Westcoast Air

[dja]

Recently I sent a resume into Westcoast Air in Vancouver and got called to come in for a interview. I dont know a heck of alot about the company other then what i have gathered from there website, so my question is, does anyone have any info. on them; wages, shifts, benefits, you know all that kinda stuff. Any info would be good info. I know thats what interviews are for, but i live in the Okanagan and the interview is in Vancouver. Before i make the trip down there i would like to know a little more about the company.

[Bulawrench]

They just had a 30 day notice of suspension lifted and will be under enhanced monitoring for a year.
That may speak volumes of what goes on.

[Widow]

[dja]

Wow, thanks for the info, any idea what the 30 day suspension was for?

[SeptRepair]

They didnt get suspended, they were issued a notice that if they didnt get their shit together within the next 30 days they would have their certificate pulled. Apparently they managed to convince transport they were worthy of continuing to operate.

[dja]

What shit didnt they have together. And are they a company that is worth working for, or would i be looking for a new job within a couple of months?

[HS-748 2A]

I would be interested to know the specifics of TC's concerns.

I do not know the operation well but I know they have some pretty good tallent there and they run a pretty good shop; good building, good tooling etc.

My guess is that it was some paperwork BS. TC never looks at nuts and bolts anyhow.

[Bulawrench]

Hey don't kid yourself. Transport spent a while just in stores before they even looked at the aircraft. No BS by transport just BS by WCA. They aren't the only operators that are keeping Transport busy these days.
Known as a PVI audit folks also better known as company culture.

[HS-748 2A]

So what was the problem with their stores department? No batch number on a bag of bolts??

That's usually the kind of shit they rake you over the coals for.

[Big Pistons Forever]

30 day notice of suspensions are pretty common and are TC's hammer to get companies to quickly complete their corrective action plans. Enhanced monitoring is much less common. It means a ton of extra work for the TC inspectors and so they will try very hard not to have to go there. If this operator is on enhanced monitoring than that could I say again "could" be an indication of some actual and existing severe issues with the company maintainance practices and the company management culture with respect to maintainance.

[dja]

So has anyone out there worked for them and can tell me about the working conditions, the pay, the shift and any other things that might be usefull?

[Pirate Pete]

Any idea what the suspension/enhanced monitoring is about?

[Airtids]

We just went through a BRUTAL QAPVI, and were told that fully 50% of the operators in Pacific Region had been issued a NOS. The enhanced monitoring is, however, a bit of a bigger deal and speaks to deeper issues. I hope WCA gets it all straightened out.

[Check Pilot]

If a Company gets into a situation where "Enhanced Monitoring" is seen as being required, it usually means there are problems that are obvious violations of Regulations that have become apparent.

Enhanced Monitoring is no fun for anyone and usually results in acidic relationships between TC and the Operator and can lead to a cancellation of their AOC or AMO certificate.

It's not a place either TC or any operator wants to be.

[Pat Richard]

So has anyone out there worked for them and can tell me about the working conditions, the pay, the shift and any other things that might be usefull?

Judging by the above, I'd have to guess you are a greenhorn. Nobody experienced would still be interested after reading the responses. At least they should'nt be..

Don't know the shift, but I know the hangar is a dump, and they don't pay experienced guys much over $25 a/hr, and they always seem to be short of them.
Other than that, I know 2 individuals there personally who are just plain dangerous wrenching on airplanes, and have been canned from several places on the southside. "You get what you pay for" applies fully there, and Im sure there's more than just the 2 I know.

I've never heard any good comments about them in the more than 7 years I've spent in/out of yvr, and I've never considered applying there, even when it was slow.

Stay away

[dja]

I cancelled my interview, from all the info that i have been given from this website and from people i know in the industry, i havent really heard anything good about them. If i was to take a job with them I would of had to move from the okanagan to the coast, and the negative defintaly outweighed the positive. I know the aviation industry is pretty limited in the okanagan, so i will probaby have to move eventually, but i want to go to a company that has a little better track record. Once again, thanks for the info.

[ALF]

I cancelled my interview...

I am sure you have made a wise choice.
I have a friend working there. The pay sucks he hates it.
The reason they got the 30 day NOS is because their QA system is virtually non-existant. No QA = no AMO
FYI, Enhanced Monitoring lasts for 90 days...not 1 year as mentioned above