Kenn Borek working conditions, costs and training?
Borek requires pilots to buy their own charts for Canada. Is this just VFR and IFR charts or do pilots also have to buy their own CFS and CAP? Must a pilot have these for the whole of Canada or can they cover only part of the country? What else must they buy? What does the average Borek pilot pay for these in a year?
In several decades of flying I have always had charts, etc, provided by my employers. There have been reasonable clothing allowances or provisions, some have provided headsets, and two (one military and one civil) provided parachutes. Accommodation away from base has always been provided at company expense. Do those who oppose pilots paying for type ratings and bonds have any opinion on pilots being forced to buy their own charts, etc?
Does a similar situation exist with Borek's company accommodation? Pilots working for some companies (eg Courtesy Air in Buffalo Narrows, SK) have to pay rent for company accommodation. Are Borek pilots charged rent when stationed away from Calgary and Edmonton? What is the Borek accommodation like? Courtesy's is good but some operators put pilots into squalid, filthy, ill maintained doss houses that indicate what the operator thinks of its employees!
Are there many married pilots at Borek? The rotation and/or randomly structured working lifestyle would seem to suit single people. If there are any married pilots at Borek do any stay there on a permanent basis and does working at Borek have any effect on their marriages?
What is Borek's training like? Most 703/704 operators "train to the minimum" to get someone through a PPC or PCC They will not provide the necessary training to ensure that a pilot is fully competent. Where does Borek stand on this?