Noticed Slate Falls Airways is looking for a 206 driver for 2007 - anyone know anything about their operation - schedule - pay - etc.

Thanks a lot~

jjal

I gathered from your posts that you already worked there.

Sorry boss hawg your attempt to filter out a troll is unfounded on this one.

I am contemplating applying to SF from my current job which takes me any number of places. I generally stay in the northeastern part of Ontario but last summer spent a good chunk of the year in NWO/MB as with the winter. I am in going to be in the YXL area next week and wanted to have a talk with the CP, but wanted some info first. I know the owner of Slate Falls (not very well though) and don't feel comfortable going to talk about employment without some kind of information at hand.

As a rule of thumb I do try to maintain anonymity on this site but I assure you I'm not trolling for answers. I don't approve of trolls. No, I don't own slate falls air eithr!!!

What I am looking to find out is the best choice between:

1) Stay at my current job (see my post about the salary offer my current employer has offered in the salary section) or

2) Apply to SF to make a lateral move ('similar' kind of operation) if it might give me better pay or a better chance to move up, even if I have another year on the 206, which I don't mind. I am fairly happy where I am now although the prospect of having a -3T and caravan in the fleet for possible upgrading is attractive. We had an otter a couple years ago but ended the lease well before I had any hope of getting on anything bigger than a 180.

Just looking to see if anyone has some input or if anyone really *does* or *has* worked there if you can offer a heads up that would me much appreciated.

Thanks

jjal

My apologies. Guess I was wrong. There's a first time for everything.

From what I've heard SFA is a good place to work. Strong focus on safety and you never fly overloaded. A fair bit of variety flying charters but sounds like you may have lots of variety already. Diverse fleet like you mentioned so it's a good place to stay a few years and work your way up. Not sure how many people they employ there in the winter but if you could get a year round gig there that would be nice (if that's what you're looking for - some guys like having winters off).

However, if the company you are at now is offering you $3600/mo, year round, and a checkout on the Beaver it sounds better than flying the 206 at SFA which is seasonal AFAIK. No R&B there so you gotta find a place to rent in YXL for a few months and you'd be making quite a bit less than what your current employer is offering.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

don't expect an uprade there, the local lifers are on the bigger machines. You will be on the 206 and thats all. they do fly lots though, good job for hr building, but from what i hear the pay isnt the greatest.

JJAL:

Firstly, I don't think JJAL works with me - as it is just me and the chief pilot here over the winter (in terms of pilots, anyway). Whether or not that is true I suppose is up to JJAL to prove to the rest of the thread!!! Anyway...

I've worked at SFA for a few years now and can offer this:

We run two 206s, a 210, a Caravan, Beaver and turbo Otter. One 206, the Beaver and Turbo Otter are parked during the winter. Hiring minimums for the 206 are 250 hours on floats even though I got insured with slightly less. Scheduling consists of 4.5 scheduled days off per month with pay, additional days off (if you get any) are deducted as a day off. Most duty days run from early AM in summer - 5:15 is as early as it gets really - and generally run into the afternoon. Your time spent not flying can be taken at home or you can hang out at the base - so it isn't like you are chained to the dock or office all day. I won't elaborate on the pay as I do not know what the senior guys make - I started around $2300 and worked up a bit from there. I fly the 206 and 210 and make a pretty decent salary I think - although very few pilots make what pilots should make and there is always room for improvement!!! You are paid a salary with no mileage, which is ok when you consider the sometimes-long stretches of lousy weather here in YXL. Last year I flew 700 hours +/- and that was about average - the seasonal 206 pilots typically do 300-500 hours I would guess. Company is good to work for without any major problems as I see it, although the never ending trips between YXL and Cat Lake start to get to you after a while. Possibility of upgrade from a 206 to a Beaver is probably pretty slim. If you like where you are now and have a DHC2 job I would suggest holding on since your 206 pay won't likely be what you are offered and, as I said, the chance of flying DIN isn't very good.

For some more info you can go to our website at http://www.slatefallsair.com

We are still looking for a C206 pilot for next year; if you are interested either come talk to Rich (ops manager) or give him a call when you are in town - or email jobs@slatefallsair.com. Kent (chief pilot) isn't generally around the office so your chances of snagging him are pretty slim. Rich is the guy you'd want to talk to about a job anyway. If you are flying around here and hear either GRW or HEG somewhere between Sioux Lookout and Cat lake, you know who it is so say hello!

Matt

edited so I don't sound like a condescending jackass. Sorry Matt.

Ok Boss Hawg you are nothing if not persistent. I should not have to feel compelled to plead my case but I feel as though I am being accused of something, so here are the facts in response to your post:

My computer business, NorthWeb Online provides hosting services and a slew of other things to individuals, organizations and businesses. I have hosted photos for a couple different threads on this website as a service. I permit a certain number of people server rights to upload to different directories on my server (within filesize and bandwidth limits) as a service to this site and a few others. I did not know the WestJet photo was on there until you mentioned it. I posted the HS748 photo for, if I recall correctly "Flightlevels" as a courtesy since Flightlevels
asked how to post a photo. You will find many directories on my server allocated to such "public services" - /avcanada just happens to be one of them that many have the rights to upload to. As a pilot and person who is interested in aviation a great deal, offering this service is not a big deal and I enjoy doing it. If you would like to be able to host things on the nwonline.ca domain please ask and I will see if I can make room for you. I will have to contact JJAL to find out who he/she really is - I obviously gave server rights to them (or JJAL was using different alias, perhaps - a distinct possibility because I do not know who jjal is.)

I cannot comment on JJAL's "plugging" of my photo of Bearskin's metro (I think that was the one you were referring to, right?). Coincidence, perhaps or maybe JJAL is an avid Airliners.net user who works at Bearskin and the photo caught his or her eye. "methinks you have a fan" - quite possibly I suppose. I'll take a fan.

I cannot comment on JJAL's sentence structure or English. I can't imagine it takes too much of a brain to try to spell things right or write grammar good so that would hardly be something that can identify one person. That's like saying "User A" always spells "thier" instead of "their" and User B does the same, thus, User A = User B. I thank you for the compliment of my posts' grammar and spelling, however. I do try to keep things correct and proper - I find they are much easier to read than the rubbish you can get from others.

I have tried to remain nameless here but that is obviously not possible anymore. You are correct my name is Matt C and I work for SFA - I own NorthWeb Online and appear on several websites including Airliners.net, as you pointed out. Yes, there is another Matt that has worked at SFA since 2004 but I am not about to reveal his full name as it is certainly not my place. I do not know if he posts on AvCanada and have never asked. The SFA site only lists supervisory personnel - the only reason I am on there is because I manage the website and want to be available if someone has a complaint, suggestion or problem with SlateFallsAir.com. I did not want to become publicly known by my name here but that is obviously no longer an option; I have nothing to hide and have no problem with my coworkers or employer knowing who I am. Although some level of anonymity was nice. On occasion I have altered specifics in my post to try to conceal some things about me or my company, in case you go digging through the archives and decide to throw something else at me.

JJAL may work for us, could be the CP, could be the owner looking for some public input on what others think of his company, may have worked in the past (we have seasonal guys that don't stick around always) or may work for another operator. I have no idea, nor do I really care.

Similar fleets, well off hand (and with some help) I can think of: (forgive me for errors)
BAMAJI AIR (C185, C206, FBA2C, C208, DHC2)
KNEE LAKE (C206, C208, DHC2)
LAC LA CROIX (C185, DHC2, DHC3)
WILDERNESS AIR (C185, DHC2, DHC3)
NORTHWAY (C180, C185, C207, DHC2, DHC3, C208)
RIVER AIR (PA18, C180, C185, C206, DHC2, DHC3)
AIR SANDY (C206, C207, DHC2)
Some are in NWO and all are close - all have similar fleets to SFA. Most are year round operations too. It's not like myself and JJAL both claim to be working for a company flying some obscure only-two-remaining-airworthy specimens of an aircraft.

I will send JJAL a PM requesting clarification, for no other reason than to figure out how JJAL has access to my server. I assume he/she got it using their real name or another avcanada name... but I will check. I do not intend to reveal their identity as obviously JJAL has remained anonymous so far.

Out of my curiosity, answer me this:

"Strong focus on safety and you never fly overloaded" from whom did that little tidbit come from? You certainly could not have made it up since, technically, all companies are supposed to have a strong focus on safety and never fly overloaded. Perhaps you are an insider trying to root out this jjal to settle some previous score? Who knows... this whole thing is getting pretty childish.

I have just spent a great deal of my time trying to justify to you, anonymous Boss Hawg, who I am and who I am not. Please go ahead an either post your name here or PM me so your facelessness is lost. The fact I have put so much energy into it maddens me, as I have far better things to do than this kind of crap. You pretty much (and in a pretty condescending way, btw) accused me of trolling this forum. Forgive me for being kind of peeved.

If you would like to rip into me, my company, my job or my standards as a poster on AvCanada, feel free. My next reply won't be as detailed and will certainly leave some room for improvement in the grammar section.

MC

Whoa, simmer down. I see I’ve touched a nerve so will say my bit and shut up. I felt I owed it to the people following this thread to explain why I would make the statement that jjal worked there. In doing so I realized the similarities between the two of you, which I thought would have been of interest to you both. My apologies if either of you find this offensive. It’s winter, I’m bored and clearly have too much time on my hands. Yes, at first I thought he was you. Obviously I was reading into things a bit much at first but I think you’re reading into my last post a bit much too. Everybody who’s spent time here knows it’s easy to be taken the wrong way. I believe you work at different places and have since jjal said so, otherwise I wouldn’t have taken the time to reply to him. Clearly he’s not worried about anyone at SFA knowing who he is since he’s already stated he will be visiting your office next week to talk about the 206 position. Now the two of you will at least have lots to chat and laugh about when you meet. You can find out right from him how he accessed your server.

As for what I said about safety and not flying overloaded….a bit is what I have heard from others, but mostly it comes from the SFA website under the Air Safety section which I’m sure you’re familiar with. You’re right all companies should fly as safely as possible - but do you really think nobody ever goes out overloaded or in bad wx? In any case I don’t see how such a statement could have some kind of hidden meaning. I think it’s a testament to a quality organization which I believe SFA is.

I may have got a bit nasty last night - I was tired and getting frustrated. Sorry boss hawg.

I PM'd jjal and his reply included:

- He is in fact a different person.
- He in fact was given server access last year but not as JJAL. He used another nickname (not registerd on avcanada) for that purpose, which is fine with me.
- I have known jjal for a couple years - went to school with him in fact - just didn't know jjal was "so-and-so" from "blankville".

Looks like JJAL is a fan - I told him about the JV metro on A.net but didn't realize he posted as JJAL on this site.

JJAL expressed his apologies to me and indicated he altered things in his post(s) to try to conceal id from his current employer, who he doesn't want to know of his job search after receiving a decent offer for the season.

And the place he currently works at does, in fact, have a remarkably similar fleet. A tad larger and diverse, mind you, but very similar.

No hard feelings 'tween you and I, jjal still has server access, jjal and I are still friends, good for a laugh, and I will go on about my business and remember that when posting on this site, much like emails and other impersonal communication, things are indeed very obviously taken wrong, sarcasm missed, etc.

We are, however, still looking for a 206 pilot, which is how this whole thing started.

Take care

MC

It's all good. I've always been a believer in coincidence, just moreso now.

[attempted humour] Now if only you were ferrying a be55 from yyc-msp we'd have one for the record books! [/attempted humour]


jjal,

I've hijacked your thread long enough, so I'll do my best to get it back on track.

So does anybody have anything else to add about SFA?

certainly sounds like slate has had it's hands full with the 206 drivers this summer...one letting the wing swim during approach in Cat lake, and the other likes to abandon ship with passengers on board and let the aircraft sink in Long Dog last month...nice.

Well if it's just people from Longdog. Who really cares?