Air Service Gabon aircraft gone!!!

[Treetopflyer]

Hi yall

Heard that Air Service Gabon's major shareholders, a Canadian company, expeditiously left the country on saturday with the outfit's Dash 8s. The airline, which has been Gabon's largest operator since Air Gabon closed down, would be left with only a couple Twotters.

Anybody has any more info on this???

TTF

[MD12]

By the way, can you please tell me what happened to Gabon Express??

Thanks in advance.

[wheels up]

Pretty much standard ops for Gabon! Lots of operators have had there fingers burned there.

[Treetopflyer]

Well... Standard for Gabon... Not quite...:confused: :confused: :confused:

When guys who have been running a dodgy operation for a few months with a couple aircraft fold down, yeah, that's pretty standard. We've seen countless of these.

The surprising thing here is that Air Service is a company established for decades, they had seven aircraft, a full maintenance facility. They are one of the most serious operators in central Africa, and they have held 90% of the oil contracts in the country for years. Nothing standard in them folding down like this really...

[c3000]

Aren't these aircraft operated by Robert Deluce's company in Canada but with Gabon reg.?

If so I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that he is starting up a company in Toronto called Porter Airways.

Interesting all the same!

[Treetopflyer]

These aircraft are indeed Deluce's aircraft. Dunno if that event is related with that new company in Canada, though... I actually assumed they had run into disagreements with the Gabonese government, to flee like that. I hoped to get some info here...

[DHC]

The Canadians stoled money from Airservice for the last 18 months. Very big amount from what I heard.
They was an administration on Friday but none of the Canadians turned up.
And guess what happened on Friday night they all left like rats in the middle of the night.

The chief pilot Fred Clarke was a real joke. From what I heard he took off at 3am from Douala Airport with no runway light, he was pretty stress.


And for the owner Mr Bruce Deluce he strended flight attendant in Bamako, 1 in Chad, with no money to get back to Gabon.

They even offered $80000 for 2 Argentine pilots to take the aircraft to Canada but refused to.

I should get back to work now, I have got to fly that TR - LFJ TO Point noire.

Airservice going really good without the Canadians, We have still got 3 Dash 8 and 2 twin otter

[Treetopflyer]

The Canadians stealing money from Air Service??? Interesting... :rolleyes: Well, the company certainly wouldn't be where it is today if they hadn't come on board a couple years ago... They secured oil contracts in Eq Guinea, opened routes to Congo and Cameroon, started that operation you're talking about in Mali...

As far as Air Service continuing to work, I guess it's a given. The Shell contracts will keep it afloat anyway. And with Air Gabon, Gabon Express and Avirex gone from the regional market, competition ain't fierce on the scheduled pax side.

Take care DHC.

TTF

[Mr Lover]

Good point of view Treetop...

I know the company (ASG) quite well and how it was running B4 Mr. Deluce came to fix things....

I am sure he had a good reason to leave Gabon so fast...

[Mr Lover]

Is anyone knows South African Express (Dash 8 and CRJ fleet)... that is just another sucess story from Mr. Deluce and his South African Partner, and as far as I know the company is still working pretty well with 2 Q400 on the way to RSA.

Looks like Gaboneese people don't do business like the others...

So sad...

Have a nice day...

[-8partspig]

First of all... The Deluce's are a big family in Canada. Robert Deluce is starting Porter in Toronto and Bruce and Bill Deluce were shareholders in Air Service. They have nothing to do with each other. Second of all the airline was just called Air Service... No Gabon in the name.. Thirdly nobody knows why anyone left the country, so before we all go calling each other thieves we should get the facts staight, which I can tell you now will never happen. But, I do know you don't get to where the Deluce's are in Aviation today especially in North America by being thieves! Air Service presently from a maintanance perspective is a hurting unit.. They lost thier tech records software when the Deluce's left so they have no way of knowing times of airframe components. That means they can't plan tasks and and have no way of knowing when critical parts are coming due on the Dash's or Twins. Which in turn means that the next audit done by an oil company means they will lose their contracts. I had to deal with the oil companies and they are fierce auditors. They also lost their Chief Pilot, Director of Mtc and Ops Manager. Curious who they will get to fill those positions in such short time? It sucks that some people feel they were left behind but hey... At least they still have their jobs and are still flying! The Twins days are numbered in my opinion anyway... One was due off lease in the end of may and the other was leased from a Canadian company that I am sure wants the plane back now that they know the Deluce's have pulled out.

Anyway, next time you go fly TR-LFJ to Pointe Noire why don't you ask you mtc manager how much time is left on your ELT... Or when your number two starter/gen is due for its bearing replacement and and overhaul... I'm curious what he will tell you. But hey you're in Africa you don't have to fly to ICAO standards if you pay off the civil aviation authority...

Good luck with those oil contracts!!

[GUSTO]

Let the gabonese people to run it down to the ground , they are quite famous in that regard. Air Service Gabon , Air Gabon and I believe Air Affaire Gabon is now on the edge as well but it is a bit different when the MD is the daughter of the president ( no prob of cash flow ).

As far as I know Air Service with the canadians was run propely and the level of maintenance and crew training was up to the north america or europe standard . Well now that they are gone we can expect the worst , and SHELL people will not get the level of safety that they required :ugh:

[tegarcho]

Air Service was a std op for De Luce family, don t forget they killed a lot of people at Air Ontario F 28 accident, D Luce style, the worst, Bruce, ******* ceeper rat.
This family don t use to respect the people, they left a lot of pilots and maintainace people abandoned in Africa, nobody want to pay the contract to this people, and not only to this people, there are some pilot with a finished contrct in Air Service, and Bruce De Luce don t complete paying the contract, nice **** this guy.
If he loose the records of the airplanes, don t worry!!!!!!!!!!!
Maintainance used to be pathetic, nobody knows where the spare parts was coming from, just used parts without cards, the airplanes was flying with no go items, during months.
The company never was sirious most than one yera the Operation Manager used to push the pilots to fly ilegal all the time, and then appears the chieff pilot, jajaj, Fred Clark, my god, I nver see somebody so stupid, Fred "bush pilot" Clarck. The bussines was done, De Luse family only wanted to make money, and they did it, but they ****** everybody on the way.
Tkae care, try to don t be hired by De luce family, you could finish in jail and without money.
:{ :{ :{ :{

[-8partspig]

"Maintainance used to be pathetic, nobody knows where the spare parts was coming from, just used parts without cards."

Probably cause where you come from they made all the parts at the auto shop down the road. In ICAO countries we have things called "Certs" 24-0078, 8130-3 and Form 1's. These are peices paper that come with every aircraft part saying that they are certified for use on the Dash 8, only FAA, Transport Canada and JAA approved vedors can print these. Not that you would know where to go look for those. They are all scanned and saved in you maintenance software that your wonderful bosses refused to pay for. Which by the way was offered to them even after the Deluce's pulled out. Plus the oil companies forced air Service to audit its vendors for compliance! I would like to see any other carrier in Gabon that did that! Why don't you ask where they are gettin the spare parts from now? Cause oh yeah I think the Deluce's were in charge of doing that task as well...

Doesn't look like you know too much about how to operate an airplane to ICAO standards.... Why don't you make sure your cockpit is clean and that all the pretty lights still work!

If your contracts aren't being paid maybe you should take a closer look at who you are dealing with!

Don't blame the Deluce's for wanting to make money. Unless that is, you're only in Africa cause you enjoy the people and the scenery.

[fire]

who is or was the south african partner of the Deluce's?

[tegarcho]

I don t need to know too much about ICAO or another stupid regulation not followed by Air Service At Gabon. It was enough flying one of those pieces of arplane like the 007 serial number, a good airplane is not only good papers. You could read this part again, there was responsables on the Air Ontario accident, a lot of families still remember the owners of the company, and, Air Service it was another result of their bussines way. I know you are a good boy, and may be you are in maintainance too, but open your eyes.

[-8partspig]

What happened to the drunken ops manager/chief pilot part of your message? Didn't want the new Ops Manager to read that part?

Keep calling the regulations "stupid" and I am sure you'll do well in Africa....

You're right a good airplane is also an airplane with a pilot who understands how it works...

Later

[ETStar]

The Dash-8s have been sighted in London Ontario, Canada per the link below.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5780145#post5780145

[Treetopflyer]

Funny how gabonese airlines managers who work their ass off, end up fleeing the country and being called names. Vialaret from Air Affaires Gabon (2AG), Deluce and his compatriots from Air Service... Maybe their are all thieves, but yet it just doesn't sound right, does it? := Easy to accuse them now anyways... If you guys were so smart, why didn't you complain about them before?

Met with chief pilot Fred Clark, who could indeed rightly call himself a 'bush pilot' after flying Buffalos and the like. Met with ops manager Bruce Flynn, who seemed like a fine chap, of the kind much needed by the African airline industry.

It's a real pity, all of this going down the drains... I guess the Gabonese just expect foreigners to always come to their country and build things, so that they can plunder them eventually... :yuk:

Anybody knows who Shell is looking at as potential new providers? No one else in Gabon ever qualified. Air Contractors? Schreiner?

[GUSTO]

By the way , the Bad Guy "Vialaret" who left the country a while ago came back to the country with the congratulations of the big "BOSS". Funny a guy like him can run a company , make huge profit , give opportunities , develop corporate aviation in gabon , ect ... but as soon as you put a Gab director the company goes diving into the deep sea , buying expensive useless airplane , employing 100s of non required employees , etc ...
So for Air Service I think we have the same kind of senario ; someone come to the country with a very realistic buisiness plan , put it in place , and when the Gabs realise the Company is making Money , the jealousy ( a very natural gabs feeling) come into place and they usually xxxxxxx up! they must try that::ugh:

[Treetopflyer]

Vialaret back in Gabon??? When was that? Have u got anymore details?:confused:

[GUSTO]

He has been back now for more than a month . As said before he has been cleared by the big "boss" , the national TV even made a report on him to clear him up with all the allegations that was made about him.
they even ask him to start a new cargo company because he has the required experience not like some other young useless daughter of *****.
Surprise you do not know about this all your remaining friends at 2AG must know that for sure :)

[Treetopflyer]

Eh ben non mon grand, j'étais même pas au courant dis-donc... C'est ça d'être redevenu un petit blanc, on sait même plus ce qui se passe au pays!!!

Poor Gabonese... They were licking Vialaret's shoes for years, then suddenly he left and they b*tched all they could about him, and now he is back with full support of the president... I wonder what they are saying about him now... :ouch: :rolleyes:

As far as 2AG and miss Hermine B**** are concerned, I am sure she can screw up all she can she will still get the funding from the president... How would the ministers travel otherwise??? 2AG's survival is vital to the country, you see...:}

Sinon, il marche bien, ton ATR? ;)

[Chickenman 22]

I am an auditor for an oil company that is expanding in Gabon. We need to charter aircraft to/from ST to Lagos and Libreville. We just heard that Air ST crashed last night, anyone know if this is true? Who else in Gabon has aircraft for charter? Thanks for the help!

[Treetopflyer]

I would go with Air Affaires Gabon myself, +(241) 73 01 92. Beech 1900s and Fokker 100. Dunno what your standards are though, but they are the most serious in there right now in my opinion.:ok:

[Chickenman 22]

I appreciate the help.

[SUKUMA]

I lost a very good friend in the " Sandy Lake crash" (1993) I believe the HS 748 ( Operated by Air Manitoba)had partial electrical failure on T/O and the crew flew the A/C to the ground. Here are the findings of the M.O.T I might be mistaken but didn't the Deluce Family own this company?

With respect.
S.

3.2 Causes
After take-off, the crew most likely lost situational awareness and, as a result, did not detect the increasing deviation from their intended flight path. Contributing to the loss of situational awareness was the lack of AC power to some of the flight instruments; the reason for the lack of AC power could not be determined

4.0 Safety Action

4.1 Action Taken

4.1.1 Transport Canada (TC) Special Inspection

In January 1994, TC conducted a special inspection of Air Manitoba's Flight Operations and Maintenance departments. The findings of this inspection, primarily with respect to maintenance shortcomings, resulted in removal of the company's maintenance certificate and suspension of its operating certificate. The company subsequently contracted its HS 748 maintenance to another carrier and regained its operating certificate.


Regardless of of whose fault it might be, the operator or the crew ,the ultimate decision always lies with the crew.It takes two to tango...

S.

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/reports/air/earlier/a93h0023/a93h0023.asp

[Heli-Jet]

Is this the same company Air Services that operated the Gulfstream1 back in 2004 that crashed on the beach in Libreville. The Captain didn't have a license and the co-pilot who wasn't rated on the aircraft !!!!

[Treetopflyer]

Is this the same company Air Services that operated the Gulfstream1 back in 2004 that crashed on the beach in Libreville. The Captain didn't have a license and the co-pilot who wasn't rated on the aircraft !!!!

...and you don't have your story straight. Aircraft that crashed in 2004 was Gabon Express' HS748. They, incidentally, also operated a Gulfstream I, which left Gabon a few weeks later.

Air Service has not had any accident / serious incident since the Canadians arrived (and even for quite a few year before that).

[Heli-Jet]

Thanks treetopflyer, got my wires crossed there, heard there was quite a bit of fallout with the Government and their DCA and the owner of Gabon Express

How does Transport Canada get involved on the maintenance side if all the records are in Libreville and the aircraft has been returned to Canada, I guess Air Services had the Registrations changed to Gabonese when they arrived in Gabon

[Treetopflyer]

Yes, there was quite a bit of turmoil around that Gabon Express' crash you were talking about... It unveiled a serious corruption culture within the Gabonese CAA, the Secretary to Civil Aviation went to jail as well as the company owner. Both have been released now, though, and everything is back to normal (except Gabex is no more)... :mad: :ugh:

Air Service aircraft were indeed all put on the Gabonese register after their arrival in the country.

Cheers, TTF.