TC selling a/c; HQ inspectors will no-longer fly

[Prairie Chicken]

This is now a done deal. TC inspectors in Ottawa were formally told today there will no longer be HQ inspector flying (to be phased out over 12 to 24 months), 15 aircraft are being sold across the country, and Aircraft Services is surplusing some 30 AME's. Now there may not be an exodus of the existing inspector group in Ottawa, but recruitment into Ottawa will be very difficult.

Luckyboy or CD, is this really a done deal? They've been threatening/talking about it for years, but I hadn't heard that it had come down. Can either of you provide further detail or a reference? Also, would I be correct in guessing the OW inspectors will all be put on the alternate plan? This isn't a bad thing in my mind (a good thing in the taxpayer's mind!), but is likely just the beginning (for many of the reasons Kule has already pointed out). As far as recruitment into OW is concerned, that has been tough for many years for a variety of reasons, very little flying being just one.

Kule, yes, there is a significant difference between Aircraft Services & TCCA. Different management entirely. Very different organizations, but still answering to the MoT, and of course, still government.

TC Guy, if you're still lurking, I suspect we've crossed paths over the years. I suspect a number of folks here on the forum miss your professional explanations of the apparent mysteries of Licencing.

[Prairie Chicken]

Tx Luckyboy. WOW! This is going to be a hugh shakeup! The repercussions are going to reverberate into all aspects of aviation! And I think they have the mechanisms in place to get it past the union contracts using the alternate programs.

I think this warrants a new thread... It will be interesting to hear the comments.

[turbo-prop]

Then theres the FAA buying all new King Air 90's. Some of TC's 90's have just been upgraded with proline 21. Kind of going backwards.

[Panama Jack]

Just imagine, Transport Canada will now charter aircraft on their way to inspections and audits. I can't think of a better way to encourage compliance than having a load of inspectors with clipboards and sharp pencils in the back of the Navajo.

[Prairie Chicken]

Good point 'Jack. I wonder if any of those Navajo operators will have an a/c available when TC need to go somewhere ... or get back.

I agree this was the right thing to do, contrary to a large number of my former colleagues, but I do have concerns about the possible outcomes. The issue someone mentioned earlier about getting CAI's to go to OW is one. The gene pool of those willing to move to OW has just narrowed with a corresponding decrease in potential policy setters. Also, while former pilots would have a better appreciation of the industry than non-pilots, I wonder how long it will take before they lose their insight into the industry?

At least it sounds like those inspectors with a real need to fly will still be flying. Hopefully now they'll get enough flying themselves to remain current.

[Hedley]

I can't think of a better way to encourage compliance than having a load of inspectors with clipboards and sharp pencils in the back

Too funny ...

Hey, maybe I should submit a bid for a contract to give some dual for recurrent training? We have lots of neat stuff to fly ...

Back to earth, I am sure that OFC and OAS would be glad to rent their aircraft.

[A Regulator]

TC's 90's have NOT been up upgraded to Proline 21 only the C550 have some of that and only part of the 21 package. Some of the aircraft that they are selling are old and hanger queens, some do not fit, like the DHC6 flying around with 2 pilots, hard to get parts and only a few want to fly it.

[Kosiw]

Guess there will finally be some room in that cavernous ASD hanger to set up a bowling alley, only the DND Challengers, heavy maintenance, and the D7 will remain....

[Invertago]

Just imagine, Transport Canada will now charter aircraft on their way to inspections and audits. I can't think of a better way to encourage compliance than having a load of inspectors with clipboards and sharp pencils in the back of the Navajo.

Sure hope CATSA confiscates those sharp pencils before they board!

[mag check]

Wouldn't it be fun to do a prepurchase on those aircraft, and find all the airworthiness defects.
Love to see the looks when a few pages of items are found.

[Old fella]

When I worked there in the 90's, it was generally considered a drain on TC resources(aka taxpayer) to have that big bloated HQ Aircfaft Services just to support the various HQ CAIs who were given 48 flying hrs per year to bore holes in the sky just to collect flying pay in the amt of $6000.00. At least in the Regions there was some type of operational work done with the airplanes, Air Carrier PPC, audits, Aerodrone Standards doing airport inspections, case presentations on Enforcement issues. Again I am going back to the 90's, undoubtly much has changed sine I was there.

Maybe it is a good thing for HQ A/S to see some serious cut backs!!!!!

[Prairie Chicken]

Old fella, as of a couple of years ago, not much had changed. Maybe a few more HQ inspectors on the alternate plan, but that's about it.

[Old fella]

Some thought the C550 acquisition years back was quite a drain on resources and TC would have been better off with Beech like 200's and the associated infrastructure rather that this C550 program which included a Phase D sim from CAE. Many years ago when I was on the C550 we had to do 6 month PPC because that time TC Aircraft Services wanted to operate under an OC rather than the Corporate/State series regulations, wasn't it called the Private Airplane Transport Orders. Higher up in the AirCraft Services group were known for empire building and there were many individuals direct out of the military who headed it up. There were more Chief Pilots, Deputy Chief pilots, Director of TurboJet Training Operations, Director of TurboProp Training Operations and their accociated deputies that one could imagine. It was an ongoing joke that AS had more levels than Air Canada with it's multi aircraft types and International/Domestic route structure.

But........... whatever.

[trey kule]

[quote][/quote]But the pilot inspectors who use the fleet to keep their flying competencies and skills up to date say safety will be comprised if some pilots are grounded[quote][/qu

It seems I have always been blaming management for chanting safety everytime they want something . And now it is the pilot-inspectors, which I guess are different than just inspectors.
What a bucket of hogwash. How safe were these guys when they were flying the absolute minimum hours necessary to keep current?

Training on video games? Dont they hire inspectors with experience? I have always been a supporter of the majority of rank and file at TC but this is absolute nonsense. Nothing more than a bunch of whiners who want Monday to Friday work, decent pay and pension, and to be able to tool around on taxpayers money...and get extra pay for doing it. It does nothing for safety at all. As a matter of fact, considering tc's penchant for including belly landing as a training exercise, it may be that keeping these folks out of the sky is actually safer.

[Beaver Driver]

Regular flying allows pilot inspectors to maintain their skills and to experience the real world of aviation. Without this experience, how can pilot inspectors advise the minister of an aviation policy that is overly restrictive or ineffective?

I'm not sure I would call the flying they do "real world aviation"

[chancellor]

Fewer training aircraft means that inspectors with lapsed aviation competencies and stale aircraft-type ratings will be asked to oversee the safety of the aviation sector.

I am sure their 100 hours a year kept them incredibly safe and on top of everything. Wasn't the old and still relevant saying "Those who can; fly, those who can't join Transport"

[V1 Rotate]

"Those who can fly, those who can't join Transport"

Those who can't use punctuation make. Little; Sense,

[AME 283]

About time, they shut down club TC, there was a lot of TC that do not need to keep up their pilot skills, like enforcement, and a lot of Directors who should be people managers not pilots - also goes along with the SMS guidelines of all generalists - about time we stopped wasting our precious tax dollars

Now if they would stop some of the bonus $$ it would even be a greater savings of our tax dollars

[pollyperkins]

How safe were these guys when they were flying the absolute minimum hours necessary to keep current?

.[/quote]

Exactly!

No loss exept for the free-be training and the God Complex to have oversight of 5000+ hrs on type guys/gals with only 100+ on-type them selves.

[trey kule]

Mr. chicken. I am not sure many of the younger posters understood the significance of your comment about access of charter aircraft..Brought memories back and a smile to my face.


And, after giving it some thought. ATC seems to attract a fair number of pilots. And they take the jobs without any promise of flight time. Perhaps this whole thing about providing flight time to job applicants is more about a perk than a necessity. In any event, my feelings about the whole issue were posted 4 years ago and I dont feel the need to change that opinion. Taxpayers are being saved money. Pilots who take up a training budget for minimal and, insufficeint flying to remain current eliminated. Seems the only ones that are not happy are the ones who will relinquish flight pay and tax funded play time.

[armchair]

.

[CD]

That's cuz they like to tell other pilots where to go, how to get there and what to do with themselves when they arrive...

[Prairie Chicken]

Perhaps this whole thing about providing flight time to job applicants is more about a perk than a necessity.

I hadn't thought of it that way Kule, but it's not a bad analogy.

And I still figure you had it mostly right four years ago.

[Hedley]

A reasonable comprimise might be to contract out to the private sector, not unlike what the air force does for many different kind of ops.

Someone said that the in-house budget is $9M/yr. Fine. What kind of flight time could be contracted for say $1M/yr? That's a savings of $8M or almost 90% to the taxpayer.

Admittedly you might not buy much king air or citation time, but $1M/yr buys a lot of C182 time. At $200/hr, that's 5000 hrs/yr, or enough flight time for over 100 Inspectors at their current 48 hrs/yr - I'm not sure how many flying Inspectors there are in Ottawa.

I dunno about you guys, but as a taxpayer, if the government announced it was cutting expenditures 90% across the board, I'd be dancing on the frikken roof.