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Aero contractors dash 8 fleet

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Aero contractors dash 8 fleet

Old 21st Dec 2011, 17:48
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Question Aero contractors dash 8 fleet

Dear aero dash8 bus drivers, can someone tell whats going on with the fleet? I hear they have lost the lucrative chevron contract to top brass. So what routes do these turboprops do now? Do they have TRI /TRE 's ?
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Old 23rd Dec 2011, 11:36
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Executive Denial?

Information from the grapevine confirms the story,The wonder attached is that Aero has not thought it fit to notify its Dash 8 crew members.A letter dissing Aero from the contract has been recieved and management as usual is still keeping it a secret,for how long?we will find out in a few weeks.Further information is that CHC the owners of 2 of the Dash 8's is reposessing the aircrafts immediately, sic,For how long the confused Aero management can hold out is open to conjecture.How can a serious Management work so hard to lose such a lucrative contract and pitch their tent with geriatric classic tin cans.Small wonder the attrition rate is high as crew are begining to jump ship to hitherto less fancied Arik,at least they get to fly modern aircraft since both companies have benefitted from government largesse A'la bailout.AERO need to get its **** together if thay have to plausibly survive these raging Climes.For D8 crew All roads lead to TB or get yourself a geriatric 73 type rating.
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Old 23rd Dec 2011, 19:37
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GIDIGBA,

you are right. the contract is gone, a year ago. makes you wonder how that happened. mgt should tell the Dash 8 Crew. I do hear of other aircraft inbound though.
Wise to keep the classics though. Make more money than an NG.

hmmmm.
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Old 24th Dec 2011, 15:06
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Red face Finally

News just filtering in details, Management of Aero have finally notified the crews on the loss of the Chevron contract.Our hearts go to the D8 crews,we hope the management would be magnanimous to type rate Us crews on the 735's as they need crew anyways.Im looking forward to getting type rated on the jets hopefully,this is my chance finally.Guys things are looking up,win some lose some.Aero management please wake up in the new year o,or we shall all leave jet or no jet,A word is Enough

Last edited by Gidigba; 24th Dec 2011 at 16:21.
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Old 27th Dec 2011, 17:06
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d8's on the way out...or?

Gidigba,

Its kinda sad to have even the slightest suspicion the D8's are on their way out. I dont believe the average nigerian passenger wants to set foot on anything other than a 'jet'

Even if chc retakes the 2x D8 what happens to the remaining one? Its not likely aero will keep it...no?

Compliments of the season !
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Old 27th Dec 2011, 18:52
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And this is new? It have been known for almost 1 year now. Just be patient, Top Brass will last 6 month and then disappear together with their shabby D8
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Old 28th Dec 2011, 16:01
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Devil @Armen

@Armen,Yipee in six months Aero would have bought new D8Q400"s and we would be back in bizness,So the clock starts to tick for Top Brass,wow,I just love you,let me start dreaming of the New Planes for our upcoming contract.In the meantime what happens to us D8 crew,Continue to pray for bad things to happen to Top Brass?so we can get our contract back?Well since you got a great crystal ball and bad eye,I'll put my trust in you guy.Top Brass watch your back,You got lots of well wishers.
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Old 28th Dec 2011, 21:01
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Dont Pray for Bad Luck for any of the airlines. Aero needs to step up its game and win the business back.

You D8 Drivers should not have any issues. Upgrade to the Classics or continue with the D8s. At least you have some time off for a while.
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Old 28th Dec 2011, 22:57
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good luck guys

I'd say come over to arik on the Q's but the fleet at arik seems it is a pure day to day operation. One day they're overstaffed and the next day completely understaffed. The planes are still shiney however with just 2 frames that seem to be getting cross utilized for jet routes. I doubt the hiring will be anything above a pair or two pair of pilots. The Q400 at arik has several hi-time FO's hanging on and looking for upgrades.

My advice would be stick it out and hope a quality show takes place. Aero Contractors needs to honor its pilot commitments, provide new contracts and see you guys through to the 737.

All I can say is those top brass airframes look like they've been thru hell and back.

not my cup of tea.
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Old 29th Dec 2011, 06:42
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I see we still have a lot of armchair analyst here..keep up th great job guys

A sad day for the D8 drivers over at Aero, never thought the day would come when almighty Aero would lose a contract to a newbie. Well whaddaya know only constant is change...

Upstart Caverton won the Shell contract some time back and these were the same comments.. I wonder what has happened since!!!!

Topbrass D8 shabby looking.................hell and back...
Damn..Chevron must have bent over backwards and not seen that during their audit...did they do one...Hmmmmm

a little birdie told me that chevron actually insisted on these airplanes being some of the youngest d8 300's out there..hear they have only 4000hrs each waddaya know

Its not called a rumor network for nothing
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Old 29th Dec 2011, 09:22
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Angry Old Shabby Aiframes,Hmmnnn

Guys we do not need to beef TB for taking the contract from us,and old aircraft,I beg to disagree,I just googled and found out the airframes are infact more recent than the Aero lot,Its not rumour and is fact.Aero aiframes are 608/609 TB is 613/614,that means we have been flying older junks aint it?Lets think with clear heads,our management ****** up and we lost our contract period,and we should stop beefing new start ups trying to survive,these are also pilots most of whom are our friends at least on the surface, we should actually pray they succeed and stop badbelle syndrome.Aero ****** up.And now some of us do not know whats coming next in the new year,put yourself in our position and see how that feels,Its my life and I can head for TB as long as they put food on my familys table.so much for Loyalty and stupid,wicked and devilish prayers for people that had enough gusto and drive to yank the contract off Aero.Infact they deserve some Kudos.
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Old 29th Dec 2011, 11:55
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I said only that TB D8s are shabby, not old. Have you seen the paint job?

Now, how did they get the contract? Was it fault of Aero? Just look at the list of managers -

1. Roland Iyayi - President/CEO

Prior to this time, Roland worked out of Aeroleasing and Consultancy limited, an aviation consulting firm based in Nigeria charged with Research and Development and Strategic Planning, following which he held the position of MD of the same company until his appointment to the position of Technical Advisor to the Honorable Minister of Aviation in Nigeria. Roland later assumed the office of the MD/CE of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), after being a member of the Presidential Task Force on Aviation in Nigeria. Following this, he was appointed to the position of Acting Managing Director/Chief Operating Officer and charged with Corporate Development and Strategic Planning with Aerocontractors Company of Nigeria Limited. Roland, who is a qualified pilot and Air Safety Investigator with over 25 years industry experience, earned an MSc degree in Air safety Management from the City University of London and is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA).

2. Kola King - COO

Kola King (KK) joined TopBrass Aviation in August 2009 as Director of Flight Operations. He was later promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer in April 2011. An enthusiastic and dedicated professional with over 25 years of real world experience in the Aviation Industry, KK has held a variety of managerial positions ranging from Safety officer, Fleet Manager, to Chief Pilot in different organizations. Before joining TopBrass Aviation, KK was employed at Aerocontractors as the Chief Pilot, a position he held from February 2008. Before that, he worked at Virgin Nigeria Airways in various roles including Acting Chief Pilot, Line Training Captain, Fleet Manager – B737, Line Captain, and Safety Officer. A qualified Delivery Air Test Pilot on the B737, KK has successfully carried out 30 B737 air test and deliveries. With over 9800hrs of flying time of which more than 7000 of those are in High Performance jets, (the 737 is a high performance jet now!!! LMAO) KK has also been involved in the recruitment of pilots and operations personnel. He has a wealth of experience having operated for the Oil and Gas sector as well as international operations in Europe, The Middle East and Africa. A graduate of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Training Centre Zaria, KK completed the Aviation Safety Program Management Course at the prestigious University of Southern California, in the United States of America. He also successfully completed the TRE/TRI, CRMI and CRI core courses in the United Kingdom.

3. Ogeheochuko Otobo - Director of Flight Operations/Chief Pilot

Crosby joined TopBrass Aviation in January 2010 as Training Captain on the EMB 145 type airplane. He was promoted to the position of Chief Pilot in August 2010, and later to the position of Director of Flight Operations/Chief Pilot in April 2011. A keen and experienced professional with over 30 years in the aviation industry, Crosby came with an enviable wealth of experience, having successfully trained on at least 10 different types of aircrafts ranging from turboprops like the FH 27 to heavy jets like the DC8. Before joining TopBrass, Crosby was a Captain at Aero Contractors from 2008. Prior to that, he worked at IRS and Sosoliso Airlines as Line Training Captain and Flight Safety Manager respectively. Crosby also worked at Afrijet Airlines from 1999 to 2005 as the Chief Pilot. One of the pioneering pilots of the defunct Okada Airline, Crosby has over 12,300 total flying hours to his credit. He started his career at the defunct Nigeria Airways.

4. Ibrahim Nock - Quality Manager

A licensed Aircraft Engineer with a wealth of experience in aviation management and maintenance spanning over twenty years, Ibrahim joined TopBrass Aviation in September 2011 as the Quality Manager. In this position, he promotes enterprise-wide quality achievement and performance improvement. He is also responsible for developing, implementing, communicating, and maintaining a quality plan to bring the organization’s quality systems and policies into compliance with aviation standards. Prior to joining TopBrass, Ibrahim worked at Virgin Nigeria Airways from June 2005 until August 2011. While there, he occupied various positions including Airworthiness Surveyor, Head, Government Relations, and Chief Inspector. Ibrahim also worked at Aviation Resources Services Limited as the Head of Avionics/Quality Assurance Manager. His impressive list of past employers include Bristol Helicopters (Deputy Head of Avionics) (So now it's Bristol Helicopters - lol), Transsaharan Air Limited (Engineer – in – Charge/Quality Assurance Manager), and the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (Assistant Supervisor). A graduate of Barewa College Zaria, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Training Center Zaria, and Brunel Technical College England, Ibrahim continues to be a strong advocate of lifelong learning having earned numerous global licenses, certificates, and diplomas in aircraft engineering and quality assurance.

5. Adelana Ogunjide - Training Manager

Adelani has over eighteen years experience in the Aviation Industry. A goal-oriented person, his first port of call in the industry was Aerocontractors Company of Nigeria limited. He then proceeded to work with Bristow Helicopters where he served as the Cabin Crew Training Manager on the Shell contract for 10 years. ‘Delani has a Master’s degree in International Relations and Strategic Studies obtained at the Lagos State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Ibadan. He bagged many professional qualifications amongst which are the Instructors and the "Train the Trainer" ratings from Fairchild Dornier institution in Germany between 1998 and 2003 respectively. Adelani served as a member of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s committee on Standardization of Cabin Crew / Instructors training and functions in 2000. He was employed as the Training Manager for TopBrass Aviation Limited in September 2009.
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Old 29th Dec 2011, 17:45
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Hmm,

Did the Aero Mgt ****up or is there something else going on???????

Something to note thought,
TB:- Virtually 90% of the Staff, Management, Pilots Engineers and Cabin crew are all ex aero.
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Old 30th Dec 2011, 17:57
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Thumbs up 99% of TB Staff?

Smart guys,I wish I had been more informed,I would have joined the Zion train,I hope its not too late.There must be something the TB people are doing right that Aero dissed on,Losing a 30 year contract to Aviation start ups is not by name calling or flaunting CVs, its by packaging what Aero obviously took for granted.As the French say,C'est la vie
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Old 30th Dec 2011, 21:32
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Gidigba,

to move that sort of a contract from one to the other, it takes more that that. I leave it to your imagination, but note that N****S has to be involved.
Shell from Bristow to Caverton????
Like you said, how do you move something so critical to a start up with no AOC?
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Old 31st Dec 2011, 12:06
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Thumbs down Haba?No AOC?

@Jabag?Did you say No AOC?Do you perchance know what an AOC is?or do you just like to misinform the uninformed populace and show your ignorance?Can you start a Chevron/oil industry contract on No AOC?Hey guy heads up and shine your eyez,Those days of hoodwinking are over,please say the truth no matter your bitterness levels or loyalties.And let the rest of us decide what we want,Your assertion is an insult to all well meaning aviators.Thanks for your help
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Old 31st Dec 2011, 14:23
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TB's Head of Commercial came to Aero
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Old 31st Dec 2011, 17:08
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The TB Chevron contract should have start several months ago, but one of the delays is because they had no AOC. The contract has so far been delay for more than 6 months. Now they have AOC and my friends in Lagos say the contract starts in January.
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Old 31st Dec 2011, 17:30
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Dear Gidigba,
no offence, no hoodwinking. The fact is that TB only got their AOC a few months ago. The fact is that TB got the Chevron Contact a year ago. I know it sounds odd, but.....
Im sure you remember when TB first offered flight crew and Engineers employment a year ago for this same contract.

You Check it out.

Wishing you and all members a SAFE and Healthy NEW YEAR!


PS: Not Bitter!
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Old 1st Jan 2012, 18:38
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Wink To Whom It May Concern?

A little bird just told me that Top Brass are still recieving Cv's for suitably qualified Dash 8 Drivers,Captains 4000hrs TT100hrs on type/FO's 1000hrs TT/min 50hrs on type,For those who dare?????One door closes and the rest is history
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