Put your ear plugs in.
FIFO? I really do feel for you genuinely. Why? FIFO and the travelling public really have no idea at all. Its a numbers game. Before too long someone's number is going to be called up. In FIFO well you're in the game all the time travelling to and from the place of work. Let me tell you a story.
Years ago Mrs. Hat comes home and announces she's thinking of a FIFO job as it pays double what her current profession pays in the city. Having worked in the industry I politely (diplomatically) informed her why we didn't need the money that bad.
FIFO operators put tenders in for contracts. Generally this means the company with the lowest bid and the best spin wins the contract. You would think they're all rolling in money because everybody in Mining is making the big bucks right? Wrong.
Paper thin margins as a result of this clever tender process. Have a close read of the EBA's for the pilots and you'll quickly work out why, unless they particularly don't want to move, most of the pilots want out or see it as a stepping stone. In 07' the exodus from these companies was truly amazing. I've never seen anything like it. I saw people that looked like they hadn't started shaving get commands on pretty serious equipment and then bugger off to an Airline. And why wouldn't you leave with the same days off a 9 to 5 office worker gets AND you're working shift work?
Indeed they are shift workers without the rest and penalties. These guys are getting up at 3am day in day out. Sure they get weekends off. But during the week by the time most people are pulling their chair in at the office these dudes have already been awake for 6 hours. Now there's some strong data that highlights the most amazing of revelations: Humans don't perform very well fatigued. They perform even worse when fatigued and working at hours such as those used to transport FIFO workers. Fear not. According to the experts in Congress in the US accidents like the Colgan crash were due to a lack of skills and not that much to do with conditions or fatigue. So we can sleep easy right?.. ..
Have you ever noticed how the aircraft look a bit old and tired. Thats because they are my friend! They're generally so old that most of the time you are travelling on an aircraft whose company is long since gone or the machine is no longer in production. In other words it belongs in a museum. Flying out to airstrips with no radar, no navaids and f-all equipment on board thats going to help them in a pinch.
Of course there are the mining safety audits and the charade that goes on with it. All incredibly highly paid skilled people that analyse every detail. Ohh boy they're running a tight ship! Not in a pink fit my friend, they should stick to the HSE audit. Big business and the blind eye - we shall see if a senate enquiry can get to the real truth behind our sad industry.