Antarctic link, Skytraders ?

[Hotpot]

Just wondering if anyone who applied for the flight crew positions, that where advertised before Christmas has heard anything as yet. I believe the applications closed last Friday, for the initial positions.

[Farknel]

That's interesting - I just checked their website and was unable to find any mention of a closing date.

Can anyone provide further info?

Fark!

[Howard Hughes]

Gidday Hotpot,

I sent my resume off when the advertisement first appeared and got a reply at the end of december saying, 'your applicatiuon will be reviewed in May for a possible June start".

This was for a First Officer position.

Hope this helps, cheers, HH. :ok:

[Rudder]

Spoke to the chief honcho yesterday, first crews are off to Spain next week for conversions and to pick up the first aircraft out of the factory mid February.

Second aircraft due early May and 5 pilots will be recruited for that for June conversions.

Sound like nice aircraft. Glass cockpits and all the goodies and great flying.

[I'm gone!]

Gday all,

Anyone been able to get Contract/Salary details from them yet? All have gotten so far is the Renumeration commensurate with experience bit.

I have put in for a command slot but the money would have to be reasonable to make it all worth while.

Looks like great fun!

Cheers,
I'm gone!

[Hotpot]

Anyone been offered interviews yet for the June start ?

[Reverseflowkeroburna]

to answer the original, has:

1) Anyone heard back or even heard of the experience level of those recruited?

2) Further to the remuneration/package details, what are they going to do with drivers during the winter???

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[Howard Hughes]

Have'nt heard anything yet, but then again it's still not May.

Patience Grasshopper, Patience.

Cheers, HH.

:ok:

[Rudder]

I followed up and spoke to the head honcho last Friday. He has only just got back from taking delivery of the first aircraft in Spain, completed factory training and has now delivered it to Canada for some work to be done on it.

He's off OS again next weekend but will be home in two weeks at which time he told me he will turn his attention to recruiting the rest of the pilots and engineers. Second C212 aircraft is now due late May / early June.

As far as I know he has only recruited an experienced Captian with Antarctic experience as the fleet manager/captian so still some jobs left.

He did say that from now on all training would be conducted in Australia though so no Spanish holidays.

All these questions about renumeration ... Surely you don't want to be paid as well as fly in Antarctica!

[metoo]

I am just wondering what is happening here. Has anyone heard anything yet? It is getting close and I haven't heard yet.

[Hotpot]

I haven't heard anything back as yet either. I applied for a Captains position. Anyone know what type of pilots they may be looking at, ie: ex Jumbo jet jokies, turboprop pilots or maybe just GA bush pilots ? One thing is for sure though, I doubt that there is many people in Oz with arctic WX flying experence, but then again. Fingures crossed, as they may become cold later this year !

:D

[Rudder]

I've been contacted to see if I was still interested/available so they are obviously starting to work their way through their preferences.


Good luck

[Woomera]

CASA 212's??? From memory, there was two in Australia some years ago.

[compressor stall]

There was one geosurvey one (fugro's??) that looked like an echidna, brimming with pipes and wires. It was surveying the western desert a few months back, and then I think it was off to India.

In that configuration, only a mother could love em! :ooh: :E

[Hotpot]

I think the survey CASA 212 may also have been the one that Geoterex operated, TEM rings a bell, without checking the register. I'd hate to think what it would perform like on one engine just after V1, in a hot and high enviroment at gross weight.

I also recall that Loyds may have operated a CASA 212 about 15 years ago.

[Capt Fathom]

TransExecutive at YMEN operated a CASA on night freight during the 80's. I bummed a ride once from SYD to BNE.

[Bill Smith]

TEM is the aircraft.
Owned by FUGRO in Perth. Ex Geoterrex.
Currently in India
As to SE performance, "Dispensation" is the word that comes to mind

www.fugroairborne.com.au

[Bell Man]

Is it all going to happen this year ?

According to a report in todays Examiner Newspaper, it may take another two summer seasons to get off the ground. The Government is hoping other countries involved in Antarctica will help with funding, as there was no funding announced in Tuesday's budget for the airlink.
The blue ice runway is built and it has been approved by CASA.
And according to the newspaper report, Skytraders already has commited themselves to the first Casa 212, which has been modified, I assume with the ski landing gear, and other associated equipment required for the operation. What about the second Casa, and the Falcon.

Typical Howard Government, I hope the clowns get booted out at the next election. I suppose they gave all the money to single mothers, and the PNG government for aid money, or something stupid like that.

What happens to the private companies who have commited themselves like Skytraders etc ? Who pays their expenses ? I bet the Howard Government won't cough up the money.


:( :( :( :(

[Rudder]

This is what I know, the first 212 has been delivered and is in Canada having the skis fitted, the second is due out of the factory in the next month and will be in Australia about the end of June.

They have already recruited some personnel (Captain with Antarctic experience and some engineers) and more are being considered now.

I don't know for sure about the other aircraft but from my conversations, I had the impression it was always going to come on line next year and only the 212's this year.

[Hotpot]

Has anyone been contacted yet ?

[Rudder]

Yep! a couple of weeks ago.

[metoo]

Rudder

did you put in for command or fo slot?? I am just trying to figure out if that is why I haven't heard yet. I went for the command slot too. I hope I haven't missed out for some reason

[Rudder]

Command. I was told they had something like 80 good applications and were working their way though them to get a short list.

They were pretty quick replying to the initial application and any query I made so I would be surprised if you don't hear something even if its that they have filled the positions.

Pester them, at least it shows your keen. I know the CP and he wouldn't mind and would always talk to you if he's available or reply.

[SHAGGS]

I know of one pilot who has an interview in Sydney next week with Skytraders.

In the latest Australian Aviation, there is a photo of there first CASA 212 in Glasgow, apparently the aircraft was being ferried to Winnipeg in Canada to have skis fitted.

Anyone know of a website where I can get some technical information on the CASA 212, ie performance figures etc. It looks like it could be a very usefull aircraft. A possible replacement for the Twin Otter maybe ?

Good luck to all the pilots who have an interview, it sounds like an interesting job.

[Reverseflowkeroburna]

Well it now 6 months on.............

What sort of experience did they end up going with? Did anybody out there end up with a gig?

I had at one point heard rumours that it may have been doubtful if the contract was going to go ahead as was originally intended!!

:confused: :confused:

[the wizard of auz]

S/E performance????? Bwahahaha. the way it was configured when I saw it, it was limited to operating in the early morning only in the desert. It had a 1600 mtr runway and was temp limited at some silly temp........28"c from memory. that was with both donks. I beleive it wouldn't have ANY performance with one engine at all.

Go on Stallie, put em out of their misery. :E

[Howard Hughes]

Well I got the big "thanks but no thanks letter", said something about the contract only requiring one aircraft now instead of two, therefore a lot less crew needed.

So much for my patience!!

Cheers, HH.

:ok:

PS: Temp limited at 28 degrees? I know a few turbines that are temp limited long before that, still does'nt affect departures in temps up to 50 degrees.

PPS: Is the 212 above 5700kg? May explain performance.

[Rudder]

Saw one taxi out and take off this morning in Sydney. There are two aircraft though VH-VHA and VH-VHB

From what I understand they have fairly experienced Australian Licenced pilots except for one where they imported the Antarctic and skis experience.

I haven't spoken to the CP for a while but I think the intercontinental jet is for next year. They are just bringing on the Antarctic bit this year.

There are photos and movies of the C212 aircraft on skis on their website.

[the wizard of auz]

PS: Temp limited at 28 degrees? I know a few turbines that are temp limited long before that, still does'nt affect departures in temps up to 50 degrees.

It does if the "P" charts say so. :hmm:
In this case the "P" chart said the aircraft required way more runway to reach TSS. if it was going to require more than we had available.......................It just wasn't going to happen.

[Reverseflowkeroburna]

Cheers HH!

Yeah that sounds vaguely familiar to the story I heard too.........Something relating to the funding not being approved as fully as was first thought!?!?:suspect:

[Waghi Warrior]

Anyone know what the latest is with Australia'a antarctic airlink. I see that the federal government has now given the green light, in the budget to inject a heap of money into the project. They are also going to use the aircraft on the off season for coastal surveillance and SAR. I figure that those CASA 212's would have heaps of endurance, with those garrets and drop tanks on them, whilst operating at a low power settings during observation ops. I also understand that the airport at Hobart is also currently going under a major upgrade in all areas, including the replacement of some nav aids as well.

Anyone know how the operation went down in the Antarctic last summer ? Did the aircraft perform well ? I though that maybe a journo may have written a story on the operation.

[Rabbit 1]

Logged many hrs in the -200 series. Not the most attractive looking aircraft but heaps of space for a thermos beside the Nav bag. They'll need it I think although maybe they've already worked that out!