rfdswa
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Still in Paradise
Age: 61
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RFDS is certainly part of GA, AND they are also GA Charter Operators with AOCs to that effect. A lot of the inter-hospital stuff is contracted work that RFDS has tendered for, which used to go to other providers.
The pay situation is not solely the reserve of RFDS - plenty of OTHER GA drivers are on-call, get called out at all hours etc, most without the satisfaction of doing something generally regarded as a worthwhile service.
Not too many RFDS drivers are getting sent to black-hole approaches in 30+ year old ill-equipped piston-prop aeroplanes either.
Rather than having willy-comparing contests (my airstrip is shorter than yours - well my duty hours are longer than yours - well I gotta see yucky blood and stuff - well I gotta carry corpses - etc etc....), we all should be getting on-board for a decent pay rate across the GA board. I would hope we could at least agree on that point.
The pay situation is not solely the reserve of RFDS - plenty of OTHER GA drivers are on-call, get called out at all hours etc, most without the satisfaction of doing something generally regarded as a worthwhile service.
Not too many RFDS drivers are getting sent to black-hole approaches in 30+ year old ill-equipped piston-prop aeroplanes either.
Rather than having willy-comparing contests (my airstrip is shorter than yours - well my duty hours are longer than yours - well I gotta see yucky blood and stuff - well I gotta carry corpses - etc etc....), we all should be getting on-board for a decent pay rate across the GA board. I would hope we could at least agree on that point.
Bugsmasherdriverandjediknite
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Bai, mi go long hap na kisim sampla samting.
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absolutely. the whole airplane/pilot thing needs a large shake up in the wages department. no argument there. 
'Rather than having willy-comparing contests (my airstrip is shorter than yours - well my duty hours are longer than yours - well I gotta see yucky blood and stuff - well I gotta carry corpses - etc etc....), we all should be getting on-board for a decent pay rate across the GA board. I would hope we could at least agree on that point.'
Jamair has got it in one, if RFDS is seen as the pointy end of GA maybe we should all be throwing our support behind them in their efforts to improve their T&Cs. Then consequently those improvements could well be reflected down the line.
Let's get away from the 'pissing contest' and worrying about what the 'people in the back' are earning. Ultimately it is all about supply and demand and pilots in the GA sector, until recently, have been guilty of allowing employers to erode T&Cs to a ridiculous level, not even keeping with CPI. However we all now have the perfect opportunity to push GA kicking and screaming into the 21st century, you can't just 'shake a tree' anymore and get a pilot.
Jamair has got it in one, if RFDS is seen as the pointy end of GA maybe we should all be throwing our support behind them in their efforts to improve their T&Cs. Then consequently those improvements could well be reflected down the line.
Let's get away from the 'pissing contest' and worrying about what the 'people in the back' are earning. Ultimately it is all about supply and demand and pilots in the GA sector, until recently, have been guilty of allowing employers to erode T&Cs to a ridiculous level, not even keeping with CPI. However we all now have the perfect opportunity to push GA kicking and screaming into the 21st century, you can't just 'shake a tree' anymore and get a pilot.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Alice Springs
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Training???
When light aircraft flying is considered as an essential industry in it's own right, instead of just a training ground for the airlines, then we will get a much better industry to work in. I think the destruction caused by the parasitic airlines has almost run it's course.
I recently saw a city boy go way up north (about as far as you can go) for a flying job. He soon got to fly an islander up there, and some hours and then applied for a chief pilot's job with a falsified resume. He got the job and then the operator had to shell out money for endorsement, flight test etc. The pilot happily stated he was now getting paid twice as much as he got from his previous employer. In a few months he had quit, and gone overseas to do a $150,000 course in England.
WE CAN DO WITHOUT PEOPLE LIKE THIS. They do enormous harm to the industry, and there are lots of them.
And they are the main reason why operators do not pay decent wages, And why they charge for endorsements. We can expect contracts and bonds in the future.
The airlines will take some from GA over the next few years, but first they will try to steal qualified pilots from other airlines to save on training costs. In the long term they may favour those with MCPL's for the same reason.
Expect continued low wages if the airlines continue to recruit from GA. There will always be parasitic pilots.
I recently saw a city boy go way up north (about as far as you can go) for a flying job. He soon got to fly an islander up there, and some hours and then applied for a chief pilot's job with a falsified resume. He got the job and then the operator had to shell out money for endorsement, flight test etc. The pilot happily stated he was now getting paid twice as much as he got from his previous employer. In a few months he had quit, and gone overseas to do a $150,000 course in England.
WE CAN DO WITHOUT PEOPLE LIKE THIS. They do enormous harm to the industry, and there are lots of them.
And they are the main reason why operators do not pay decent wages, And why they charge for endorsements. We can expect contracts and bonds in the future.
The airlines will take some from GA over the next few years, but first they will try to steal qualified pilots from other airlines to save on training costs. In the long term they may favour those with MCPL's for the same reason.
Expect continued low wages if the airlines continue to recruit from GA. There will always be parasitic pilots.
