Info sought on Great Barrier

[ZK-EBC]

Hi,
I will be returning home from Africa in December and im dead keen on GBA, could either a current or ex pilot please give me a heads up on whats going on there... ie hrs needed, hiring, who to talk to etc. Ive done a search on here but there doesnt seem to be anything recent.
I will have 800-900TT, mostly ATO but on singles & a multiIFR. Any info you could give me would be greatly appreciated, as im some what out of touch with being over here for a year.
Thanks in advance

EBC

[mattyj]

GBA are an entry level multi operator, so there are about 1000 CVs in the trash over there every week. Theres only one real way and thats keep turning up the until Gerard gets so sick of you he gives you a job to make you go away...BUT!!

..most new guys start on the cherokee 6 for a few months..sweep hangar floors..take bookings at the office..stayers get the Islanders and most of the new hires come straight from Nth Shore Aeroclub cause they're right next door.

Oh and the pays crap..but the managment are good sorts from what I hear..and they understand their place in the food chain and only expect about a year from you (not like the crummy outfit with mountain in the name who don't know the meaning of inflation and haven't given their boys a pay rise since Kurt Cobain was alive)

[Capt. On Heat]

"Most from North Shore" Hmmmmm, some have but certainly not most.

[awyamuppet]

IS that you Schmooze? Are you still fkyin in the jungle up there?:O

[skytops]

Is anyone able to post what the deal is with Mountain Air, in terms of renumeration? How man hours per year a pilot does with them? Are pilots contracted for a minimum period? How does GBA compare in this department to other NZ GA multi-engine operators?

Thanks.

[NoseGear]

As a former employee of both companies, I may be in a position to offer some guidance. In no particular order:

First, Mountain Air: the deal is a 2 year contract, 23k per year. You are payed a salary, fortnightly, whether you fly or not. You get sick pay and annual leave, payed, and your checks and type ratings are payed for. As I said, its 2 years, bonded for 10k if you leave in the first year, and 5500 in the second, and of course none after 2 years. You will do around 7-800 hours per year, a mixture of VFR and IFR ops, and if your based in Auckland, its all twin time. The Chateau base has an Islander, 206 and 172, and the boys there often come up to AA to help out on long weekends and to cover holidays etc. Accomodation is payed for by the company when this happens. Keith is a good bugger, always keen for a drop, and if you work hard for him, he will help you out when the time comes. Not a "crummy" outfit, and one of the only ones with a fixed contract for the pilots.

Second: GBA, there is no fixed contract, until you get to the senior level, which with the amount of movement going on shouldn't take too long! Not sure of the hourly pay, cant quite remember, but if you do a normal amount of flying per year, it comes out at maybe a bit more than MA, but not by much. But, no fly = no pay. You will work off your type ratings by working on Stat holidays, and not being payed for it, but no cash up front. Checks are done by the company, again no cost. Gerard and Louise are good people, and look after their staff, usually at their place on the Barrier, which is very nice. Not many come from North Shore Aeroclub, and no one I knew swept any hanger floors. You may start on the mighty Cherokee, but you will move onto the twins after a few months, maybe more, maybe less, depending on your time when you arrive. Not sure about annual leave, but the company is associated with IATA, so you can get some cheap holiday deals with the airlines.

In short, both companies are pretty good to work for, they will both get you where you want to go, and both have a pretty good reputation with the regionals. And the guys and girls that you will work with will probably become mates for life, at least, thats what happened to me. I would target both (but don't let the other know!) and soon, summers coming up and its the busy season, so hiring usually starts soon in order to get pilots up to speed when the holidays hit.

Good luck, its a lot of fun, hardwork and an excellent learning opportunity.

Nosey

[skytops]

Nosey,
Thanks for taking the time to provide some info on GBA and MA.
Cheers.

[Split Flap]

Geeze nosey you must still be working FA to be able to write long replies like that! Long may it last!

[Slater]

GBA is a great company to work for. Generally a good crew that go through, and plenty of work. What nosey says is pretty spot on, the daily rate for work is 95 bucks and you do between 8 and 10 days a fortnight usually.

You do get paid sick leave and annual holiday and do get paid on stat holidays, so having to work off your type ratings no longer applies.

[Bongo Bus Driver]

Nosey has summed up the situation very well. However MA are now employing pilots around the 500-600 hour mark in AA and less than this at the CT as they will tend to stay their 2 years before getting itichy feet.

With 900 odd hours you would do well to talk to GBA. They do not always put pilots straight in the office. Two guys I know of came from NSAC and went onto the twins. They were both multi instructers so previous experience does count.

As for you Matty J I would be interested how you come to the assumption that MA are crummy? Yes the pay has not gone up for a while but it is still better than most GA outfits.

[mattyj]

Come on..23K to live on in Auckland..some of you need to get real..AFS has just given its C-Cats a pay rise to around that..the Bs are in the 30s..I get payed 33 to fly GA singles at Ardmore and drive a fuel tanker...23 you can't live on and you all know it..and the hours are difficult with early starts and late finishes..
..thats cruel and unusual punishment

..If we keep accepting rubbish pay, then we will keep getting offered rubbish pay.

oh and the Islanders smell funny inside..like damp

[Bongo Bus Driver]

Yes 23K is not alot of money to make ends meet in AA. Yes the Islanders do leak a bit.

But........The ratio of AFS instructers who go direct to AIRNZ LINK is no where near as good as the ratio of MA or GBA pilots who make the jump. Instructers get paid better than GA 135 pilots but you will not get the required experience as quickly instructing as you would at MA or GBA which is why both GBA and MA have heaps of instructers CVs. Many from AFS.

I understand the frustration you have over pay especially given the investment we have all put into this game and if you want to stay at AFS and drive a fuel truck then go for it. However if you want to get to the airlines sacrifices have to be made in exchange for the required experience.

[NoseGear]

mattyj...............you know as well as the rest of us that no one is in GA to make money. And that includes the owners:p No one said MA pay well, but at least it is a contract, you have no need to get another job. I know of several GBA pilots who had other jobs to make ends meet, which makes a joke of the duty time limitations. I am 100% sure you could find most instructors in the same boat, including those at AFS. You can live on 23K, as all of us ex MA drivers have done. Your 33K is made up of driving the Fuel tanker first, and a small amount for the flying you do.

"and the hours are difficult with early starts and late finishes..
..thats cruel and unusual punishment"

Thats an interesting comment, the only early start is a 5am departure for a freight contract, the latest finish would be 2030, which hardly qualifies as late, cruel or unusual. No one I flew with ever complained about the freight run, night twin IFR is good time in the logbook.

Nosey

[mattyj]

oh yeah yeah..lets just let this thread die a natural death huh?

I just think pilots need to have a little higher self worth than 23K pa or $95 per day for 4 days a week.

Still theres always someone lining up and when they get to the airlines, they deserve their rewards..just like you Nosey:ok:

..good luck EBC

[Killer Loop]

Slater mate! Tell them about the birds that work there, sod the stat holidays or whatever, tell them about the birds!!