What's New In W. Africa (Nigeria)
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In an unprecedented move the MD of Bristow Nigeria has declared publicly in as many words that the BRC is a disgraceful dump and that he'll meet with residents next week to see what needs to be done for repairs and improvements. The place has been a stinking, moldy, damp, sub-standard dump for years and what really needs to be done is for it to be levelled and totally rebuilt. However, that's unlikely to happen 
. Now let's see if they're going to do a proper job of refurbishing the Orlando Court and get the Polo Suites to run properly when the 'project manager' is not around 
.
Mind you, all of them are better than the Caverton staff $hithouse in Port Harcourt.
Aero's Areta Estate may be old, but it's convenient, safe and staff don't have to worry about cooking after a long day at work as meals are provided free of charge
. Sadly it has no sporting facilities like squash court, swimming pool or lawn tennis courts
Apart from travel to work in Port Harcourt which has been badly affected by the collapse of the flyover ramp near NAF Base, internal travel in Nigeria is a nightmare these days with the grounding of Air Nigeria and Arik having been grounded for the last few days. Thankfully Arik is due to start flying again now which will ease the situation even though many oil company staff will only fly with Aero.
. Now let's see if they're going to do a proper job of refurbishing the Orlando Court and get the Polo Suites to run properly when the 'project manager' is not around . Mind you, all of them are better than the Caverton staff $hithouse in Port Harcourt
.Aero's Areta Estate may be old, but it's convenient, safe and staff don't have to worry about cooking after a long day at work as meals are provided free of charge
. Sadly it has no sporting facilities like squash court, swimming pool or lawn tennis courts Apart from travel to work in Port Harcourt which has been badly affected by the collapse of the flyover ramp near NAF Base, internal travel in Nigeria is a nightmare these days with the grounding of Air Nigeria and Arik having been grounded for the last few days. Thankfully Arik is due to start flying again now which will ease the situation even though many oil company staff will only fly with Aero.
Why I thought it was all Milk and Honey now....
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Texas Holdem Poker has nothing on wondering what's gonna happen with our move to the new GRA dumps - remember, it's all about the dough folks 
. Harking back to the old days of Aero as reported on this site many years ago, it looks like we have Rupee man now working for Bristow at NAF Base. Threats have been made, most of which are hot air because people will endure mold for money 
, but maybe SAS has a point. I have no clue if 'old Bristow' was bands of happy souls smiling in the face of adversity and all the guys ganging up against a common managerial enemy or just accepting that lousy housing and food was the least of there worries 
. It seems more like the new post-Birdman era of the head-sheds in Bristow has decided that money needs to be spent on finally giving the clients what they want and i'm guessing that funding this by cutbacks in what the guys in the front line in Port Harcourt get won't pi$$ off enough of us to make a difference no matter how much we gripe 
. It's a kind of confusing message right now 
. We have the MD admitting the housing in Lagos ain't fit for a dog, but moving us into worse housing in Port Harcourt with no consultation with anyone except a guy whose own home is as poor as Nigeria so believes we're living in luxury and the Braveheart clone in Lagos whose convinced that all Nigerians are terrorists and all we expats are greedy whiners not fit to serve in Baghdad .
For now, the dough is kind okay, the management sends confusing signals, I'll probably stay and wait for something better, unless one of my kin falls sick and Aetna fails to pay up.
I'm sure looking forward to some serious therapy with uncle Ben and Uncle Jerry and a gallon of their cookie dough ice cream
. Harking back to the old days of Aero as reported on this site many years ago, it looks like we have Rupee man now working for Bristow at NAF Base. Threats have been made, most of which are hot air because people will endure mold for money , but maybe SAS has a point. I have no clue if 'old Bristow' was bands of happy souls smiling in the face of adversity and all the guys ganging up against a common managerial enemy or just accepting that lousy housing and food was the least of there worries . It seems more like the new post-Birdman era of the head-sheds in Bristow has decided that money needs to be spent on finally giving the clients what they want and i'm guessing that funding this by cutbacks in what the guys in the front line in Port Harcourt get won't pi$$ off enough of us to make a difference no matter how much we gripe . It's a kind of confusing message right now . We have the MD admitting the housing in Lagos ain't fit for a dog, but moving us into worse housing in Port Harcourt with no consultation with anyone except a guy whose own home is as poor as Nigeria so believes we're living in luxury and the Braveheart clone in Lagos whose convinced that all Nigerians are terrorists and all we expats are greedy whiners not fit to serve in Baghdad . For now, the dough is kind okay, the management sends confusing signals, I'll probably stay and wait for something better, unless one of my kin falls sick and Aetna fails to pay up.
I'm sure looking forward to some serious therapy with uncle Ben and Uncle Jerry and a gallon of their cookie dough ice cream
Last edited by DoughFan; 27th Sep 2012 at 05:33.
Dough.....some things in the helicopter business do not change....ever.
That is the balancing act between misery, miserableness, and manning.
When they can no longer Man the Operations....things will improve....but not until then.
I shall take you back many years....when the discussion was going on about changing to an equal time roster rather than the 8/4 week roster that had been in existence ever since Bristow started it. Mike Norris, who is a very nice fellow summed it up...."When will we go to equal time....only when we can not Man the Operation on the 8/4." He did not mince his words...did not say that except in a straight forward business like manner....as it was the established company management policy.
The fact all our customers and even our competitors were on equal tome rosters meant nothing. The almighty Dollar....then Sterling is what mattered.
In the end....it is all about money....if one is happy with the money....then misery is of no matter.....but the instant the money fails to compensate....there will be a period of turnover which is acceptable until the beds start going empty and aircraft stop flying. Then....magically...all sorts of money pops up out of the ground to pay for whatever it takes to get the situation back under control.
That is the balancing act between misery, miserableness, and manning.
When they can no longer Man the Operations....things will improve....but not until then.
I shall take you back many years....when the discussion was going on about changing to an equal time roster rather than the 8/4 week roster that had been in existence ever since Bristow started it. Mike Norris, who is a very nice fellow summed it up...."When will we go to equal time....only when we can not Man the Operation on the 8/4." He did not mince his words...did not say that except in a straight forward business like manner....as it was the established company management policy.
The fact all our customers and even our competitors were on equal tome rosters meant nothing. The almighty Dollar....then Sterling is what mattered.
In the end....it is all about money....if one is happy with the money....then misery is of no matter.....but the instant the money fails to compensate....there will be a period of turnover which is acceptable until the beds start going empty and aircraft stop flying. Then....magically...all sorts of money pops up out of the ground to pay for whatever it takes to get the situation back under control.
Nigerian In Law
Despite my depleted condition I feel compelled to respond to the PH move comments as I was privy to a small part of the wider picture leading to the decision to move out of Elelenwo until January.
The journey to/from ERA and NAF Base was a huge bone of contention during my tenure there. I used to get complaints about journey times due entirely to traffic and weather conditions (flooded stretches of the expressway etc), ie things totally out of anyones control, on a daily basis. That and the Internet were the two biggest nightmares.
So the decision to move was no doubt partly arrived at on cost grounds; ERA has always been one of the best and most expensive places to live in PH. But it was also in a large part based upon the volume of complaints by people in transit through Lagos about the travel time to/from.
In hindsight, as I told people at the time, be careful what you wish for. Nice place and long journey or s**thole and short journey. Simple as that.
This isn't an "I told you so" post, just a reminder of the facts leading up to the move.
NEO
The journey to/from ERA and NAF Base was a huge bone of contention during my tenure there. I used to get complaints about journey times due entirely to traffic and weather conditions (flooded stretches of the expressway etc), ie things totally out of anyones control, on a daily basis. That and the Internet were the two biggest nightmares.
So the decision to move was no doubt partly arrived at on cost grounds; ERA has always been one of the best and most expensive places to live in PH. But it was also in a large part based upon the volume of complaints by people in transit through Lagos about the travel time to/from.
In hindsight, as I told people at the time, be careful what you wish for. Nice place and long journey or s**thole and short journey. Simple as that.
This isn't an "I told you so" post, just a reminder of the facts leading up to the move.
NEO
I wonder.....why ever did someone ever decide to build a nice place...close to where the aircraft operate out of....not that the oil companies and helicopter operators have not been in Nigeria since the early 60's?
Just look at the good thinking done at Eket....once the Airstrip got widen and the Bristow accommodation smack dab at the edge of the old Runway got removed it has been somewhat down hill since.
Warri was another place that could have been made much nicer over time with a bit of investment.
Perhaps too many Palms wanted grease both inside and outside the family.
Just look at the good thinking done at Eket....once the Airstrip got widen and the Bristow accommodation smack dab at the edge of the old Runway got removed it has been somewhat down hill since.
Warri was another place that could have been made much nicer over time with a bit of investment.
Perhaps too many Palms wanted grease both inside and outside the family.
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SASless in fact Fison Airwork was in Owerri with SHELL in 1956 with series 1 whirlwinds and Hiller 12B's . Douglad Bader was the Shell aviation adviser at the time.
EKET used to be a great place when the accomodation was next to the runway at the airstrip, we ran it quite efficiently and it was always good food/beer and accomodation only because we did it ourselves as I am sure you will remember
We even built our own pool and ran it! Because we made an effort the company supplied and paid for a lot of extras for us.
It was an example of what could be done if you put the time and effort into it - however not everyone in Nigeria had the same quality of life and not due to their idleness.
As is the way of the world people slowly expected the company to do it all for them and the standards went down until it was just attendance.
I have SOME fond memories of a total of 11 years in Nigeria but not many and I do not regret leaving when I did. Anyone who spends time out there now has my respect for putting up with what you do.
in fact Fison Airwork was in Owerri with SHELL in 1956 with series 1 whirlwinds and Hiller 12B's . Douglad Bader was the Shell aviation adviser at the time.EKET used to be a great place when the accomodation was next to the runway at the airstrip, we ran it quite efficiently and it was always good food/beer and accomodation only because we did it ourselves as I am sure you will remember
We even built our own pool and ran it! Because we made an effort the company supplied and paid for a lot of extras for us.It was an example of what could be done if you put the time and effort into it - however not everyone in Nigeria had the same quality of life and not due to their idleness.
As is the way of the world people slowly expected the company to do it all for them and the standards went down until it was just attendance.
I have SOME fond memories of a total of 11 years in Nigeria but not many and I do not regret leaving when I did. Anyone who spends time out there now has my respect for putting up with what you do.
Nice place and long journey or s**thole and short journey
After we moved from the Airstrip to that beautiful estate in town.....we built a nice bar ourselves but never got the swimming pool that was promised as an exchange in kind for the staff built pool at the Strip.
Indeed.....many fond memories....as it was not all bad. As anywhere...and as you say....you get out of life what you put into it.
212man hit upon a truth.....If enough of us had gotten out of the Bus and walked....we could have done away with the bus...gotten our exercise....and been all the healthier and thirstier for it. Nothing like a good ol' Win-Win situation. The company could have sold off the buses, fired a couple of drivers....and gotten a reduction on their medical insurance plan due to our healthier lifestyle.
Indeed.....many fond memories....as it was not all bad. As anywhere...and as you say....you get out of life what you put into it.
212man hit upon a truth.....If enough of us had gotten out of the Bus and walked....we could have done away with the bus...gotten our exercise....and been all the healthier and thirstier for it. Nothing like a good ol' Win-Win situation. The company could have sold off the buses, fired a couple of drivers....and gotten a reduction on their medical insurance plan due to our healthier lifestyle.
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I started my career with Bristow at Eket when we at the airstrip and it was very good. We did have a pool cared for by the "Pool Master" in the form of Dink S or John H; we had a "Chop Master" who ensured that we were well fed, remember the ice cream machine, and I was the "House Master" who looked after the accommodation and staff. We were on 8/4 and flew on average 80 hours per month. We had a good CP and CE and most importantly we all got seats on the Mobil Twin Otter to Lagos for our leave.
By the time I finally left Nigeria I had worked on most of the Bristow locations, except for PH Shell. My final stint at Eket was not a happy one, the operation had moved to the QIT and the accommodation was in town and self catering. But the worst part was the lack of a system to get you to Lagos to catch your flight home. We were told to catch the crew bus to the QIT at 06:00 and see what comes up. This could either be a spare seat on a company 212 to PH or a hire car to PH then hope you could catch a local flight to Lagos.
I am still working and flying the 212 - "ER"is one of our 5 and some old timers might remember it. NEO, you have my thoughts and I wish you well.
By the time I finally left Nigeria I had worked on most of the Bristow locations, except for PH Shell. My final stint at Eket was not a happy one, the operation had moved to the QIT and the accommodation was in town and self catering. But the worst part was the lack of a system to get you to Lagos to catch your flight home. We were told to catch the crew bus to the QIT at 06:00 and see what comes up. This could either be a spare seat on a company 212 to PH or a hire car to PH then hope you could catch a local flight to Lagos.
I am still working and flying the 212 - "ER"is one of our 5 and some old timers might remember it. NEO, you have my thoughts and I wish you well.
I'm just coming up on 16 years since I left (1985 - 96 @ EK/PH/WT*/EK/LOS/EK) and as some of the previous posters have said; I have some great memories (and some sh!t ones) and absolutely no desire to go back. I take my hat off to the people still working there under crap conditions. I once had a very robust discussion with the General Manager wrt travel policy (BA direct vs. LH via FRA) and was told in no uncertain terms that if I didn't like it I should piss off and the only way it would change is when they couldn't crew the place. That has to be 20+ years ago and situation appears to be the same (and always will be).
New subject: NEO - quit slumming it and get back to work!
AB
* Simply the best, better than all the rest.
New subject: NEO - quit slumming it and get back to work!
AB
* Simply the best, better than all the rest.
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NEO, good to see you're up and around! Hurry up and get back here. We miss your "British humor" and dry wit. (Please note the correct spelling of humour.) Things just ain't the same...
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in fact Fison Airwork was in Owerri with SHELL in 1956 with series 1 whirlwinds and Hiller 12B's . Douglas Bader was the Shell aviation adviser at the time.
I wonder if the Shell / Caverton relationship will run to 2066?
Hows the new(ish) Caverton Ops Director working out? Popular?
Have they replaced their Safety & Quality Director yet?
What does Shell think about the high turnover in staff? Hardly a sign of a stable safety culture.
Last edited by squib66; 30th Sep 2012 at 11:38.
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Well the move to GRA has happened for Bristow in Port Harcourt and each of the new places is different, but the journey to work still seems to take for ever and its still early starts 
. Polo was a known quantity, but the verdict is still out on Executive and Orlando. Executive has better quality rooms but there small and theres no restaurant and no shop on site so getting food to cook will be more difficult. Orlando is just a shambles but at least has a restaurant. Its early days and it remains to see what management will do to get the standard even close to ERA.
Sporting facilities at all locations are far worse than ERA and now theres no place where everyone can go get a drink and let off steam by bitching about management. Still its just for 6 weeks at a time, so guess after a few months bitching and moaning we'll all just accept it as normal or walk (and I'm guessing that management are also guessing not many will walk). Shame though .... we had the best quarters in Nigeria, now everthings been levelled down again, except the work rate
. Polo was a known quantity, but the verdict is still out on Executive and Orlando. Executive has better quality rooms but there small and theres no restaurant and no shop on site so getting food to cook will be more difficult. Orlando is just a shambles but at least has a restaurant. Its early days and it remains to see what management will do to get the standard even close to ERA.Sporting facilities at all locations are far worse than ERA and now theres no place where everyone can go get a drink and let off steam by bitching about management. Still its just for 6 weeks at a time, so guess after a few months bitching and moaning we'll all just accept it as normal or walk (and I'm guessing that management are also guessing not many will walk). Shame though .... we had the best quarters in Nigeria, now everthings been levelled down again, except the work rate
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What are the latest rumours about CHC starting up in Nigeria, bring it on
I've lived in many places, in Lagos, Warri, Eket, Calabar, Port Harcourt (amongst others) while working for one or three different employers in Nigeria. Some have been really good, none has been absolutely appalling (the ADA vans were probably as bad as the worst in Naija) and I think the main problem in Nigeria these days is just that the security situation is such that in most places people are 'confined to barracks' for the duration of their stay here. Just being able to visit a restaurant or a bar outside of camp, listen to some live music and not feeling caged is a huge morale booster. Sadly, those days are gone in most of Nigeria, the compensation being the money, the roster and the people with whom one works and shares a modicum of adversity. Hey-ho, memories of days long gone and the many good people who still work here. Can we put the housing issue to bed while the new system has a chance to get sorted now?
Aero and Caverton are here to stay. CHC will come back. Bristow is not going to leave. There is lots of work and all rumours are ultimately futile because that's all they are
. Some people say, 'be careful what you ask for', I like 'you never realise what you have until it's gone: toilet paper is a good example' Have fun people and grow old disgracefully
Last edited by soggyboxers; 3rd Oct 2012 at 06:09.
Soggs.....I will have to admit...."Colditz" at PHC...and the travel problems pretty much was the bottom of the totem pole over all. It was good enough to convince me to go to Eket. Which was still a fairly decent place except for the commutes.
The horrid room we had for night standbys at Escravos sucked out loud....but the food was good in the Chow Hall. Granted nothing was going to get me off the ground in Monsoon Season in those ragged old 212's wete driving.
Remember the 412 that was lost.....and how the flight following system worked that night?
The horrid room we had for night standbys at Escravos sucked out loud....but the food was good in the Chow Hall. Granted nothing was going to get me off the ground in Monsoon Season in those ragged old 212's wete driving.
Remember the 412 that was lost.....and how the flight following system worked that night?
Last edited by SASless; 2nd Oct 2012 at 22:17.
Having an AOC is fine....but one needs Contracts to fund the Migration.
Will their Brown Envelope be bigger, fatter, better received than others?
Will their Brown Envelope be bigger, fatter, better received than others?