More Fokkers

[mootyman]

Who with a bowl cut bought 8 fokkers last night?

[FRQ Charlie Bravo]

Was it
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/ATA/7539M%7EThe-Three-Stooges-Moe-Posters.jpg

or

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/images/2009/Feb/09-02-04c_dumb_and_dumber4.jpg

?

~FRQ CB

[outback aviator]

Which ones F-50's or F-100's?

[The Voice]

and .. where's the head office - east or west coast?

[ules]

hmm skywest? they are the only oz operator i know that have f100

[GAFA]

Alliance have both the 100 and the 50 and Network have the 100.

[Led Zep]

:}:}:}

Pic number one looks like RF.


:D:D:D

[oil additive]

Has this thread got anything to do with XR getting their 8th F50 recently??? :confused:

[Brasilian Bird]

Zep,

I just snorted coffee out of my nose, too :mad: funny mate!

[IAW]

Network expanding?

[Capn Bloggs]

It's Cobham. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! ;)

[Going Boeing]

Can someone post the details as some of us don't get the "in-house" comments.
It's a great development as it means more jobs in the industry.

Thanks GB

[higherplane]

From the 'trusted' rumour mill. The 8 F100s are coming from Germania Air or somewhere in that neck of the woods.

Some good news for the boys and girls at Alliance if they are giong to promote internally. They're going to struggle to find good crews and check trainers with the expansion going on at Jetstar and Virgin, especially with the wages they pay. It's an impressive expansion for a company of their size.

[The Green Goblin]

Didn't Alliance just lay off a heap of crew late last year?

Something big must be going down soon!

[GAFA]

Yes they did GG, plus a some of the Brisbane crews were forced to move to Townsville to keep their jobs. There is also talk a possible ownership change at Alliance with one of the sharholders buying the rest out.

[VH-UFO]

Saw an Alliance aircraft at Cloudbreak yesterday....................................

[Section28- BE]

Giday-

Did mean to throw this up a couple of weeks ago..........., will post it here as they've been mentioned as the "alleged" new owners of a flock of further F100's, as opposed to the CNS thread........

Article below ex "The Street Talk" section of the Australian Financial Review of 4 March-

Street Talk

Carlyle Group in a whirl about Airwork

PUBLISHED: 04 Mar 2010 01:06:00
Edited by Jamie Freed and Sarah Thompson

Private equity is back on the prowl and one of the industry’s behemoths is already circling.

The humble Aussie chopper is where it’s at and US private equity giant Carlyle Group is understood to have tabled a compelling
bid in the past fortnight for Airwork, poised to be renamed Contract Aviation Industries (CAI).

The bid was rebuffed (but there’s thought to be more than one party interested) and CAI continues on its path to a potential $350
million listing in mid-April.

At the same time, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group and Deloitte have the mandate for Lloyd Helicopters of Australia on
behalf of First Reserve.

Carlyle has already expressed interest in the asset (thought to be worth in excess of $100 million), with Australian Helicopters –
owned by Archer Capital Growth Fund – also in the bidding fray.

The flurry of interest all comes down to the appeal of fly in/fly out services or “FIFO”.
This is a method of employing people in remote areas, particularly in the mining industry.

CAI’s Alliance division specialises in FIFO and its major shareholder, canny New Zealand entrepreneur Hugh Jones, has spotted
a burgeoning market in Australia, namely our largest ever resources project, the Chevron-led Gorgon liquefied natural gas
project off Western Australia.

There’s a big buzz around Karratha and Port Hedland at the moment due to LNG and iron ore projects in the region.

Meanwhile, as the financial community goes ex-bonus, bankers and analysts are upping sticks.

JPMorgan’s transport team, Matt Crowe and Andre Fromhyr, resigned yesterday, having been lured to CBA. The question is
whether the pair will be made to work out their three months’ gardening leave, as is the case with JPMorgan’s energy analyst
Mark Greenwood, who recently signed up with Citigroup.

Citi pulled off another coup yesterday with the appointment of Brett Hanmer as a director in the corporate banking coverage
team. Hamner hails from Deutsche, which recently lost industrials banker Jeremy Larkin.

The Australian Financial ReviewThere was a similar article in the same section of the AFR on the 29/09/08 entitled- "Fly Boys look for Capital Injection", whereby "apparently" Alliance were- exploring options through Wilson HTM for a sale, or at least an equity injection.So given we're a fortnight down the track (from the above article- pending it's veracity??) and the CNS announcement, etc. and "apparently" with a float looming "mid April"- if these duelling "interested parties" (one of whom has launched a "compelling bid") don't nail this down soon- should we not expect a Prospectus to hit the deck sooner rather than later???

Regards all
S28- BE

[Mr. Hat]

And the article translated in english would mean..:*:O

[arrow28]

Does anybody have any info as to which company is obtaining these Fokkers?

[tourismman]

Alliance

there is a article in Today's Australian.

[Beyond tha Threshold]

Mining boom gives aviation specialist new wings Steve Creedy, Aviation writer From: The Australian March 24, 2010 12:00AM

BRISBANE-BASED resource aviation specialist Alliance Airlines is undergoing its biggest expansion since 2002 thanks to the return of the mining boom.
Eight more Fokker-100 jets, acquired from a European vendor, are due to be delivered from May.

This will leave Alliance with a fleet of 19 of the 100-seat workhorse twinjets, in addition to its fleet of six Fokker-50 turboprops.

The ex-US Airways planes will allow the company to expand its nationwide fly-in, fly-out contracts as the resource sector hits its stride after being interrupted by the global financial crisis.

The airline recently announced it would open a new base in Cairns, in addition to existing operations in Brisbane, Townsville, Perth and Adelaide.

It is expected to create more than 60 new jobs for plots and cabin crew as well as additional engineering positions.

The F100s have proved popular with fly-in, fly-out operators because of their lower capital costs, reliability and ability to operate in hot weather.

The planes have a range of up to 3167km -- about 3.5 hours flying time -- and Alliance uses them on what is believed to be the world's longest fly-in, fly-out route between Brisbane and Telfer in Western Australia.

Alliance also uses them for adhoc charters for governments and organisations such as sporting groups, but does not provide scheduled airline services.

Alliance managing director Scott McMillan said the airline had worked with its customers during the downturn to reduce costs and was now looking to capitalise on renewed growth in Australia and neighbouring countries.

He said the investment was a vote of confidence in the future of the region's resources sector that demonstrated Alliance's commitment to supporting the industry.

The new planes would give it extra capacity to increase operations for existing clients as well as expand into new markets.

"Basically, through the GFC there was obviously no growth," he said. "But every single customer we have is talking about new services and some have already committed to them.

"So there's a fair bit of organic growth now."

Two of the F100s will go to the new Cairns base while others would cater for growth in Brisbane and particularly Western Australia, Mr McMillan said.

He said the airline was looking at short-term leases, possibly in Europe, for two or three of the aircraft, but he expected all eight planes to be in Australia by the end of the year.

Mining boom gives aviation specialist new wings | The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-boom-gives-aviation-specialist-new-wings/story-e6frg8zx-1225844490837)

[John Citizen]

It is expected to create more than 60 new jobs for plots


plots ? :confused:

[AirborneSoon]

The new technical term for pilots...:}

[wrongwayaround]

Words from horses mouths suggest that F50 pilots (and other internals) have been asked for "Expressions of interest - F100 Cairns & Perth base", and people on file who have previously applied for jobs (not in the company) have been offered "Opportunities - Adelaide base"... and we all know Adelaide only has the F50

Which I gather would suggest progression is being offered for F50 guys - a good thing. Take it !:ok:

[tiger19]

weren't some F50 drivers laid off some 6 months or so ago in Adelaide. Have they got their jobs back???

[BreakingWind]

Yes.. 3 FO's and 1 Capt were made redundant.. and no they have not got their jobs back because it's been over 3 months (they would be legally obligated to hire them back if it was within 3 months)...

which makes you wonder, why the heck did they sack 'em in the first place... :confused:

[dash 27]

GFC. A lot can change in this industry in 6 months. Not all agree with the Ts and Cs but the airline is one of the very few that does not charge for type ratings and employs without silly HR games. Ie psych and skills. Not many leave/bust bonds because the alternative lifestyle might not equal a 35k type rating expense, plus promos have trended 2-3 years. And recently most have received them inside their 2 yr bond time. The money is average for a 3 day a week and a couple of reserve days roster. Mine flights are the prime business but charters come up to a variety of destinations keeping the job interesting. The c&t dept are very fair. Big T little C in the sim. You can do a whole lot worse.

[hardNfast]

http://www.pprune.org/dg-p-reporting-points/409174-alliance-cns-base.html

F100 FO are on between $65-$70000 and Capt $105-$110000.

How does that compare with Skywest, Network??

[Mr. Hat]

One thing you have to say about Alliance is they run a lean mean fighting machine. They have pay less but retain most of their crews as most seem to be pretty happy with the job.

I stepped inside one of their machines in Brisbane once and it was like new. Immaculate infact. You'd have to say that they really are the charter leaders.

[BreakingWind]

Mr Hat.. You're quite correct..

In addition to that they give you FULL PAY from the day of hiring - no training wage, which is quite rare. You don't have to pay for your endorsement.

2 Year bond isn't exactly a huge chunk out of your life either.

And now with bases in Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth... With home (pretty much) everynight - unless it's a special charter.. Really does make for a charming job.

An Alliance aircraft does not take-off unless the money is in the bank from the customer up front.

People rarely (if ever?) fail checks/sims in Alliance... PJ has made it clear to all the check and trainers that it's big "T" little "C"... and the last I heard.... the guys have an absolute blast when they head off to Malaysia/Melbourne for their sims??? Must be good to have a golden amber with the checkies after completing a sim :ok:

the only real grumble I've heard lately is the Adelaide guys aren't getting catering, or getting insufficient catering... is this correct? :confused:

Recently P.J has been appointed as the Chief Pilot (or FOM)... which everyone is really happy about... you couldn't ask for a better boss... must be exciting for the guys in alliance with all the new prospects - enjoy it lads....

[Mr. Hat]

Yep heard the same. My mate wouldn't go to a major in a pink fit. Reckons everything is peachy where he is.

Good on em. Says alot given the wage ain't the highest getting around.

[TBM-Legend]

....and the big public listing is ON...raising $70M to retire debt and $30M for expansion. Includes the freight and helicopter stuff in NZ...

[The Voice]

now that's interesting .. any clue as to when and more importantly is there a prospectus around or a hint as to its code?

Good one Scott and co!! :ok:

[splat72]

With a bunch of PX F100 experienced pilots in Cairns maybe Alliance wont have to look far for crew.

[PLovett]

A quick question if I may. Does Alliance advertise for flight crew through their web site or use another agency to sort through the dross?

[TBM-Legend]

there is a document at various brokers...

[TBM-Legend]

most bus drivers take their own lunch to work in a brown paper bag....:hmm:

[wombat_keeper]

I have also had a bit to do with a number of there YBBN based F100 aircraft, and can say that on the surface it appears both the company, crew and those contracting to them seem committed and even " happy " to be there.

I was reading an article on Alliance in an industry publication recently and it
went on to say how they have implemented new systems for pax safety etc etc especially for the mining industry. Almost claiming to be the only carrier capable of operating a mine charter service !

It seems to me that they really do have a close working relationship to various mining corporations at the moment and will continue to be a solid operation as long as that still remains the case.

[AussieAviator]

A friend has been called by Alliance to attend a interview in BNE next week. Apparrently they cover all expenses of getting to Brissie and back, and he was told that they are recruiting a relatively large number of crew to cover small amount of resignations and overall expansion. My inside source in Alliance says that there will be multiple command upgrades on both F50 and F100, and all F50 sim training will be done in Amsterdam. Also consider the planned merger with Airwork (Flight Operations - Welcome (http://flightoperations.co.nz/)) and the fact that Alliance own outright most of their fleet, and it would seem to be a reasonably large player in the Aussie/NZ region!:ok:

[hongkongfooey]

Are those pay figures correct, surely not ? It's not often Nat Joke get trumped as the worst payers in Oz jet ops.
If they are correct, it would take less than 2 years to make your money back on an endorsement with Vb/Jetstar.
3-4 days a week off is not much good if you have no money, I'm guessing they don't spend their time off at the private golf courses.

[MBA747]

What is the situation for a DEC F100? The reason I ask, is that there is a strong rumour circulating that a lot of the pilots in the company do not have sufficient experience to be promoted to a jet command. Also that a lot of F/O's will be bypassed for more experienced pilots currently available.

Is this true or is someone circulating this clap trap to upset the rest of the pilots?

[F111]

No need for DEC's as the only requirement for command is 500 hours on company aircraft. If anyone wants any further info re pay and conditions send me a PM as things are not as good as some have said.

[PT6]

It is pleasing to read such positive posts for an Australian operator. From my knowledge of Alliance it is a top operator in many respects. Well done guys at Alliance! Keep up the good work.

[naild]

Quick qu? anymore details on current T's and C's (pay), from those who have had interviews or working currently.

Also, what is the best way to send CV (internet, mail, etc)?

Cheers.

ps - welcome to PM me ;)

[IAW]

recruitment @ allianceairlines.com.au was on an ad in the Australian couple of weeks ago.

[Beyond tha Threshold]

Carlyle and RPK to purchase commercial aviation assets
By Emily.perryman
Created 22/04/2010 - 15:08

Private equity firm The Carlyle Group and RPK Capital Management, an aircraft leasing and investment company, have formed a partnership to invest USD600m in equity in a spectrum of commercial aviation assets, including aircraft, engines and related securities and loans.

With leverage, the new partnership, RPK Capital Partners, is expected to purchase well over USD1bn in aviation assets.

The equity comes from Carlyle Partners V, Carlyle Strategic Partners II, RPK principals and other investors.

Carlyle managing director Adam Palmer says: “This new partnership marries Carlyle’s global footprint and decades of aerospace experience with RPK’s proven ability to create value in complex situations in the commercial aircraft sector at this opportune time. RPK’s responsive, creative and disciplined approach has enabled them to generate consistently superior returns.”

RPK co-founder and managing partner James Raff adds: “We are excited to partner with The Carlyle Group and leverage their global reach and relationships in this sector. There is a significant need for capital and expertise in the commercial aviation investment sector at this time. This new partnership will provide creative fleet solutions and liquidity to airlines, lessors, financial institutions and other non-traditional owners of aviation assets worldwide.”

RPK is an aircraft leasing and investment company founded in 2004 with headquarters in Chicago and offices in New York, San Francisco and London. The senior management team comprises four veterans of the aviation industry: Raff, Paul Redman, Robert Gates and Christopher Chaput.

Concurrent with the closing of this transaction, Chaput, who will be based in RPK’s New York office, joins RPK Capital Partners from The Seabury Group where he was a partner and head of structured finance.

Carlyle was advised by Evercore Partners and Debevoise & Plimpton. RPK was advised by The Seabury Group and K&L Gates.

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Source URL: Carlyle and RPK to purchase commercial aviation assets | Private Equity Wire (http://www.privateequitywire.co.uk/2010/04/22/43819/carlyle-and-rpk-purchase-commercial-aviation-assets)