Its a shame the company has gone the way it has, i worked there on the Impulse operation in 2000 in SYD and it was great back then, yeah little training but they guys were a great lot, oh and by the way betwwn the 23 guys in the group, we had around 7000 hrs commercial flying time. We had some very sharp operators. I still dont know if anyone in the world has beaten 14mins 10 secs from on blox to off blocks for a jet(717). That was by stopwatch during the Olympics at Sydney.
The Impulse op was a great one to work on and the Impulse guys were great, especially the pilots, and one Captain (C&T) actually badgered us to go on jumpseat rides with him once he found out there were pilots in the crew. I did 12 myself.
I do have to take some posts to task, while its not rocket science, its not for the brain dead either. A ramp during a peak period is a dangerous, dynamic place and you allways have to be on your toes. 26 REX turnarounds in 90 mins is a monumental task. Some of the hardest work I have ever done. Anyone who says its easy has never done it.
During that time, we all knew Steve Shelly well, he often came downto chat with the boys and was very friendly, the guys got on well with him. To prove a point, when the TWU came round looking for us to sighn up, they were told to bugger off, by us.. the boys.
I dont know what happened after Impulse died, it seems to have all changed. I'm sad to see that caus Aerocare in 2000 WAAS actually a pretty good place to work, and still remember those days with fondness.
BTW.......7000 toilet dumps......and only 2....er accidents.