Info about AVIONCO

[Capi]

Hello all,

Just wanted to ask anyone that may have any info about Avionco contract company, good, bad, business practices, are pilots content working there?, types of contracts, ect. please share your insight. It will be greatly appreciated. Fly safe...

[CRJusa]

I am interested as well... anyone with Avionco experience?

[AliTee]

Unfortunately for RJ Drivers, Avionco is Bombardier's manufacturer's rep when it comes to providing pilots to new customers. They will have the most contracts for years to come (or less if they continue to underperform) because of this. The management pretty much does this as a second job and it shows. If you like worrying about whether you will be paid or not, like being lied to, and having your concerns ignored, then this is the company for you. Remember, you were warned.

[CitationUltra]

Check here and on other forums. My advice: Stay away from Avionco at all costs.

[B200Drvr]

Agree with the above, I am one of the many that got screwed. STAY AWAY, no matter how good it sounds and how desperate you are, you will be in a worse situation when AVIONCO have shafted you.

[aceypilot]

Avionco are crooks. Like the man said, you were warned and all the above is true. See my post here http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=321869

[dobie1]

I thought I would just give my 2 cents worth to this debate. I am not here to try to say that what everyone is posting is incorrect, as I truly do not know all circumstances or details on all of problems that have arisen.
I want to make this very clear, the following is totally unsolicited by Mike or Josh but I believe there needs to be some balance to the forum.
Fellow pilots my name is Wayne Gillis and I am an Avionco pilot.
I took early retirement from a major airline, and after 29 years decided that I still loved to fly just didn’t like who I flew for. So decided to give contract flying a try, I read the forums at the time (certainly not as many postings as now) and after looking around decided to give Avionco a try. A friend of mine was already working for them and after talking to him I was hired Jan/07.

Contract #1 was in India as the 1st of 2 expat pilot into the Indus airline project. I’ve been to India twice on assignment, and have to say that the India DGCA is the Indian airline industry’s worst enemy. What should take 2 weeks anywhere else takes 3 months, if at all.
I never flew on this assignment until the last week , during the 2 months prior to this I was paid on time with no hassles. At the end of the third month the two Aircraft were seized due to none payment of leases. The contract ended I was fully paid by Avionco. The interesting part of this is the company has never paid Avionco and to this day. I know this for a fact!

Contact# 2 Gabon, Africa first pilots in , 3 month contract and we were paid late once, the last month (interestingly enough Avionco wasn’t paid by the Gabon Airline until the end of the 3rd month). But Avionco still paid us on time the first two months they were late the last month a couple of days.

Contract #3 India once again first of two pilots into the project and after 7 months we were only paid late once by 2 days again due to none payment by the airline. I was there for nearly 7 months.
I am now into contract #4 so far so good.

So for some of you that were waiting for contracts in India I can tell you that Avionco isn’t the problem it is the Indian Government and Indian culture. As I said in the beginning what takes 2 weeks in most other countries takes forever there if it happens at all. Promises are made perhaps to people based on bad information from the different airlines. Sometime the airlines actually are lying
So to finish this up in almost 17 months of work I’ve been paid late 3 times.
I’m note saying that it is a perfect world, because it is not.
But I truly believe that there are two sides to every story , and this is mine.

Wayne

[CitationUltra]

Great shilling for Avionco, but I can tell you the problems that I and many others hereon had with them had nothing to do with India. A problem like that, if adequately explained by the contract recruiter, could be overlooked. The broad pattern of behavior that you will see if you read this forum and others cannot be overlooked by any prudent pilot who is looking out for her/himself in the contract world.

[dobie1]

In the very beginning of my post I stated that I was not disputing other people for whatever reasons have had problems. And I’m sure some of them have a justifiable grievance, but what I am stating is what has happened to me since joining them.
In looking at other posts on other companies they all have their problems and I personally believe as a contract pilot that isn’t my problem. We all have contracts that we expect to be lived up to.
But I stand by my post and put my name to it.

Wayne Gillis
X Air Canada Jazz :)

[Flyer 1492]

Wayne,

Please send me an address where I can send you your Alpa retirement gift. I have been trying to find you for the past six months. You can email me at [email protected].

Regards,

Scott Frolick
Calgary

[dobie1]

Hi Scott will do
Wayne