GUV,
Thats the WHOLE POINT. They DIDN'T go home when they were supposed to. They came to the US on a "student" visa (no work permit). Then, after finishing flight school, they would "pad" their log book about a thousand hours and go out and fly FAR 135 night freight in Barons or 401's or Aztecs or whatever FOR FREE. Meanwhile, we were TRYING TO EARN A LIVING. Even the most dim witted of persons can see that when a job market is flooded by FREE LABOR that the wages of those who ACTUALLY GET PAID will be driven down.
The employers who utilized this free labor pool thought they were getting a deal. In reality though it cost them a ton of money. The morons flying their planes didn't actually have the experience, and their mis-handling and mis-operation of the aircraft caused HUGE maintenance bills.
I once saw a Baron at DAL power through standing water almost a foot and a half deep. The props threw water almost as high as the tail of a 727. I just sat there, picturing in my mind the crankshafts of those old IO-520's flexing as the props hit water while pulling 25 inches of manifold pressure...Sure enough, when I got to Dalfort there were two "foreigners" sitting in the "doghouse", chattering along in some strange language. Knowing that those two idiots would probably never say anything about what they had done, and in so doing endanger the next guy who would fly the plane, I called their Chief Pilot and told him what I had seen. He thanked me profusely.
On to Atlas... There is a great difference in a plane "passing through" an airport as it circumnavigates the globe, and in an aircraft "basing" at an airport. Now, why would Chowdry attempt to base an aircraft at a "foreign" base, with all the attendant costs of getting a new certificate, complying with all the new rules, dealing with the foreign labor standards, etc, etc? What's the point? Atlas is a US carrier. Based in the US, with a US certificate, operating US registered aircraft. What possible reason would there be to base at Stanstead? As an ACMI operator, Atlas has more charter work than they can possibly do servicing the US military alone. They have experienced huge growth, and must turn away work because they can't meet the demand. Why increase your costs and frustrations by going outside a proven business model? I'll tell you why. UNION BUSTING!!!
I wish we could meet face to face. I would bet you $100 cash that when the union finally does go through, Atlas will drop Stanstead like a hot potato. Hide and watch dude, hide and watch.
Hey, did you own those firearms? Just wondering. I've got an accurized AR15. Full length bull barrel. Chrome bore and chamber. AK74 muzzle brake. 1/4 MOA iron sights and a drop-compensated scope. Its a "tack driver", easily shooting 1/2 inch groups at a hundred yards from the bench. Maybe better with match-grade ammo. Not bad for a semi-auto rifle. Its an exact copy of the rifle that won Camp Perry two years running.