BEWARE Non paying outfit in WA
 

Hi guys and gals,
There is a relatively new air ambulance operator based in Karratha.
They operate a really old Citation 2.
I would recomend anyone being offered work for this lot does a bit of research first.

Firstly they don't pay on time - ever. Guys have left because they were 7 weeks behind and never got paid - (even after not being paid, one guy was told by the chief pilot that he would have to pay back his training costs!)
Guys go up and do 2 weeks contract work and then have to fight for months to get their money. Inveriably they will only get paid when the chief pilot is desperate for them to cover for another 2 weeks.

They will make you all the promises in the world, but beware - NONE of them will ever be fulfilled!

I hear through the grapevine that they have even managed to convince 2 poor suckers to pay for their own endorsements... For about 1hr per week flying. Sounds like they really pulled out all the stops in selling this lemon.

Aspen Medical really do need to take a close look at who they contract to. Just because they have shared interests in one area doesn't mean they actually have a clue how to operate in others!

These guys won the contract tender from Aspen, couldn't actually fulfil the requirements themselves so then had to further sub-contract out to get the job done. Sad thing is that the sub-contractor, a Bankstown based operation, were doing it a whole lot better than this Adelaide based maintenance company. It has taken the Adelaide based company a couple of years to get to the point where they could legally operate the contract themselves. They end up shafting the Bankstown company royally as well - should have seen the writing on the wall I suppose.

Careful boys, Karma's a bitch. You thought you had a foot in the door with NTAMS but if you can't run a simple single aircraft op in Karratha JC and others will make sure you don't get anywhere nearer to the top end.

That Citation doesn't seem to do much flying. I can't recall too many occasions when I've been into Karratha and not seen it parked up.

It is on a joint user arrangement with several large mining/gas players so if it is sitting on the ground a lot that is a good thing for them, as it means all's well...

As usual there are I'm sure two sides to the story! I'm sure not everyone has had the same experience with this company.

Your right Topend, it would be like most other similar operations, on standby most of the time. Can't expect many hours per month!
FMC.

exactly and i am sure the crews are aware of that when they sign up...

"Can't expect many hours per month!"

No but you can expect to get paid correctly and on time. Even more so in Karratha where the cost of living is so much higher than anywhere else.

As said this is a multi oil company long term contract. They pay a good standing charge for this aircraft and a good rate for what is an old and tired C550. Why then the trouble with paying correctly and on time?

Are Aspen/CAC still providing housing and vehicles?

C550 Driver,

Mate you forgot the "s" in outfit...

Sadly there are more than one..

CMN

Are they still the same?
 

It's several months since the last post and I see CAC are now advertising for pilots. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off, $110,000 for capt. Is it likely they will honour this or is it just fishing for pilots with nice bait that gets pulled from you at the last moment (ie after you've left your previous job)

As a pilot, the day the wage doesn't turn up in your account you don't leave the house for work. :ugh:

Checkerboard hit it on the head.
I saw an Icelandic wet leas crowd do that to an Indonesian airline. The moment the next payment failed to reach the bank a phonecall to the pilots had them sitting around the pool and RPT flights stopped.
Indos soon worked out how to make sure the aeroplanes left on time.
Of course this company will hit the guilt button ... You NEED to go... some poor patient etc.
Bottle of beer in the fridge can fix that though.

As a pilot you contact your union and organise for them to chase it up. Failing to show up for work can be seen as unprotected industrial action and can lead to you being sued.

If you are paid in arrears and your employer has failed to make a wages payment on time then the employer is in breach of contract.

Any subsequent action by the employer against the employee for breach contract could be seen as an "Adverse Action" by the employer and therefore prohibited by relevant provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009.

Being an aeromedical operation, you wouldn't want to refuse to do an evacuation and have someone croak. THAT would get you sued for sure.
A better strategy would be to fly the patient to somewhere nice for his necessary treatment, plead fatigue and check in to a 5 star pub with the aeroplane parked until the boss got the message and paid up.
The worst could happen is you get fired, but if you are not being paid, what the hell anyway?

That would get the operator sued. The operator would lose attempting to sue you.

There would be no recourse for any pilot/operator to get sued for not going to retrieve someone whom consequently died as a result of not being assisted in a timely manor.
It couldn't be definitively proved that such a delay in getting to that person was the soul cause of death & it would take a very brave coroner to say such a thing I reckon. I know we lost a few over the years whom passed away the night/day during a period when we simply couldn't get there due safety reasons.Whether that delay had any hastening impact on their deaths will never truly be known but we did our best.

There was a saying that I adopted,no point in running an unnecessary high risk which could result in the deaths of say 3or 4 to save just one!


Wmk2

The world has gone mad indeed.
We are talking about a medical outfit I believe. How about believing what life is about before worrying about financial rewards for saving it. I have several friends flying for the RFDS and every one of them chose it for the principal of helping other humans in need and for the life style. Their reward is no where near airline standards but they love it simply because they are there when needed and they are human. If I needed to fly that 550 in the middle of the night in thunderstorms to save a life I would do it with no hesitation and deal with the boss later.
Amen.

SMS,

And how many times would you leave home and travel to the remote North West for a two week standby stint having not been paid?

Wizofoz
 

I am not trying to be Mother Theresa.
I am saying that in the situation I would chose to save a life and worry about the financial side later. To answer your question, considering the outfit in the debate I would say once.

Exactley.

AND that may result in the aircraft being uncrewed and lives being at risk.

BUT that would not be your fault nor responsibility.