Conair Career...it's a good time to get on.

[Meatservo]

This is an interesting thread to watch. I've always been interested in aerial firefighting, since I was in college. Now, with approximately 25000 hours of mostly bush flying, a few thousand hours of 705 time too, I'm still kind of curious about it. I have some friends who made the switch from 705 flying to firefighting and they make it sound pretty exciting.

Two things that keep me from being 100% interested: just like any other part of the industry, there's a massive toll to be paid whenever you switch lanes. You can rarely go to a new job outside your immediate sphere and expect your pay to remain similar. Especially when you are going to a union company. Especially in something like this, just like bush flying, your experience in other types of flying is of limited usefulness.

The other thing is travel benefits. Almost everyone who works for a scheduled carrier gets some kind of ID90 or reciprocal jumpseat advantages. I find as I get more senior and eligible for more vacation time, the more valuable the privilege of cheap standby travel becomes. As far as I know, aerial firefighting pilots don't get these benefits, and that's a tough thing to give up. The only thing that would mitigate this is vastly better pay, the kind of better pay that would allow me to buy plane tickets to see my family in other countries. I would be happy to hear that I'm wrong in these assumptions, because that would go a long way towards possibly deciding to take the leap.

[Rudy]

This is an interesting thread to watch. I've always been interested in aerial firefighting, since I was in college. Now, with approximately 25000 hours of mostly bush flying, a few thousand hours of 705 time too, I'm still kind of curious about it. I have some friends who made the switch from 705 flying to firefighting and they make it sound pretty exciting.

Two things that keep me from being 100% interested: just like any other part of the industry, there's a massive toll to be paid whenever you switch lanes. You can rarely go to a new job outside your immediate sphere and expect your pay to remain similar. Especially when you are going to a union company. Especially in something like this, just like bush flying, your experience in other types of flying is of limited usefulness.

The other thing is travel benefits. Almost everyone who works for a scheduled carrier gets some kind of ID90 or reciprocal jumpseat advantages. I find as I get more senior and eligible for more vacation time, the more valuable the privilege of cheap standby travel becomes. As far as I know, aerial firefighting pilots don't get these benefits, and that's a tough thing to give up. The only thing that would mitigate this is vastly better pay, the kind of better pay that would allow me to buy plane tickets to see my family in other countries. I would be happy to hear that I'm wrong in these assumptions, because that would go a long way towards possibly deciding to take the leap.

I am also interested except for pay and benefits. 3000 hours of AT802.

[pelmet]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/news/b- ... 45#details

Sounds like they were super busy this year, as expected/ Did the pilots get their two weeks off during the season?

[CLguy]

All the Captains at Bridger are Canadian and the senior maintenance staff are as well. Aeroflite which operate out of Spokane, Washington are the Conair south operation. They have probably 50% Canadian pilots. Yes Canada Firefighter Operations really needs to drag themselves into the 21st century when it comes to pay and working conditions. Conair Captains flying the 215T’s in Alberta when they had the contract were making about a third of what an Aeroflight Captains are making. Aeroflite works 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off while in Alberta they got about 2 weeks off the whole summer contract.

[pelmet]

Still don't get how they can work in the US.

[mmm...bacon]

^ National interest waiver. When your forests are a-burning’, you don’t really care where the pilots come from to fly your aeroplanes if there are no nationals able/qualified to do so…

[goldeneagle]

Still don't get how they can work in the US.

This is a special paragraph in nafta (and it's replacement) around forest fire operations, and tanker pilots in particular.

[Driving Rain]

Still don't get how they can work in the US.

The US FAA has two different seaplane endorsements. They have a single engine seaplane rating and a multi engine seaplane rating.
Bridger owns a twin otter on amphibious floats that they’ve used to train their flight crews to multi engine seaplane standards.This regulation difference might provide Canadian crews with a leg up over the US crews?

During the early 1980’s because of wage stagnation low pay Ontario was the CL215 pilot training province for Canada. Thanks to the prodding of management by a few of the more enlightened flight crews Ontario ended up with a very experienced stable work force that served them well for 35 years.It appears those hard won lessons have be lost and they are back to square 1.

Aerial fire Suppression is not for everyone. It requires dependable forthright interpersonal skills as well as pilots that enjoy teamwork. Aerial fire Suppression companies should do more to reward loyalty even if they can’t compete with airline pay schedules, defined benefit pension plans, profit sharing and bonus cheques would be great places to start.

[Victory]

Last chance guys!

[pelmet]

Last chance guys!

Why such a late advertisement?