hear from
them, though.

[skiddriver]

http://www.rotorcraftleasing.net/gogulf.htm

"Lloyd Marks originally established the company in 1990, as Rotorcraft Technologies, specializing in rebuilding and refurbishing aircraft. In 1994, Reuben Bienvenu joined him and as Rotorcraft Leasing Co. they began to offer dry leasing services to other operators. The Air Carrier Certificate was obtained in 1998 and since that time they have accumulated over 65,000 accident free flight hours."

[Overdrive]

The Air Carrier Certificate was obtained in 1998 and since that time they have accumulated over 65,000 accident free flight hours."



A crafty use of stats. perhaps? :eek:

65,000 accident-free hours.... probably true.
1 hour ending in an accident... not mentioned.

[helonorth]

That's a really old link from probably 2003 or so. Look a the CURRENT
site. You won't find it.

[BlenderPilot]

RLC is not a bad company, pay and other stuff wasn't bad compared to others, but working in the GOM is not my idea of fun flying . . . . . . . inhumane heat, living in trailers, boring overwater flying, and your life is pretty much decided by what contract you have, which in the case of RLC is mostly low end operators with tight budgets.

Did I mention Old Aircraft?

[helonorth]

There really is no such thing as "low end" operators. There is also also no
such thing as "high end" operators. There are just lots and lots of oil companies with lots and lots of platforms and they all watch the helicopter time like hawks. Whether you fly for BP or Joes
Budget Oil Co., it's all pretty much the same. There are older airframes
on contract, but there are a lot of nice newer L4's and 407's, too. You are
right: the contract makes the job. And it is damn hot in the summer.

[TheVelvetGlove]

RLC basic wages are comparable to the Big 3 in the GOM: PHI & Airlog, ERA- but the benefits are not. PHI makes a matching contribution of 6% of your base pay into your 401k, every paycheck- 4 years gets you about $18,000 in company contributions. That is a down payment on a house.

Other Big 3 GOM incentives: Safety $$ bonuses, excellent health insurance programs, clean housing, free uniforms, the ability to move into mediums whenever you want to, or an opportunity to move into EMS (PHI only) after being with the company only a short while. They have top notch training, equipment, and maintenance. You will not see the Big 3 harvesting parts off one helicopter to get another one running- they stock parts, engines and transmissions, and do not trade parts between helicopters. You can be sure that you are flying something that has either new or rebuilt parts (a pedigree), instead of a hamburger made from 100 different cows.

RLC's equipment is tired, and the atmosphere is very laid back. Most of the people that I have met from the smaller operators in the GOM seem alright, but why anybody would want to fly a tired single engine 150 miles offshore is beyond me- most of them either don't know any better, are unable to obtain employment with the Big 3, or are unwilling to commit to a career path of any kind. To each his own....

If you are interested in going the IFR mediums/heavies route (or EMS), then skip the smaller operators and save yourself a few years by hiring on with one of the Big 3. Good luck to you. :ok:

.....just my .02

[zalt]

helonorth

Are you serious?

Shell, BP & BHP (among others) are flying 92s & new 76C++. Are they really the same league as production company's flying 206Bs????

[helonorth]

Pretty serious.
I'm just saying the job is essentially the same, no matter who you work
for. The type of aircraft will, of course, be different. I thought that fact
is pretty obvious. Whether you're doing crew changes in a S-92 or
flying a loop in a 206, I think it's all pretty much the same work. I see
nice fancy S-76's landing on crappy old drilling rigs every day. Are they
in a "different league"? Not really.

[Phil77]

...hm let's see:

- one engine vs. two
- one pilot vs. two
- VFR vs. IFR capable

Yes, I would say that IS a different league! :ok:

(although the game is the same: flying bubbas around the ditch :ouch:)

[tottigol]

They sound infinitely over qualified to be
helicopter pilots! I'm sure the original poster would love to hear from
them, though.

Helonorth, the above post is quite arrogant considering you only posted the one below one and a half years ago, and considering the operator you landed.

Does anyone know if PHI and the union are talking? I am getting close to
meeting their minimums, but will not scab. Thanks.

I am quite sure that Um, whom I know personally has a thing or two about experience over you.
By the way, what happened to that 407 ditching out of Galveston not too long ago? Wasn't that an aircraft on an Apache contract?
And since we are on the subject allow me: yes there's quite a difference between flying a production loop in a 206B, L or whatever else and flying in a complex multicrew aircraft like a 412, AW139 and above, but since you've never flown in one how could you know.

[TheVelvetGlove]

Helonorth:

I fail to see how it makes a difference: who you fly (bubbas?) and where you land (crappy old drilling rigs?). So you're in the big leagues when you fly whom to where? Utterly ridiculous.

I flew the S-76 and 412 at night in the GOM, sometimes to the edge of the chart and beyond. The fact that I landed on a "crappy old drilling rig" didn't make the trip any less interesting.....and it most certainly was not the same as flying the loop in a 206!

I'm sure that when you are stuck flying the loop in a 206 in the GOM when you would rather be elsewhere, everything that you see out there must seem the same. But it's not- it's just your limited perspective.

And the Union thing- The strike was over almost a year ago! :rolleyes: So it is impossible to be a "scab"

[BlenderPilot]

Helonorth:There really is no such thing as "low end" operators.

You mean to tell me that flying for Chevron/BP is the same that flying for Woodgroup/Nippon in "nickel and dime" contract?

The latter goes out 125 miles in a tired old Bell 206 just to save the money it would cost to get a 407 . . . . . .

[Aerobot]

A couple of questions, and I'd appreciate hearing from those who have flown for RLC: since they fly S-76 and Bell 412, am I right in assuming that those are flying IFR? One of the reasons I'm considering getting out of EMS after seven years is that it has become plain that I'm never going to get moved up to IFR with my current company.

Next question: what do they fly out of their Santa Maria base? I've got friends there and it would be far and away my favorite out of their list of bases - all the more so if it were something with twin cans.

Thanks!

[Aerobot]

Thanks, TorqueStripe! PM sent.