Case for compensation?
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: uk
Case for compensation?
I own a R44 which I keep hangared with a company in the south east of England who shall for now remain nameless. As a private owner with a busy life I dont have the pleasure of flying very often and look forward to those rare weekends when the weather is good and I can get up there amongst it!
Now within the last 10 weeks I have wanted to fly twice. The first time I had been advised by the owner of the maintenance company that I needed to fly the machine because it needed an oil change and had to be flown first. I subsequently planned a trip with some friends going through the rigmarole of planning with checking notams etc. Then while driving to the airfield I called them up(pulled over of course) to instruct them to take r44 out of hangar for me to fly. I was at that point told I couldn't fly because it needed an oil change first and engineer had left for day. You can imagine my fury and embarrassment for my guests at having to return home. I was subsequently told the next day that I could have flown and was given the wrong information. Cheers!
Now last week I planned another trip to lundy island. Weather was great, all looking good, call up company to be told cant fly my r44 because they forgot to do 100 hour service which was due 5 weeks ago and which I had instructed them to do. Another trip ruined. Cheers!
Now I reckon my r44 costs me close to 2 thousand pounds a month to own taking into account hangarage, maintenance, depreciation, insurance etc. Therefore due you think I have a case to claim for compensation on the back of being unable to use my aircraft when I want to because of their incompetence?
Anyone else had similar experiences?
Now within the last 10 weeks I have wanted to fly twice. The first time I had been advised by the owner of the maintenance company that I needed to fly the machine because it needed an oil change and had to be flown first. I subsequently planned a trip with some friends going through the rigmarole of planning with checking notams etc. Then while driving to the airfield I called them up(pulled over of course) to instruct them to take r44 out of hangar for me to fly. I was at that point told I couldn't fly because it needed an oil change first and engineer had left for day. You can imagine my fury and embarrassment for my guests at having to return home. I was subsequently told the next day that I could have flown and was given the wrong information. Cheers!
Now last week I planned another trip to lundy island. Weather was great, all looking good, call up company to be told cant fly my r44 because they forgot to do 100 hour service which was due 5 weeks ago and which I had instructed them to do. Another trip ruined. Cheers!
Now I reckon my r44 costs me close to 2 thousand pounds a month to own taking into account hangarage, maintenance, depreciation, insurance etc. Therefore due you think I have a case to claim for compensation on the back of being unable to use my aircraft when I want to because of their incompetence?
Anyone else had similar experiences?
Better red than ...
Joined: Aug 2004
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 1,415
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From: Appleby-in-Westmorland Cumbria England
Now I reckon my r44 costs me close to 2 thousand pounds a month to own taking into account hangarage, maintenance, depreciation, insurance etc. Therefore due you think I have a case to claim for compensation on the back of being unable to use my aircraft when I want to because of their incompetence?
If they are no good, take it somewhere else. They may be viewing you as a lion views a zebra.
You also need to have some appreciation of the maintenance intervals and regulations, which on the R44 are quite light, so that you can plan ahead and manage the supplier.
You missed a good trip to Lundy - great place to visit, we go every year (but when it's warm ...)
h-r
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 205
Likes: 0
From: UK
Are you leasing back to a school? If you are, ask them to fax you a copy of the last page of tech log once a week? That way you can check the hours and schedule...You will know how many hours you have left!
If not, you surely keep your tech log at home and therefore have all the hours / dates etc for maintenance???? Don't keep in the heli! (my advice)
Schools will always try and make money on the "great flying weather days" and guess what - thats the day YOU want to take her up!!!
I had mine on a lease back for approx 3 months then pulled out. No point in attempting to have the benefits of ownership if you can't fly eh??
If not, you surely keep your tech log at home and therefore have all the hours / dates etc for maintenance???? Don't keep in the heli! (my advice)
Schools will always try and make money on the "great flying weather days" and guess what - thats the day YOU want to take her up!!!
I had mine on a lease back for approx 3 months then pulled out. No point in attempting to have the benefits of ownership if you can't fly eh??
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,012
Likes: 1
From: USA
The failures mentioned are due to management incompetance, of a scheduling kind. Any maintenance org worth its salt should have a plan that is weeks in advance, and should only be flumoxed by unplanned events (which occur often enough in helos, unfortunately.)
Regarding compensation, Flying Lawyer is our best resource on pprune, but I would think any legal recourse will be hard, and costly and probably counter-productive, giving attorneys some money the parties could be directly splitting/sharing. OTOH, pulling them off the job, or threat of same, is a strong incentive to get give-backs from them, like promises to assure solid treatment, or a price break if they fail to give 24 hour notice upon scheduling.
Regarding compensation, Flying Lawyer is our best resource on pprune, but I would think any legal recourse will be hard, and costly and probably counter-productive, giving attorneys some money the parties could be directly splitting/sharing. OTOH, pulling them off the job, or threat of same, is a strong incentive to get give-backs from them, like promises to assure solid treatment, or a price break if they fail to give 24 hour notice upon scheduling.
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: uk
The aircraft has been moved to another base as of today. Regarding doing my own oil change, oiling the chain on my bike is as about as advanced as I will get when in comes to combining lubricants and metal. Not sure I would be allowed to in UK anyway.
