How long till your next day off

[overpitched]

For a bit of background. We have a fleet of about 35 aircraft. I fly from a remote base situated about 2 flying hours from company HQ. At the base there is no tv, no radio, no hot water, and we sleep in tents. I fly about 80 - 90 hours a month. At the moment I have been on base for about 4 and a half months.

Tonight I am in town changing a machine over and was having a chat with the ops manager about days off. As I am married I asked when I could expect a couple of days at home. The reply was quite interesting I thought.

I was told that it was too expensive to get the pilots off base for days off and that the high priority is making money. Time off for pilots I was told was "at the bottom of the list".

I was wondering if there are many other pilots throughout the world in a similar situation ?? :{ :{

[Steve76]

Hey, at least you have job....

[Ascend Charlie]

Diametrically opposed? Opposite ends of the spectrum?
I also can never plan for a day off. I am on standby "permanently" for Da Boss. I only know I have had a day off when the sun goes down and I have not been called out. Twenty hours a month, maybe, live in my own house.

I know where I would rather be.

Shame your boss is so hungry - some people have no idea of the value of their staff.:mad:

[Shawn Coyle]

Overpitched:
Not sure what country you are in, but don't the regulations have some requirement for days off?
If not, this is a good reason to look to an organization like the PHPA. Airline pilots don't have to put up with this, why should helo guys?

[Joker's Wild]

""Hey, at least you have job...."

That, unfortunately, is the sort of mentality that has killed people in the past due to fatigue.

[ShyTorque]

Overpitched,

Your ops manager is an ass.

I suggest you find another job before you become a statistic. :mad:

[Blue Rotor Ronin]

That' arse,
stopping people fom having a job more like. The majority of us flex rules such as suit breaks (North sea) because, let's be honest, most would rather get the job done and go home than take the break as we're all pretty used to them anyway. However with that combination of time saved by suit breaks and rests we probably deny four or five pilots a job in Aberdeen alone. The days of the company man died with the arrival of the bean counter being the Big Dog. This chaps hanging ON to his job because he's complying, and if he does'nt.......Mmm

[Steve76]

People from pleasantville in the UK shouldn't goss about working out western OZ. If this is the Kimberleys then it really is unprofitable to run your people in and out. I know its a pain and I have done plenty of time away from the family but that is the nature of the game at that level. All the best.
Why would one worry about fatigue for flying only 80hrs a month? Still plenty of hours in the day for sleep and it is not exactly taxing work bombing tourists around.

[ShyTorque]

Steve 76

Is Australia different regarding flight safety and common sense then?

Secondly, our comments "from around the world" were invited by the poster, so please don't feel obliged to tell us who has a right here in "pleasantville" to "goss", as you put it. There aren't actually many of us with a lot of heli time who haven't spent a lot of time away from the family and decent living conditions. I did it for almost 20 years, supposedly the safety of the nation, but I wouldn't be prepared to do it just so someone else can make a bigger profit on my back and screw me in the process. :*

My advice is to look for another job and then write a nice letter explaining where and why the ops manager can shove it. Life is too short ;)

[donut king]

Hi Steve!

I prefer not to judge, but I have just one humble question for you or anyone else interested.

Do you LIVE TO WORK or WORK TO LIVE?

Myself, I prefer: work to live. We are no different than any other worker/ tax payer out there. We sometimes lose ourselves in this aviation business, forgetting that at the end of the day, the government wants their money.

Therefore why can't a pilot demand the same employment standards( eg.time off...) as any other worker out there?

D.K

[Bladestrike]

I got myself an IFR ticket many years ago after a decade of that crap bush flying, and its the best thing I ever did. I'm home everynight, very steady schedule and I make good coin. I can plan to be at birthday parties/weddings/ trips to Disneyworld/BBQ's and days at the beach in the summer with my kids. Granted once you've got the IFR ticket you'll probally take a pay cut for a few years until you get into a Captain's seat, but its well worth it for the lifestyle. Best thing I ever did and I'm only kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I'm sure there's quite a few good bush ops out there but I never found one, certainly not that compares to IFR! Need any info, PM me.

[Thomas coupling]

Overpitched, stick at it for much longer, and you won't have to worry about getting days off to see the wife.....
you won't have a wife!
I can't be bothered reading all the replies to this thread, because your thread said it all. I guess you are operating in some part of the world where regulations don't appear on the menu, probably because pilots can't/don't complain.
You made your bed so guess what?..................................

Shame though:(

[Steve76]

So let’s recap.

Shytorque said that he is ex-mil and has spent plenty of time away from home. So, why did you not tell HM to shove it via a nice letter? And how come it took 20yrs to come to that decision?

DK: getting a job in Australia (compared to one in Australia) is about as hard as it would be for you to join the space programme. The drop off rate after the CPL issue is horrific. This job that is being discussed is an ENTRY level job. NO, I don't agree that it is fair and I dislike the b@stards as much as anyone else. But OP is getting paid and is flying and that is what the "dream" is all about. For his present position there are probably 20 guys in Kunanarra pumping petrol and working the pubs just to get out to do the refueling.
How can the canuks even argue this point when you all head into the bush for 6 months a year to live in tents voluntarily? You also can fly up to 120hrs a month quite happily and do a years work in those 6 months!
As for "living to work .... working to live" it’s apparent that helo's are lifestyle. You will never be free of living to work while you are flogging a 20yr old machine around. You are no different to the rest of us as your mortgage and SUV lease is paid by your sweat for a paycheck.......despite the work to live attitude :)
My dimes worth: Lets Unionise (insert GASP! here)
Its the only way to get better coin and conditions. Look at the medics... they get $400 boots and we cannot even get a standardised cockpit through the fleet.

Poms:
When I say "pleasantville", understand that you lads in the UK can travel from one side of the country to the other in less than 2hrs. This is the outback; those 2hrs flying are in a fixed wing and would easily be a long long days drive of the 24hr variety. Most of you seem to be ex-mil and it seems hypocritical that you should think someone should fly their employees home when HM has fleets of aircraft that most likely could have put you somewhere comfortable in 2hrs flying...

The job is not forever and is very seasonal. I am sure that at 90hrs a month OP will soon be able to shift back to Sydney to join the herds down there bitching about the lack of opportunities and work...
Hang in there OP! :ok:

[ShyTorque]

Steve76,

I waited almost 20 years (just over 18 actually) because I had signed up for a permanent commission in my very late teens and I would lose all my pension had I PVR'd before that amount of time had been served :} . I certainly felt I had done enough well before then. Although I was offered another 17 years' worth till the age of 55, I certainly did write a nice letter telling them not bally likely (and I subsequently had a couple of nice interviews too).

I took the decision mainly in order to keep my marriage intact and family together. Towards the end of my Air Force time my wife was bringing up our 3 kids mostly as a single parent.

Glad you enjoy working your butt off; whatever turns you on ;)

[Joker's Wild]

Although it's been a while, the last time I checked the Canadian regs, one simply couldn't "live in a tent" for 6 months without a break.

And comparing the military way of doing things to the civvie way is apples and oranges. What we're talking about here ( I think) is a pilot being left out in the sticks WAY too long without a break. That's how people die. You, it seems, seem to thing that's an acceptable way of doing business, not unlike some sort of sick gamble. You know, "well young fella, you signed up for this, if you live thru the shafting you're about to get from me and my company, you'll probably have a relatively dececnt career."

Having been in the business for almost 20 years, I've heard my share stories involving tired pilots and wives burying a husband/father. I pray the gentleman who started this thread (or his son/daughter for that matter), never have to work for you.

[Bladestrike]

Steve, You asked "How can the canuks even argue this point when...."

The original post asked "I was wondering if there are many other pilots throughout the world in a similar situation ?? "

Been there, done that, and entitled to my opinion, thank you.

Overpitched, If you want to fly, and don't like the bush, pursue another avenue in the industry. Perhaps you don't have the experience yet neccessary, but looking into whats available and what kind of experience you need won't hurt.