Hello everyone,
I am very interested in working for Kenn Borek at some point in my career. Right now, I am very inexperienced (less than 400 hrs tt) and currently working at a job close to home to build time. However, I would very much like to experience the brand of flying Borek has to offer. I've watched many videos on the company and done plenty of research on the twin otter and BT67 (I still know very little however). Does anyone who is currently working there or used to work there recently have any information on the company regarding the following:
1. How many hours do you need to do direct flight line and skip dispatch (or is that at all possible?)
2. How are aircraft types assigned (how many hours for BT67 VS otter)
3. What is the schedule like for the Antarctica operations
4. Is there a training bond (if so for how long)
5. How is the company with regards to training and scheduling/hr
6. Anyone have any neat photos of the ops there (would love to see what the highlights of the operations are like)
Thanks everyone... I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Feel free to PM me.
Cheers
Kenn Borek Air Operations
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, North Shore, I WAS Birddog
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ExtraButtery
- Rank 1
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- Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2020 5:09 pm
Re: Kenn Borek Air Operations
Buy a big chunk of King Air simulator time.
Re: Kenn Borek Air Operations
Its been a while. I haven't worked there in about a decade now. Still have a couple friends there. I'm not sure how busy they are these days..
1)Unless you are currently PPC'd on a twin otter or Basler, you probably won't walk in off the street. Low timers go through dispatch, the paint shop etc. So you'll need a couple thousand hours on something they operate. The mins were pretty high for upgrades when I was there. I'm sure that hasn't changed based on the environments they operate in.
2)Sometimes you get to pick, sometimes they just assign you something. Some times you work your way onto getting what you want
3) believe it's still 3 months on the ice at a shot. Depends on which contract. There were quite a few. Expect to spend a while there. I think one crew ferried the machine down, flew half the season and then were switched out and another crew ferried home.
4)No bond, but there was a promissory note. They were for one year when I was there.
5) Not much of an HR department. Usually it's the chief pilots assistant doing the work or the scheduler or someone in the training environment. Training is mostly on wing and pretty good as there is a LOT of well experienced Twotter and Basler drivers working for them.
I'm too lazy to dig through my external drive tonight, but I'm sure others will post some pictures of things.
1)Unless you are currently PPC'd on a twin otter or Basler, you probably won't walk in off the street. Low timers go through dispatch, the paint shop etc. So you'll need a couple thousand hours on something they operate. The mins were pretty high for upgrades when I was there. I'm sure that hasn't changed based on the environments they operate in.
2)Sometimes you get to pick, sometimes they just assign you something. Some times you work your way onto getting what you want
3) believe it's still 3 months on the ice at a shot. Depends on which contract. There were quite a few. Expect to spend a while there. I think one crew ferried the machine down, flew half the season and then were switched out and another crew ferried home.
4)No bond, but there was a promissory note. They were for one year when I was there.
5) Not much of an HR department. Usually it's the chief pilots assistant doing the work or the scheduler or someone in the training environment. Training is mostly on wing and pretty good as there is a LOT of well experienced Twotter and Basler drivers working for them.
I'm too lazy to dig through my external drive tonight, but I'm sure others will post some pictures of things.
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ExtraButtery
- Rank 1
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- Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2020 5:09 pm
Re: Kenn Borek Air Operations
I've heard of people buying sim time in the past... would you say that companies would still recognize that as a credible source of time?
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ExtraButtery
- Rank 1
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- Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2020 5:09 pm
Re: Kenn Borek Air Operations
Thanks a lot for the reply,Rowdy wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 9:22 pm Its been a while. I haven't worked there in about a decade now. Still have a couple friends there. I'm not sure how busy they are these days..
1)Unless you are currently PPC'd on a twin otter or Basler, you probably won't walk in off the street. Low timers go through dispatch, the paint shop etc. So you'll need a couple thousand hours on something they operate. The mins were pretty high for upgrades when I was there. I'm sure that hasn't changed based on the environments they operate in.
2)Sometimes you get to pick, sometimes they just assign you something. Some times you work your way onto getting what you want
3) believe it's still 3 months on the ice at a shot. Depends on which contract. There were quite a few. Expect to spend a while there. I think one crew ferried the machine down, flew half the season and then were switched out and another crew ferried home.
4)No bond, but there was a promissory note. They were for one year when I was there.
5) Not much of an HR department. Usually it's the chief pilots assistant doing the work or the scheduler or someone in the training environment. Training is mostly on wing and pretty good as there is a LOT of well experienced Twotter and Basler drivers working for them.
I'm too lazy to dig through my external drive tonight, but I'm sure others will post some pictures of things.
The BT67 would be a dream to fly but I know I am no where near experienced enough to fly it (especially in the Borek envionments). Guess I will just have to keep the dream alive until I have the chance to fly one (that is if COVID ever ends hahaha). Just found this vide on youtube reagrding the training... looks like a lot of fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8OidruAQ5Q
Cheers and happy flying!
Re: Kenn Borek Air Operations
He was trolling you... you'll find that a lot around hereExtraButtery wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 1:40 pmI've heard of people buying sim time in the past... would you say that companies would still recognize that as a credible source of time?
Also, I don't think i've ever heard of anyone buying sim time unless they were paying for their A320 or 737 type rating
Re: Kenn Borek Air Operations
It's been a while since I spoke with Richie but the position he seems to have the most trouble filling is the king air in Inuvik. This has likely changed with covid but that was their high turnover point at one time.
I had one of my f/o's leave for direct entry on the DC3 but he was current ( parachuting will always happen at the expense of "pilots in waiting"). Last I heard he really enjoyed it because he wanted the travel. Travel you will.
They are the only operator on the ice(Antarctica) this year.
The only 2 complaints I heard was with pay (little below other operators) and scheduling. Putting you right back to work(domestically) after a ice 3 month pairing. Aircraft arriving back from there have a short stay before they are headed north here but that is what incentive pay is all about.
Like many airlines of this level they are a captain oriented company. Enter as an F/O and you must earn your advancement and company respect. Don't be hung up on seniority.
I had one of my f/o's leave for direct entry on the DC3 but he was current ( parachuting will always happen at the expense of "pilots in waiting"). Last I heard he really enjoyed it because he wanted the travel. Travel you will.
They are the only operator on the ice(Antarctica) this year.
The only 2 complaints I heard was with pay (little below other operators) and scheduling. Putting you right back to work(domestically) after a ice 3 month pairing. Aircraft arriving back from there have a short stay before they are headed north here but that is what incentive pay is all about.
Like many airlines of this level they are a captain oriented company. Enter as an F/O and you must earn your advancement and company respect. Don't be hung up on seniority.
Black air has no lift - extra fuel has no weight
http://www.blackair.ca
http://www.blackair.ca
Re: Kenn Borek Air Operations
I left a almost two years ago. I was an FO on the twin. I've been regretting leaving since the day I left, more so now that I'm laid off because of covid.
Things are different since covid. They still haven't hired back all the staff they laid-off.
It's a good company overall. The schedule can really suck sometimes. You think you'll be going for 3 weeks and then you get extended last minute and end up staying 6 weeks. That's just the nature of the work there, a lot of the time you go to do a job and you leave when the job is done. But the job is weather dependent and weather in the polar regions usually sucks.
The rotations in Antarctica depend on your contract. The Russian contract is like 6 months, but you can do half seasons so it's only 3 months. The new Zealand contract on the other hand is more or less 2 months total. Contract length change frequently. So do pilot requirements for the contract (no requirement for the Russians, need 1500hrs to be a FO with the Aussies).
Usually guys start in flight following or as rampees/fa in Antarctica. Then they go FO. It was possible to go straight to flight line before covid not sure about now.
The aircraft type was usually more or less assigned. If you ask for the king air you're sure to get it since most people want the twin of the basler. Usually they didn't put fesh 200hr FOs into the DC3.
The king air has pretty steady 2 on 2 off rotations, the twin kinda whatever but tries to be 3 on 3 off + Antarctica. DC3 is whatever whenever no real schedule.
There is a bond for a year prorated after 6 months. 8k for the twin and king air and 12k for the DC3 I think.
Things are different since covid. They still haven't hired back all the staff they laid-off.
It's a good company overall. The schedule can really suck sometimes. You think you'll be going for 3 weeks and then you get extended last minute and end up staying 6 weeks. That's just the nature of the work there, a lot of the time you go to do a job and you leave when the job is done. But the job is weather dependent and weather in the polar regions usually sucks.
The rotations in Antarctica depend on your contract. The Russian contract is like 6 months, but you can do half seasons so it's only 3 months. The new Zealand contract on the other hand is more or less 2 months total. Contract length change frequently. So do pilot requirements for the contract (no requirement for the Russians, need 1500hrs to be a FO with the Aussies).
Usually guys start in flight following or as rampees/fa in Antarctica. Then they go FO. It was possible to go straight to flight line before covid not sure about now.
The aircraft type was usually more or less assigned. If you ask for the king air you're sure to get it since most people want the twin of the basler. Usually they didn't put fesh 200hr FOs into the DC3.
The king air has pretty steady 2 on 2 off rotations, the twin kinda whatever but tries to be 3 on 3 off + Antarctica. DC3 is whatever whenever no real schedule.
There is a bond for a year prorated after 6 months. 8k for the twin and king air and 12k for the DC3 I think.
Re: Kenn Borek Air Operations
That was a very nice and informative reply.
Re: Kenn Borek Air Operations
Same as Oliver, left 2 years ago, and at the time there was only one 1900 operating, they had another one but was leased out to someone else. It did a lot of the Inuvik sched work and charters that would pop up.
Also to add to Oliver’s very informative response, in my experience (entering as a flight follower and swamped on the DC3 before flying the otter) I found that the aircraft you got on had a lot to do with your work ethic, and reputation you built for yourself amongst your co workers. There is long time Captains that will bat for you without you knowing, and it goes a long way with the chief pilot. Great company to work for, awesome pilots and people.
