Crew unpaid by baby Russian oligark

[g5dude]

Just heard today that the new crew of the new G100 based at EGGW got binned after complaining that they had not been paid for two months.

Owner is 24 year old kid who bought TVR sports car factory in Blackpool.

New crews beware!

[sooty3694]

The owner's name is Nikolai Smolenski and the airplane arrived in Luton earlier this month straight from the factory. Smolenski is the son of a Russian banker suspected of drug dealings and fraud when his bank collapsed owing millions to both investors and the United Nations. And yes, he is the owner of TVR cars.

He's been operating an Astra on the Austrian register for some time and recently bought the Gulfstream 100 on the N reg. One of the pilots is a brit and the other guy is an American contract pilot. Neither got paid, and worse for the Yank he had his family arrive from the US today, the day they got fired!! No money received and both owed expenses, and worse the American guy had his hotel cancelled by the owner so now he has to fund a holiday for his family without any pay!

I heard that Smolenski's old crew left for pretty much the same reasons and now work for NJ's.

If the brit is who I think he is (CW), the baby Russian may have picked a fight with the wrong guy!

Bad news for the industry, and a cautionary tale for those who may follow in their footsteps.

[densityaltitude]

Well done to all those who turned the job down in the first place. Who was managing the aircraft........?

[Dont worry]

Hi, guys !
As far as I know and if it´s the arircraft i think it is, it´s being managed by Bannert Air in Vienna.
You´re right concerning the crew. They´ve had already a big turnover in the Astra Crews. Now the CEO of Bannert Air is flying itself, just to keep the Russian bud happy. Must be a really pain in the ass.

[scambuster]

this little rich git started flirting with his own airplane a year or two ago with an old citation2 from l'pool, wasthen managed by a certain BB at gloucester. He was a problem then.......so it goes.
Most people seem to be having trouble with russian new money. Ill mannered and uncouth. beware.

[sooty3694]

Heard that CP (South African ex Oxford instructor) is working for owner teaching him to fly a Seneca and crew were told that this young kid would be managing airplane when it arrived in UK. Apparantly the kid is a know it all without any jet time, and has his face glued to the owners a*rse all day long in the hope of a jet right seat.

Signature told me that the British guy refused to fly on Friday night unless he got paid and demmanded to see the owner. Only flew when the owner showed up and he was told he could take the cash float from the plane, despite being less than they were both owed. This pi**ed the owner off immensly, but it transpires that the crew were going to be dumped that night anyway after the flight when the a/c was being transfered to the Austrian register.

A friend of the Brit told me that CP knew this was going to happen but didn't tell the two guys that they were going to be dumped that night after dropping the airplane in Hannover.

I know we were all desperate to get a jet seat at one time, but I never thought that anyone could stoop that low. Shame on him!

What goes around, comes around - and I hope it happens soon!

[PPPmember]

... I am G-100 rated and was approached by a CSR from Gulfstream in Appleton about a possibility to help out bring the new plane back from the US. s/n 153 was waiting to be picked up ... why ?? the owner was unable to supply operational caåital to the fly it ... I was offered a full time position as captain on the thing by the person that manages the plane. he's fair enough I think, we came along well, but I wanted something in written and some cash up front before going to Appleton to pick it up ... well ... I was told to p**s off and so on ... so it seems to continue just at the same ...

the same CSR at Gulfstream called me a little while ago that the person managing the plane was there with a new brit-pilot ... he wasn't being paid and was sacked there and then ...

SO - the moral is - STAY AWAY from that airplane ....

[Check 6]

N353GA

Aircraft Description

Serial Number 153 Type Registration Corporation
Manufacturer Name ISRAEL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES Certificate Issue Date 12/30/2004
Model GULFSTREAM 100 Status Valid
Type Aircraft Fixed Wing Multi-Engine Type Engine Turbo-Jet
Pending Number Change None Dealer No
Date Change Authorized None Mode S Code 50770211
MFR Year 2004 Fractional Owner NO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Registered Owner

Name JET1 HOLDINGS INC TRUSTEE
Street 1220 N MARKET ST STE 606
City WILMINGTON State DELAWARE Zip Code 19801-2598
County NEW CASTLE
Country UNITED STATES

[Aslak]

Someone has an add on Flight International net looking for G100 crews in Europe.

Anything to do with these guys?

[sooty3694]

nothing to do with advert in Flight. That aircraft has not yet arrived in Europe.

N353GA is one of two G100's owned by the rich kid Russian who doesn't pay his pliots. A/C is now in Jet Centre Hannover being placed on Austrian reg and will be operated by Bannert Air. Watch out if he advertises for pilots because not only is the Russian a PIG to work for, he also doesn't pay his crews!

[AA717driver]

I realize I'm pretty naive when it comes to these issues but exactly who does the russian think is going to fly his airplane for no pay?

Maybe the CP is making promises to the russian that he cannot fulfill or has no intention of fulfilling (not that that would vindicate the russian) in order to ingratiate himself to his boss.

I must be missing something.TC

[.92CX]

Some of this chit chat is true, but if anybody would like to know all the events leading up to this then contact BB at J1S. CP & NS have caused a great deal of stress on quite a few decent fellows in the business.

As of 30th March there is no decision to de-register from N reg to Austrian.

CP says that CW's confrontation with NS in front of his family about his money is the reason for dumping the crew .... but hey, that's just hearsay.

[AA717driver]

If the CP had been holding out on the pay, I wouldn't care who was in the audience when I ran into the CP.

If you're going to jerk people around on pay, you can expect to get accosted over it. JMO.TC

[PPPmember]

Dont know how 'official' anything is with this chap ... s/n 153 is certainly not on the list of planes at Bannert Air ...

http://www.bannert.com/Banair/Start1e.HTM

[His dudeness]

BBA: straight and open....respect.


I guess the ball is in your field now, sooty and dw...

[g5tom]

Well done BBA, straight forward! Chapeau :ok:

g5tom

[LGW Vulture]

Isn't there another way to do this. Airing your dirty linen in a public forum is not the way to settle business scores........

.......makes great reading though. Keep it coming guys. :cool:

[PPPmember]

... anybody know the end of this story ... ?

Where is the plane and who pilots and operates the plane ?

[EESDL]

mmmmmmmmm....let's hope the workers at TVR don't read this post.

[EESDL]

Did it all end in tears?

There are a few people crying over at TVR through non-payment.........

[V1 Rotate]

I heard that one of the pilots relocated himself and his family from the US to fly for these jerks, then he never got paid! What happened to the crew?

V1:confused: :confused:

[speedalive]

the airplane in question is now on the austrian register and being operated by banner air.

yes, i know the american guy and he did ship his family over for a vacation and they arrived was the day the crew got binned. i believe they both got paid eventually, but only after a LOT of drama.

heard also that this is not the first time that smolenski (the baby russian) has proved to be a difficult payer. apparently he has to pay up front for maintenance now.