REX really mean business

[Soteria]

For once, a positive aviation accomplishment;

There has been a flurry of activity around Queensland in the past fortnight with REX winning the TMR contract. They have been negotiating parking spots and terminal space at numerous airports, conducting proving and trial flights, and shipping container loads of GSE around the QLD network. They are taking the contract seriously and working very hard to set up a reliable service for Queensland. They are picking up additional staff including pilots, and have been acting like aviation professionals throughout the entire process. In fact they are doing such a good job (considering they don't officially start the contracts until January 1) that a Government source told me that they wished REX had been given the contract 5 years ago!
Good work boys and girls :ok:

[tipsy2]

One hopes they are better at doing their job than the associated entity that dropped a Westwind, the investigation of which has been discredited and has been the matter of ongoing close scrutiny by the Senate Committee.

I suppose having friends in the right places will always generate the desired outcome.

Tipsy:rolleyes:

[mac76]

does anyone know if rex needs pilots , anyone has details , i have 6800 hrs on f50 and looking for work in qld to get home from overseas..:ok:

[PLovett]

Tipsy, if one cares to read the audit document that castigated Pel Air and was withheld from the ATSB you would note that it drew a distinct difference between that company and REX when it came to their operations. For some reason the operational standards of REX failed to make the transition to Pel Air.

[Justa Dash]

Doubt that Soteria

5 years ago was a a labour government and Skytrans had good reliability and wasn't managed by a primary school teacher!

By GSE assume you mean ground power carts as SAAB won't cut it on 40 minute sectors.

[BNEA320]

Isn't Sharp ex Fed Transport Minister on board or chairman of Rex ?

[Captahab]

They seem to be doing something right
Best Regional Airline: REX | Australian Traveller (http://www.australiantraveller.com/peoples-choice-2014/best-regional-airline-rex/#)

I thought they did one engine running turnarounds in hot conditions.
The SAAB also has the ability to brake the right prop and use the running engine as an apu.

[evolved]

The Rex SAAB's don't have prop brakes fitted.

[continueapproach737]

Do they put it into "Hotel" mode?

[neville_nobody]

North QLD in the middle of summer no APU........maybe this can be the boarding music....:}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeZZr_p6vB8

[seneca208]

My understanding is they are having the Prop-Brakes fitted to certain QLD based aircraft.

[j3pipercub]

And that should work just fine, however are they allowed to refuel in hotel?

[evolved]

My understanding is they are not having the brakes fitted and will be doing single engine turns. In places they can't they will use air cond carts and gpu's.

[aussie1234]

Single engine turn arounds are done with prop spinning and the F/O standing out the front in 2 way communication with the skipper. There are circumstances when you can't do a single engine (dpl, um's) but otherwise it works really well. It looks after the batteries and keeps the cabin cool.

[Jenna Talia]

the F/O standing out the front in 2 way communication with the skipper

WTF is the F/O doing standing out the front in comms with the skipper? He should be in the flight deck with the skipper. Don't they have ground crew to do this, like every other airline?

[Captahab]

WTF is the F/O doing standing out the front in comms with the skipper? He should be in the flight deck with the skipper. Don't they have ground crew to do this, like every other airline?

Maybe that is why they don't lose money like every other airline ;)

[Jenna Talia]

Maybe that is why they don't lose money like every other airline

I guess paying your staff crap and treating them as such also helps.

They could just as easily train the ground crew who are already there to do the same task. But no and as usual, they just lump everything onto the pilots.

We are talking about an airline here, not GA.:yuk:

[Shapeshifter]

I guess paying your staff crap and treating them as such also helps.

They could just as easily train the ground crew who are already there to do the same task. But no and as usual, they just lump everything onto the pilots.

We are talking about an airline here, not GA.

I don't know Jenna, I mean we are talking about remote communities here with populations of sometimes less than a few hundred and you are suggesting that Rex should have dedicated, highly trained and well paid local ground staff to supervise single engine turn arounds maybe once or twice a week...?

No, they couldn't easily train the ground staff. I'd much prefer an FO who is aware and up to date with procedures to supervise than local ground crew.

Get a grip, you obviously have no experience whatsoever in regional operations and if you imagine that it would be better to have both pilots sitting upstairs in crisp white shirts and hats, sipping on coffee and relying on local ground crew to support you must be living in fairy land.

Maybe we aren't talking about an 'airline' here in the strictest sense of the word... perhaps it is a melding of GA and RPT in the unique environment we find ourselves here in Australia, that of large distances, small communities and the essential services that regional airlines provide.

Stick to sipping your lattes in terminal 3 while updating your social media while the rest of us get down and get to work.

All the best :ugh:

[PLovett]

I have seen Rex operations at three ports and at all of them they used independent contractors for ground handling and both crew were in their respective seats for start up. Further, given what Rex have publicly said about what they require to keep services to a specific port (30'000 pax pa) I cannot see them operating anywhere that doesn't have the ground staff and facilities they require, emergencies and break downs excepted.

[evolved]

All the ports where rex go have local ground staff. The only time the FO does any kind of ground handling is to stand out the front during the single engine turns. It has been part of their procedure for a long time and there has never been a problem. Why are people getting so wound up over this? Its not like the FO checks people in and loads the bags with an engine turning.

[atlas12]

The last few times i've flown QantasLink, the following link isn't far from the standard of passenger

Frequent floater, not surprising, QantasLink regularly sends aircraft with U/S APU to destinations such as Roma on 34 deg+ days. I've been sitting in the cockpit watching the cabin temp exceed 40 degrees on more than one occasion with 74 punters on board :rolleyes:

[Stiff Under Carriage]

Well said Shapeshifter.

- Prop Brake being fitted to a few.
- Single Engine Turn arounds are being performed already in FNQ and work well where possible.
- GPU's used to save battery consumption and used where SET can't be done.
- Refuelling won't be required all sectors and GPU are available.
- Ground Air Con Units will be used where SET not being done, to keep cabin cool. Already used network wide.

Jenna - See Shapeshifters post!

Before you go criticising REX. Skytrans was a GA company that operated RPT services. REX is an Airline and was never a GA company.

In addition REX was probably the ONLY airline in Oz that made money last year. ~$10m. Q - $270m loss, VA - $80m loss? Maybe they do something right, and pay is certainly not "crap" as you are led to believe. On par with aircraft size, pax, and industry standard. IMHO

Enough said.

[Mach E Avelli]

To those who reckon we do it tough here in Oz working under the various Pilot Awards, you need to compare like-sized operations in the USA.
Plenty of commuter-level pilots there really do live in camper vans close to the airport, as that's all they can afford.
Many will fly a six day week and 1000 hours a year for about what we would pay a good barista. In their early years Yank pilots typically get two weeks annual leave, and it never gets to our standard six weeks no matter how far you make it up the food chain.
Not saying that our Pilot Awards are all that flash compared with conditions enjoyed by other professions, but still better than no protections at all.
No-one requires anyone to be a pilot. We take up flying for our own reasons and need to accept that it's a hard slog to the left seat of that nice jet.

[deadcut]

To those who reckon we do it tough here in Oz working under the various Pilot Awards, you need to compare like-sized operations in the USA.

Mach, why do we need to compare ourselves to the bottom of the barrel? Just because you "made it" and got your little pot of gold does't mean every bastard below you should get stuffed.

Your logic can be applied to any industry in the US.

[Justa Dash]

Quote: Before you go criticising REX. Skytrans was a GA company that operated RPT services REX is an Airline and was never a GA company.

Skytrans are close to being neither, MFO is a very decent individual desperate to retire, once he can see the bulk of his flock redeployed to others he will.

CASA stopped them doing hot turns on RPT flights in 2011, wonder how they will treat REX.

[Mach E Avelli]

Deadcu*t, did I say that we should accept Yank conditions?
All I said is some of us need to stop whining about our own, because we are so much better off.
Back on thread - hot turnarounds never hurt anyone anywhere where they were managed properly.
Putting the F/O outside to supervise makes a whole lot more sense than having the local part-time baggage handler doing it.
Hot turnarounds have been done safely in both civil and military operations in the REAL world for half a century.

[Justa Dash]

Mach agree with you, for whatever reason CASA did stop the practise whilst I was there. Caused major issues on the gulf run as APU in those days very unreliable in fact they ended up purchasing several newer units from QF

[Stiff Under Carriage]

REX SET SoP's are fairly robust. Maybe Skytrans weren't?