Flying in the Persian/Arabian Gulf
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I have heard through the grapevine that the former CFI or A/CFI has been sacked at Horizon Air Academy and that more kiwi instructors have left too. Can anybody substantiate this?
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Yes ....... A.C. has been declared "surplus to requirements" would appear he has been guilty of trying to maintain a "High Standard" !
Life can be tough in the Gulf ....eh!
Cheers
Life can be tough in the Gulf ....eh!
Cheers
Line pilot to DirOps in Four months.....must be some pretty healthy turnover at GHC.
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Guilty of what?
All a matter of being willing to take advantage of an opportunity when seen.
One would think he was greatly under-utilized as a Line Pilot based upon his management experience elsewhere. Recent rumours abound about declining engineering standards at GHC and thus it would seem, that background in Safety Management shall pay dividends.
All a matter of being willing to take advantage of an opportunity when seen.
One would think he was greatly under-utilized as a Line Pilot based upon his management experience elsewhere. Recent rumours abound about declining engineering standards at GHC and thus it would seem, that background in Safety Management shall pay dividends.
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mallardpi and that more kiwi instructors have left too. Can anybody substantiate this
The 2nd part of the rumour is true also:
a third Kiwi instructor will be leaving Horizon headed to Aerogulf in Dubai. Money not quite as good, but work environment on operations side a thousand times better with possibly the best engineering in the region. 4 senior Abu Dhabi Aviation pilots have joined the queue to join Aerogulf now that new JAR style roster is in effect. The Aussie TRE who left for CAE-Emirates simulator instructor job (more money) a few months ago is going back to Aerogulf!
a third Kiwi instructor will be leaving Horizon headed to Aerogulf in Dubai. Money not quite as good, but work environment on operations side a thousand times better with possibly the best engineering in the region. 4 senior Abu Dhabi Aviation pilots have joined the queue to join Aerogulf now that new JAR style roster is in effect. The Aussie TRE who left for CAE-Emirates simulator instructor job (more money) a few months ago is going back to Aerogulf!
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A mystery it seems. ADA have a jar type roster as well, why would 4 of their senior pilots be in the queue for positions at aerogulf. For a start, the money is considerably less, aero dont offer tours, and if aero could get their hands on any senior ADA guys they would (or should) jump at the oportunity. Added to that I would have thought that queue to be short in length.
Basically I dont believe you, there is not 4 senior pilots about to leave ADA for Aero, maybe to other companies, but not aergulf. Although time will prove all....
Basically I dont believe you, there is not 4 senior pilots about to leave ADA for Aero, maybe to other companies, but not aergulf. Although time will prove all....
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Yabu:
Sorry for the confusion -- I should not have said '4 senior ADA pilots' earlier, it is more accurate to say '4 highly experienced pilots from ADA' as not all have been there that long.
Two of the pilots that came up last month with their CV's are dual rated and interested in the future tiltrotor ops (not till 2010+!). One of them is former AGS. The other two spoke with the Chief Pilot and I can only say they have a lot of external load experience. If you're really interested in 'who' is coming, send me a PM with your details and I'll ask one of the guys to talk to you directly down there, he's quite open about his intentions (he won't be headed up this way for many months until his family situation changes). It wouldn't be appropriate for me to give you the names of the others unless they authorize it (guess you'll just have to wait and see! -- but it will be a while as two other non-ADA guys are 'in the queue' ahead of them).
You're right, the two jobs are quite different. AGS with lower pay and less time off (no rotation) generally appeals more to the 'married with kids' group looking to be home with their families almost every night. If money and time off (rotation) are the emphasis, and you can deal with the accommodation, then ADA is a much better choice (all the usual that's been discussed over and over again on this thread). Although both companies have a JAR-type schedule, the difference is that AGS guys get to spend all that additional time off with their families, not sitting around the camp.
I just heard you are losing a TRE down there (no, he is not one of those coming to AGS).
Two of the pilots that came up last month with their CV's are dual rated and interested in the future tiltrotor ops (not till 2010+!). One of them is former AGS. The other two spoke with the Chief Pilot and I can only say they have a lot of external load experience. If you're really interested in 'who' is coming, send me a PM with your details and I'll ask one of the guys to talk to you directly down there, he's quite open about his intentions (he won't be headed up this way for many months until his family situation changes). It wouldn't be appropriate for me to give you the names of the others unless they authorize it (guess you'll just have to wait and see! -- but it will be a while as two other non-ADA guys are 'in the queue' ahead of them).
You're right, the two jobs are quite different. AGS with lower pay and less time off (no rotation) generally appeals more to the 'married with kids' group looking to be home with their families almost every night. If money and time off (rotation) are the emphasis, and you can deal with the accommodation, then ADA is a much better choice (all the usual that's been discussed over and over again on this thread). Although both companies have a JAR-type schedule, the difference is that AGS guys get to spend all that additional time off with their families, not sitting around the camp.
I just heard you are losing a TRE down there (no, he is not one of those coming to AGS).
Last edited by 21st Century; 15th Jun 2006 at 10:05.
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Originally Posted by 212man
DA,
I know Gulf Helicopter's new Ops Manager, who I believe will be on the same conversion course as me next week; shall I put in a good word for you????
I know Gulf Helicopter's new Ops Manager, who I believe will be on the same conversion course as me next week; shall I put in a good word for you????
Someone did tell us that they would be there same time as you.We'll be contacting them soon as well... don't forget to tell him there's six of us (minimum) who wants to join and see what he thinks of that
. You guys have fun in Florida. By this post time.. bet youre in Newark by now on your night stop. Post some pictures from flight international if you can. 
212man,
Take some Grecian Gray with you. Also remember underneath the Blue Heron Bridge is a good place to get crabs.
Take some Grecian Gray with you. Also remember underneath the Blue Heron Bridge is a good place to get crabs.
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Mr BB.
Is this the same Fred L who was manager of a major company in Nigeria (BHL)? Why leave BHL in Nigeria to become line pilot with GHC? Not in the slightest bit logical...GHC has one of the poorest salary rates in the ME......one hopes the alleged falling standards will rise as a result...presumably they rose in Nigeria?
Even Confucious does not even have an answer...
tpm
Originally Posted by Boudreaux Bob
One would think he was greatly under-utilized as a Line Pilot based upon his management experience elsewhere. Recent rumours abound about declining engineering standards at GHC and thus it would seem, that background in Safety Management shall pay dividends.
Even Confucious does not even have an answer...
tpm
Fred L. used to be MD and Chairman of the Board for BHL (Nigeria) , and VP for African Operations at OLOG or AirLog International before he departed for GHC. He took over from JB upon his meritorius promotion to Redhill as I recall. His rise to the senior ranks of management took far longer with BHL than it did with GHC.
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I wondered what happened to Fred. Why on earth would he have left the post he had with Bristow to be a Line Pilot with Gulf? He was in Nigeria on and off for many years, but he did leave at very short notice. Had Gulf already offered him this job 'on the nod' before he left Nigeria, so he was just waiting for the incumbent to leave?
MaMa,
You recall the thread that ran about OLOG's management problems and the SEC filing they made which revealed significant problems in Nigeria and South America? Perhaps it was a fortuitious bit of timing but planned, perhaps not?
As one poster, who is no longer allowed to post here at pprune , used to say about the "greasy pole of helicopter management" is the trip down is always much quicker than the journey upwards.
Lots of rumours about catering, real estate, and lease cars after the changes in Lagos. OLOG acknowledged commercial improprieties and accounting issues that necessitated changes.
Bristow local management have a very long history of "fiddling"....everything from air tickets, fuel , cars, housing, imaginary local help....Clavell could write a book about those activities alone. Stories about air tickets in Iran and Australia are infamous but common at BHL Staff Bars.
You recall the thread that ran about OLOG's management problems and the SEC filing they made which revealed significant problems in Nigeria and South America? Perhaps it was a fortuitious bit of timing but planned, perhaps not?
As one poster, who is no longer allowed to post here at pprune , used to say about the "greasy pole of helicopter management" is the trip down is always much quicker than the journey upwards.
Lots of rumours about catering, real estate, and lease cars after the changes in Lagos. OLOG acknowledged commercial improprieties and accounting issues that necessitated changes.
Bristow local management have a very long history of "fiddling"....everything from air tickets, fuel , cars, housing, imaginary local help....Clavell could write a book about those activities alone. Stories about air tickets in Iran and Australia are infamous but common at BHL Staff Bars.
GHC's rising new(old)stars
Gentlemen,
With due deference to 212man I would have thought the re-appointment(I remember going to his last retirement party at GHC!) of David Uden to the post of Engineering Manager will do more for the long-term health of the company than FL. If only a fraction of the stories about low maintenance standards at GHC are to be believed then DU is the man to re-invigorate the workforce, raise standards & ensure that the customers get what they believe they are paying for, a properly maintained aircraft to internationally approved standards. PS: One presumes that Mohammed now realizes that in temporal matters, Allah can't be everwhere & you need the right people in the right places to ensure a safe operation.
As for FL, plucked from relative obscurity at Eket & propelled upwards, along with certain others of the BHL mafia, to become VP of OLOG ops for a short while. Didn't his leaving (at short notice) co-incide with certain irregularities in the OLOG accounts necessitating a re-statement of values & a reduction in the share price?, or was that some other FL?
As for the importing of a Safety Management Systems culture don't hold your breath.Wasn't it on his watch that 5N-BDZ crashed on a night medivac? Were any lessons learned from that accident?, & were they implemented? Is that an echo I hear? (This will continue to be I suspect, one american who won't be going home anytime soon, having died in the service of Big Oil).
Still, the largely southern baptist shareholders can continue to count their dividend cheques knowing that none of it will be going to raise a pesky helio from the depths of the Gulf of Benin! I would really love to be proved wrong on all this but as my foots currently in my mouth, it's going to be difficult to eat my hat out of contrition!
with fraternal greetings, ambi (retired to SA)
With due deference to 212man I would have thought the re-appointment(I remember going to his last retirement party at GHC!) of David Uden to the post of Engineering Manager will do more for the long-term health of the company than FL. If only a fraction of the stories about low maintenance standards at GHC are to be believed then DU is the man to re-invigorate the workforce, raise standards & ensure that the customers get what they believe they are paying for, a properly maintained aircraft to internationally approved standards. PS: One presumes that Mohammed now realizes that in temporal matters, Allah can't be everwhere & you need the right people in the right places to ensure a safe operation.
As for FL, plucked from relative obscurity at Eket & propelled upwards, along with certain others of the BHL mafia, to become VP of OLOG ops for a short while. Didn't his leaving (at short notice) co-incide with certain irregularities in the OLOG accounts necessitating a re-statement of values & a reduction in the share price?, or was that some other FL?
As for the importing of a Safety Management Systems culture don't hold your breath.Wasn't it on his watch that 5N-BDZ crashed on a night medivac? Were any lessons learned from that accident?, & were they implemented? Is that an echo I hear? (This will continue to be I suspect, one american who won't be going home anytime soon, having died in the service of Big Oil).
Still, the largely southern baptist shareholders can continue to count their dividend cheques knowing that none of it will be going to raise a pesky helio from the depths of the Gulf of Benin! I would really love to be proved wrong on all this but as my foots currently in my mouth, it's going to be difficult to eat my hat out of contrition!
with fraternal greetings, ambi (retired to SA)
Posted back in December 2005
This is the SEC filing I referred to.....
This is the link to the complete SEC filing by OLOG.
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/da...31146e10vk.htm
An excerpt.....
RISK FACTORS
If you hold our securities or are considering an investment in our securities, you should carefully consider the following risks, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report.
The SEC investigation, any related proceedings in other countries and the consequences of the activities identified in the Internal Review could result in civil or criminal proceedings, the imposition of fines and penalties, the commencement of third-party litigation, the incurrence of expenses, the loss of business and other adverse effects on our Company.
In October 2005, the Audit Committee reached certain conclusions with respect to findings to date from the Internal Review. The Audit Committee concluded that, over a considerable period of time, (a) improper payments were made by, and on behalf of, certain foreign affiliated entities directly or indirectly to employees of the Nigerian government, (b) improper payments were made by certain foreign affiliated entities to Nigerian employees of certain customers with whom we have contracts, (c) inadequate employee payroll declarations and, in certain instances, tax payments were made by us or our affiliated entities in certain jurisdictions, (d) inadequate valuations for customs purposes may have been declared in certain jurisdictions resulting in the underpayment of import duties, and (e) an affiliated entity in a South American country, with the assistance of our personnel and two of our other affiliated entities, engaged in transactions which appear to have assisted the South American entity in the circumvention of currency transfer restrictions and other regulations. In addition, as a result of the Internal Review, the Audit Committee and management determined that there were deficiencies in our books and records and internal controls with respect to the foregoing and certain other activities.
Based on the Audit Committee’s findings and recommendations, the Board of Directors has taken disciplinary action with respect to our personnel who it determined bore responsibility for these matters. The disciplinary actions included termination or resignation of employment (including certain members of senior management), changes of job responsibility, reductions in incentive compensation payments and reprimands. One of our affiliates has also obtained the resignation of certain of its personnel.
We have initiated remedial action, including initiating action to correct underreporting of payroll tax, disclose to certain customers inappropriate payments made to customer personnel and terminate certain agency, business and joint venture relationships. We also have taken steps to reinforce our commitment to conduct our business with integrity by creating an internal corporate compliance function, instituting a new code of business conduct (our new code of business conduct entitled “Code of Business Integrity” is available on our website, http://www.olog.com) and developing and implementing a training program for all employees. In addition to the disciplinary actions referred to above, we have also taken steps to strengthen our control environment by hiring new personnel and realigning reporting lines within the accounting function so that field accounting reports directly to the corporate accounting function instead of operations management.
Quote:
Based on the Audit Committee’s findings and recommendations, the Board of Directors has taken disciplinary action with respect to our personnel who it determined bore responsibility for these matters. The disciplinary actions included termination or resignation of employment (including certain members of senior management), changes of job responsibility, reductions in incentive compensation payments and reprimands. One of our affiliates has also obtained the resignation of certain of its personnel.
Quote:
• The Company failed to follow procedures that addressed concerns raised by employees about improper activities, and certain members of our former senior management failed to set the proper ethical tone.
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/da...31146e10vk.htm
An excerpt.....
RISK FACTORS
If you hold our securities or are considering an investment in our securities, you should carefully consider the following risks, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report.
The SEC investigation, any related proceedings in other countries and the consequences of the activities identified in the Internal Review could result in civil or criminal proceedings, the imposition of fines and penalties, the commencement of third-party litigation, the incurrence of expenses, the loss of business and other adverse effects on our Company.
In October 2005, the Audit Committee reached certain conclusions with respect to findings to date from the Internal Review. The Audit Committee concluded that, over a considerable period of time, (a) improper payments were made by, and on behalf of, certain foreign affiliated entities directly or indirectly to employees of the Nigerian government, (b) improper payments were made by certain foreign affiliated entities to Nigerian employees of certain customers with whom we have contracts, (c) inadequate employee payroll declarations and, in certain instances, tax payments were made by us or our affiliated entities in certain jurisdictions, (d) inadequate valuations for customs purposes may have been declared in certain jurisdictions resulting in the underpayment of import duties, and (e) an affiliated entity in a South American country, with the assistance of our personnel and two of our other affiliated entities, engaged in transactions which appear to have assisted the South American entity in the circumvention of currency transfer restrictions and other regulations. In addition, as a result of the Internal Review, the Audit Committee and management determined that there were deficiencies in our books and records and internal controls with respect to the foregoing and certain other activities.
Based on the Audit Committee’s findings and recommendations, the Board of Directors has taken disciplinary action with respect to our personnel who it determined bore responsibility for these matters. The disciplinary actions included termination or resignation of employment (including certain members of senior management), changes of job responsibility, reductions in incentive compensation payments and reprimands. One of our affiliates has also obtained the resignation of certain of its personnel.
We have initiated remedial action, including initiating action to correct underreporting of payroll tax, disclose to certain customers inappropriate payments made to customer personnel and terminate certain agency, business and joint venture relationships. We also have taken steps to reinforce our commitment to conduct our business with integrity by creating an internal corporate compliance function, instituting a new code of business conduct (our new code of business conduct entitled “Code of Business Integrity” is available on our website, http://www.olog.com) and developing and implementing a training program for all employees. In addition to the disciplinary actions referred to above, we have also taken steps to strengthen our control environment by hiring new personnel and realigning reporting lines within the accounting function so that field accounting reports directly to the corporate accounting function instead of operations management.
Quote:
Based on the Audit Committee’s findings and recommendations, the Board of Directors has taken disciplinary action with respect to our personnel who it determined bore responsibility for these matters. The disciplinary actions included termination or resignation of employment (including certain members of senior management), changes of job responsibility, reductions in incentive compensation payments and reprimands. One of our affiliates has also obtained the resignation of certain of its personnel.
Quote:
• The Company failed to follow procedures that addressed concerns raised by employees about improper activities, and certain members of our former senior management failed to set the proper ethical tone.
Erm, ambidextrous, I hate to burst your bubble, but just after DU arrived as Chief Eng, is when most of the licenced engineers left, me included!! A Chief who won't talk to his engineers (Royal Navy you know!!) is not the best man to have in charge. The fact that the then curent Chief didn't know his job was going until Dave turned up, even though the 2 of them had discussed this very thing a few weeks before, leads me to the conclusion that he really can't be trusted, and is probably trying to earn a bit of extra dosh before retirement. I see that during his tenure, the previously sacked Chief went back to a spanner bender on the shop floor, before beginning to rise through the ranks again. Surely fired means fired?? Or did I miss something there?? hangar Sup was sent off to Kish, Kish crony got the Hangar Sup job (lasted 3 weeks before quitting), and now a local has taken up the position of Deputy Chief. Don't forget the quality of the (cheaper) replacement engineers that have been employed.
I actually quite enjoyed my time at GHC, but they weren't willing to move on the pay front (and still haven't really), so we all did the moving instead.
Yep, sounds like Dave has it all under control. Hahahahahaha
I actually quite enjoyed my time at GHC, but they weren't willing to move on the pay front (and still haven't really), so we all did the moving instead.
Yep, sounds like Dave has it all under control. Hahahahahaha
GHC's rising stars
Nooby,
I'll consider my 'bubble' has been well & truly pricked. Once I can get my foot out of my mouth I'll eat my hat in Conquistador Way, Ascuncion, don't miss the spectacle.
ambi (retired to SA)
I'll consider my 'bubble' has been well & truly pricked. Once I can get my foot out of my mouth I'll eat my hat in Conquistador Way, Ascuncion, don't miss the spectacle.
ambi (retired to SA)