Qantas Looking For Lames

[QF MAINT OUTSOURCED]

Just got a call from HR asking me to come in for an interview for a Lame position up in Bris Vages,already having second thoughts,dam it they can stick it especially since guys don't have an EBA to talk about,wankers

[Lodown]

And get laid off again during the next round of cost cutting?
The carrot better be a big one with chocolate coating. Qantas has toyed with little peoples' lives for many years while the managers have fed at the trough. I trust any smart LAME who applies for the position/s will factor in the cost of getting laid off within a short period of time with no advance warning when he/she negotiates the renumeration. Despite what the managers might say during the interview, Qantas already has a history of doing just that.

[takeonme]

Just out of interest,

What happened to the Mods section in good ol' H271 at Syd? C shift still going?

[QF MAINT OUTSOURCED]

H.M shut down last year,400 plus retrenched,no major maint or mods left in Sydney,now done out of Singapore and Hong Kong

[NAS1801]

Hey QF Outsourced, SOME is done in Singapore/Hong Kong.... But Avalon does most of it now. (Same same I guess!)

[Apophis]

just got the same call and they don,t have or won,t give any details what an operation don,t think i will waste the 4 hours the want me to.

[ConcernedLAME]

Basically external applicants will be employed as LVL 3 ..prerequisite is 767,as far as we know.
Lots of good LAMES out there without 767 ...i guess they think they will get what they need ..I highly doubt it!!! The almighty dollar will be there undoing..in efforts to penny pinch they will miss out some good workers. I hope the attitude changes ,as BNE HVY has a good workforce which ,when required come up with the goods every time.
I wouldnt be so quick to dismiss the place ...the fact that H3 has been able accommodate 4 different A/C types in just two years has raised a few eyebrows at the highest level of Engineering and Maintenance, and to be honest it is all due to the workforce there that this was able to happen.
They send it and it gets done every time ,on time or better......I better stop before I make myself vomit..but it is true.
So any of you out there considering BNE HVY think twice before dismissing it totally. The future looks promising regardless of what you hear.

[Going Boeing]

Concerned

I thought that they were employing LAMEs for the expected A330 MRTT work as well as QF A330 HM which is currently being done in Manila due to the required tooling not yet in place in BNE HM. I'd rather have the work done "in-house" because I've seen the result of aircraft being serviced off-shore.

[ConcernedLAME]

The word is they want 767 LAMEs , I do believe they are trying to get staff in to accommodate A330s. No official word about MRTT or C checks yet ,but inside word is that they are coming..when is anybodys guess.
Outsourcing has caused no end of dramas with A330...JQ in HNL just one problem..A/C returned to MNL to have a few days work c/o to rectify problem..after it had already had a C check carried out.
Essentially I believe BNE will become QF engineerings main base ..lots of space for growth and a State government with incentives in place for future aviation growth. No curfews for A/C arrivals and departures. Time will tell I guess...

[soldier of fortune]

yes the BNE heavy maint center of excellance --keeps churning out fine products one b767 after another .
yeh come up here its a great place to work

[NAS1801]

just got the same call and they don,t have or won,t give any details what an operation don,t think i will waste the 4 hours the want me to. what information do u require from them? A start date? Geez.... I really don't know why people apply for jobs if they don't want them! If you think you will be wasting 4 hours, why apply in the first place?

[opalops]

I applied For BNE but only having 744 A/F ENG I dont think I will get a look in
Have 20 years experience in aviation 12 years in a HVY MNT enviroment and I was keen as mustard to get a start as I really loved maintaining A/C
to me it seems such a waste.

[The Mr Fixit]

Guys if youre interested in the Aviation Game then look around Virgin, Pornstar, Qantas, John Holland Aviation Services, GA are all looking for AMEs and LAMEs.

WE ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY

If youre in the association (ALAEA) then ask them where the jobs are, get on the web and see what are the expected rates of pay are

Having mates at various facilities helps but the figures below are general for one/two type licence held

Virgin Line LAME $105,000 Mech $115,000 Avi 4on 4off Collective AWA

Jetstar Line $95,000 Mech $105,000 Avi D/A Collective Employee

Qantas Heavy $59,000 Mech $70,000 Avi D/A EBA

Qantas Line $75,000 Mech $86,000 Avi D/A EBA 4on 4off EBA

JHAS Heavy $95,000 Mech $110,000 Avi D/A

Food for thought

[numbskull]

Guys if youre sick of being shafted by Virgin, Pornstar, Qantas, GA then there are lots of options.

After 20 yrs with QF (15 as a LAME) I was able to pick up a job that paid more than my basic pay as a LAME and I know lots of guys that have left QF and are earning more than they would as a LAME or AME at QF. (OK my net pay is less as I don't get shift penalties - then again, I'm not working nighshift or weekends anymore either- it suits me!)

ALL SKILLED PEOPLE ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY IN MANY INDUSTRIES!!

You don't need to accept crappy pay/pay rises, no training, or have sub standard shifts forced upon you. You don't have to move interstate if you're a LAME in Sydney or elsewhere in Australia to get a job with similiar money!

More Food for Thought!

[Syd eng]

Sorry to say this but avoid it, do something else. The Aussie airlines dont think Engineers are important. We are a cost they think they can avoid. Any second choices?

[ConcernedLAME]

Syd Eng...Rather than turn people away from the industry ,it would be better to encourage it. people can make their own choices whether the dollar value is there for them.
I have been in industry for about 15 years, and yes a lot has changed. Lames are not getting paid what they used to in comparison to the rest of the community. However the worm will turn.. Aircraft dont fix themselves..and the industry is booming...There are not enough slots in MROs for all the aircraft that are being built..something has to give . Changes to CASA regulations are also going to create opportunities for LAMEs to work O/S and earn some good money.
The local companies will have to eventually pay more to retain staff.
Maybe some of us are not happy with the renumeration available as a LAME or AME at the moment but I believe in time it will change.
Cheers

[Syd eng]

James, you would be lucky to earn that amount in the entire apprenticeship & that is before you do all the things that a 17/18yo does with life. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

[QF MAINT OUTSOURCED]

you could allways sell your ARSE,should get your license in no time flat.

[soldier of fortune]

quote
"you could allways sell your ARSE,should get your license in no time flat"

just like the hero's that have gone to PER

[domo]

soldier of fortune your title sugests you may sell your arse a soldier of fortune is a mercenary,where I come from that means gun for hire

[FlexibleResponse]

A Canadian pilot friend of mine in CX funded his way into the airlines by earning $200,000 per year in the mining industry. This was quite some many years ago.

If you have engineering talent, don't waste your time trying to earn money from the Aussie airline cheapskates. The real money is in the mining industry in Australia. Put in a couple of years and the you will earn enough to make the world your oyster!

[arkmark]

James,

Look across the board there aren't that many opportunities for an aircraft engineer of any type to become a pilot. In my career that was post flight engineers, I know of a whopping two engineers now flying in the airlines. Neither of them were LAME's - both AME's who moved on very young.

The airlines won't allow career progression from LAME to Driver generally unless there is an amazing amount of suction going on somewhere. Especially so if you make the mistake of showing some technical aptitude as an engineer:8

Engineering wages are markedly low at the moment compared to people who live outside the airport fence - that is where you spend your money, so there is no point comparing airline wages to airline wages. Compare them to other general wage earners with similar positions, considering the wage rises of each across the last ten years in particular. Unqualified IT people for example with no responsibility and little experience and certainly no criminal charges pending in the case of miss adventure earn $80 - $100 per hour on contract rates whilst unqualified aircraft maintenance personnel earn less than $30.00 contract, and these days they don't even get staff travel !!!!!!

If you want to fund a flying career as an AME (it takes ten years plus plus plus to become a LAME in the airlines earning the figures quoted) then you will earn less than a dish pig and get treated far worse by the airlines, even though you have legislated responsibility under a stringent act that is written to hang you and your supervisor from the rafters in the case of missadventure.

At least washing dishes you won't have to pay for your own interview and you might meet some nice girls in the hospitality industry :ok: