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The State Of The...Your Job!

Everything that would not belong anywhere else.
 

ShyFlyer (Founding Member) 05 Mar 22, 19:28Post
...so a job opportunity has come my way. Its for a Flight Simulator Technician at a local company called Air Training Support. They have sims for the 1900D and B742. The "qualifications" are rather lax:

Qualifications
High school or equivalent (Preferred)
IT: 1 year (Preferred)
https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?from=app ... acff0d5631

All I've been able to find out about the company is that it's been in operation since about 2011, judging from their Facebook page. I've googled, of course, and can't really find anything positive or negative. There's no entry on Glassdoor unfortunately.

Anyone here know of this company or where I can look for reviews? Kinda concerned that their business model is focused on two aircraft types that are on their way out of the market.
Make Orwell fiction again.
halls120 (Plank Owner) 06 Mar 22, 12:36Post
Allstarflyer wrote:
ANCFlyer wrote:
halls120 wrote:Put my retirement papers in last week. It's time. :))

{thumbsup}

Mrs ANC and I are out in July . . . game over or game on depending on your perspective. Congratulations.

Good for both of you guys. {thumbsup}


Thanks - we are looking forward to it. Come July 2nd, it will have been 51 years since I was sworn in as a Cadet at the USCGA in New London. It's been a great ride but I'm tired of alarm clocks and I want a sailboat. :))
At home in the PNW and loving it
halls120 (Plank Owner) 06 Mar 22, 12:38Post
ANCFlyer wrote:This is the means of our escape . . . first stop will be friends in Virginia.

Image


Nice rig! {thumbsup} {thumbsup}
At home in the PNW and loving it
ShyFlyer (Founding Member) 09 Apr 22, 14:41Post
It's been almost a month since the acquisition was announced. Still light on the details, but Signature seems really interested in how TAC Air does business. They seem super interested in our proprietary app which keeps track of all the arrivals/departures and services they are requesting.

If I'm kept onboard (likely), I'll probably have to train to be a Line Service Tech. Not the end of the world, but servicing lavs, fueling, and towing are things I enjoy not doing.

No matter what, loading/unloading bags from Globals, 7Xs, and Gulfstreams suck. Apparently those pax haul lead.

Meanwhile...at the "Hilton"...

Movement in the seniority list above my spot has allowed me to return to dayshift. That movement also means that I'm the only Training Officer available to teach others the finder points of control center operations. The Chief once told me that I "stand out" and this will certainly not change that.


Overall, 60hr work weeks are easier than I anticipated, though still tough. Currently, I only have one day off, but with afternoons free I can get the daily chores done as they arise. Fortunately, the woman I'm seeing typically works 100 ~ 120hrs per week, so she understands the importance of scheduling things ahead of time.
Make Orwell fiction again.
captoveur 11 Apr 22, 16:52Post
80% of our IT department has left.

I got a fat raise to try and slow people flying out the door. I am just here to watch this mess burn to the ground.
I like my coffee how I like my women: Black, bitter, and preferably fair trade.
Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 16 Apr 22, 19:32Post
Got married, so that changed things. Couldn't ask for a bigger blessing, but everyone already knows that, so I'll save that for some other post.

The past 6 months have been exceedingly busy. I now run my own fac and airspace. Spent 6 months unscrewing the procedures. Performance Based Nav group made everything worse than should be possible. Mostly unscrewed that at this point, but full airspace re-design in process...first part should be done in 9-12 months, with a completely different world in 2-3 years. Have cut delays to almost nothing through many planning sessions, despite the 50% uptick in traffic. Tons of heated conversations. I have also fixed the issue (our end) with LoSSes. Not so much on the other end of the shout line yet...of course "safety" often means "react to aerial cremation," so I'm really having to batter that wall a lot. With any luck my tactics won't get me terminated.

Managed to secure extra money for my employees, so they're all making a base of six figures now--lowest paid will take in about 137 this year with his OT and bonuses. Should get everyone another pay raise around mid-summer.

Wife is doing well financially, so right now anything we could do with me in other aviation roles is a pay cut--though I've had offers elsewhere. Being where we are, there are no houses to buy, even if we could, but we are going to stick here until I accomplish some av safety/efficiency goals, and then look into non-av industries.

Local pilot/businessman approached me recently and offered to take me under his wing, pun intended, for twice what I am making now. I told him I'd love to, but I need to accomplish a couple more tasks here in my role as the boss, just so that the airspace gains we made aren't lost. He's fine with that since, as mentioned, he's also a pilot.

An outside entity is also paying me extra money every month to stick around, as they want to retain me. My management found that very iffy, but ultimately it's not up to them.
ShyFlyer (Founding Member) 24 May 22, 23:58Post
Another Deputy suddenly resigned. I don't know the circumstances behind it, but it's likely due to the increasing availability of overtime. It wasn't too long ago that the number of people wanting overtime greatly outweighed the number of available spots. Now, its the opposite. So much so that at times dayshift operates with just a few more sworn members than graveyard. And some of those spots are being filled by people from graveyard.

Everyone feels the pressure and cracks are forming. As a Training Officer, I'm shouldering the workload of four trainers. I have back to back trainees until the first week in July. Because of the backlog, some of those trainees will be "late" hitting the line by about a month.

I won't have a day off until the first week in June.
Make Orwell fiction again.
Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 27 May 22, 13:32Post
ShyFlyer wrote:Another Deputy suddenly resigned. I don't know the circumstances behind it, but it's likely due to the increasing availability of overtime. It wasn't too long ago that the number of people wanting overtime greatly outweighed the number of available spots. Now, its the opposite. So much so that at times dayshift operates with just a few more sworn members than graveyard. And some of those spots are being filled by people from graveyard.

Everyone feels the pressure and cracks are forming. As a Training Officer, I'm shouldering the workload of four trainers. I have back to back trainees until the first week in July. Because of the backlog, some of those trainees will be "late" hitting the line by about a month.

I won't have a day off until the first week in June.



We are also stuck running lean, and our company got a waiver to cut back our overtime "due to the pandemic." That might seem great, but in reality, during peak season working single CIC by yourself sans radar, with approach down the crapper, it's just getting your tallywhacker kicked in so that the company can save some money. Not safe, but SAFE reports are ignored by the government.

And after some LoSSes, A/D is back to 60 hours/week (fed max) due to letting some ATCS go. So that is great. We will all be working the max, tempers will be high, and we have supply shortages for NAVAID components and for no kidding flight strips somehow (Q4 projection for FCTs). Chief tech for the region stopped and asked me what we will do if they can't get ILS components until fall.

I don't know. Quit?
ShyFlyer (Founding Member) 29 May 22, 23:02Post
ShyFlyer wrote:Another Deputy suddenly resigned.

It happened again. Another crack in the line. There will be more, including amongst those that, right now, aren't even thinking about leaving.

These people aren't just leaving the agency, they're leaving the profession. They are being replaced by fresh academy graduates, many of whom are of the "avoid confrontation at all costs" mentality.

I hate to be pessimistic. I hate that sounding overly dramatic. That said, I sense a very bad storm on the horizon. I have no where to go.
Make Orwell fiction again.
Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 31 May 22, 23:40Post
ShyFlyer wrote:
ShyFlyer wrote:Another Deputy suddenly resigned.

It happened again. Another crack in the line. There will be more, including amongst those that, right now, aren't even thinking about leaving.

These people aren't just leaving the agency, they're leaving the profession. They are being replaced by fresh academy graduates, many of whom are of the "avoid confrontation at all costs" mentality.

I hate to be pessimistic. I hate that sounding overly dramatic. That said, I sense a very bad storm on the horizon. I have no where to go.


One of my friends got all of his airfield ops training online in about 5 months. I think it cost him just over $1000. Applied to and got picked up on a contract in Kuwait, 145K/year, no real expenses aside from internet and phone. Course there are stateside jobs too. He asked me to come go join him (we worked together overseas) via either the same route or ATCS. However, with a wife and kid, that won't be happening unless it's dire. (As in I'm sending them to another country, too, dire.)

Not sure if feasible for you.
ShyFlyer (Founding Member) 01 Jun 22, 22:54Post
Lucas wrote:One of my friends got all of his airfield ops training online in about 5 months.

Through AAAE or something else? I'm a member of AAAE and I'm currently working through the CM materials. I wouldn't really call it "training" as it's just a lot of reading to get a piece of paper.

Lucas wrote:Not sure if feasible for you.

Things get very feasible at six figures. Hell, they get feasible after about 70K.
Make Orwell fiction again.
Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 03 Jun 22, 16:10Post
ShyFlyer wrote:
Lucas wrote:One of my friends got all of his airfield ops training online in about 5 months.

Through AAAE or something else? I'm a member of AAAE and I'm currently working through the CM materials. I wouldn't really call it "training" as it's just a lot of reading to get a piece of paper.

Lucas wrote:Not sure if feasible for you.

Things get very feasible at six figures. Hell, they get feasible after about 70K.



Yes, it was AAAE, which was good enough for him to snag the job. He had previous airport experience (ATCS), but wanted the better schedule/less work that the AFM stuff offered. No AFM/ops experience at all other than the course and certificate. The money is nice once you consider the large tax break as long as you only visit 2 weeks within the year of out-of-country work. Kuwait is also very stable and long-term. (2 of my companies lost contracts within months of me arriving and were replaced by worse companies/lower pay/no thanks, but Kuwait has always been the place to rake in the cash.)
ShyFlyer (Founding Member) 04 Jun 22, 01:07Post
Lucas wrote:Yes, it was AAAE, which was good enough for him to snag the job.

Good, at least I've got that then. Now I just got to find a way to plod through the stuff.
Make Orwell fiction again.
ShyFlyer (Founding Member) 02 Jul 22, 12:48Post
...and now, for a resume question:

So, TAC Air has officially been purchased by Signature Flight Support. Signature has made as all employees on day one (no need for reapplication) and stuff like PTO, Sick time, etc has been ported over, including date of hire. So, even though I became an employee on 01 July, my hire date is in January, when I started with TAC Air.

How should this be reflected on my resume? Listing it as two separate jobs doesn't seem right. If I list it under Signature, I feel compelled to add some sort of note that I was brought over in a corporate acquisition.
Make Orwell fiction again.
DXing 02 Jul 22, 15:34Post
I put my CO date of hire to the official date of the CO/UA merger, then my retirement date from UA. In the description I list the reason for the extra end/start date being the merger, not because of any break in service.
What's the point of an open door policy if inside the open door sits a closed mind?
Fumanchewd 18 Jul 22, 09:10Post
My work is running real thin on employees right now, like many jobs. Part of it is that we cut back from 160 to 50 during COVID and are almost back to our previous sales figures. Part of it is the job market. Part of it is that young new hires typically suck and get let go much more than in the past. We are super lean and efficient, but we are all pulling our fucking hair out. A 50 employee company pulling in mid 8 figures is pretty respectable. Every employer is having difficulties finding new employees right now due to demand... we'll see if the recession will adjust that soon.

I'm working 12 hour days and on weekends... I have a golf tournament next weekend up in SEA for one of my 121 accounts, I'm sure you can guess. I suck at golf, but it should be fun and the course (Newcastle) looks beautiful.

I've also had another company poking around trying to poach me, but I'm comfortable where I'm at, they would have to offer me alot to get me out.

Life is good, I'm just avoiding people who bitch about everything. I hope I'll see my wife again soon. ;)
"Give us a kiss, big tits."
miamiair (netAirspace FAA) 18 Jul 22, 12:22Post
Sign of the times right now. Good people are hard to find. We have even gone into paying wages that are above the local industry averages.
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
captoveur 18 Jul 22, 18:10Post
Due to a complete lack of staffing we have trimmed away a lot of tasks we all hated. We are also turning away anything that isn't a break fix. Honestly, this isn't so bad working with 0 staff. Possible another raise is still coming.
I like my coffee how I like my women: Black, bitter, and preferably fair trade.
ShyFlyer (Founding Member) 07 Aug 22, 00:57Post
"Drama" at "J-2." As with any corporate acquisition/integration there are issues. Myself and a few coworkers have missing portions of our pay. This was expected (though promised it "shouldn't" happen) as the two companies are on different pay cycles and, obviously, use different payroll systems.


Over at "J-1," no missing pay but HR is really inspiring confidence. {sarcastic} I applied to an internal opportunity in late June. As of today, no interviews (for anyone) have been scheduled. This is for a position that has quite a few openings (they doubled the authorized staffing levels for that section) and the section needs to be fully staffed next month in order for the agency to comply with certain legal requirements. HR won't answer questions on the status of the application process.


On the job hunt side of things, I found a very interesting one scheduling aircraft for a certain corporate aircraft operator. The job's starting pay is equal to what I make at both jobs, so I'm naturally very interested. I applied just short of a month ago and my application status in that time has gone from "received," to "under review," and as of yesterday now sits at "reviewed; completed." No clue as to what that means. I have no email saying thanks but no thanks nor one inviting me for an interview.


In summary, all HR departments seem to do is screw up, screw around, and make simple things more complicated that necessary. Must be why you need a specialized degree and "professional designations."
Make Orwell fiction again.
Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 11 Aug 22, 19:00Post
VOR took a lightning bolt like a month ago. Still OTS/US. Why? Because of the Crisis of Everything. No parts allocated to "non-essential" sites, and we're priority level 5 to get it fixed. So...OTS indefinitely.
ShanwickOceanic (netAirspace FAA) 12 Aug 22, 10:14Post
Noooooooo, not the VOR! :o
My friend and I applied for airline jobs in Australia, but they didn't Qantas.
Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 13 Aug 22, 13:58Post
ShanwickOceanic wrote:Noooooooo, not the VOR! :o


And it's the NATIONAL PARK BROWN colored VOR as it is in the National Park and has to be unobtrusive to the tourists. Poor thing took two storms in two weeks, the first of which killed it, and the second of which killed a tourist, but also made the VOR's problems worse.
ShyFlyer (Founding Member) 13 Aug 22, 16:53Post
Sometimes I think that a good portion of the "supply chain issues" are caused by people just shrugging their shoulders and not wanting to do anything.

ShyFlyer wrote:As of today, no interviews (for anyone) have been scheduled.

They finally got around to scheduling them, nearly two months following the close of the application window. I told them thanks, but no thanks.

I often feel like no one over at HQ wants to make a $*@(^& decision.
Make Orwell fiction again.
Fumanchewd 14 Aug 22, 06:09Post
My sales to 121 and 129 have hit a flat spot in the last few months, while those selling to brokers, OEM's, and shops are kicking my ass. Hopefully things will pick up, I'm a little worried about the downturn. Not sure if its a change in airline business plans due to a possible impending recession or if its our assiduous delays on getting parts tagged that have turned off some... all of the shops are taking forever.

I was able to broker out an APU to a 121 operator who never purchases from us, so that's a good thing, but the whole process was a nightmare.
"Give us a kiss, big tits."
Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 18 Aug 22, 16:34Post
ShyFlyer wrote:They finally got around to scheduling them, nearly two months following the close of the application window. I told them thanks, but no thanks.

I often feel like no one over at HQ wants to make a $*@(^& decision.



Wow. That's a good way to cut 90% of the applications.

In other news, our prior experience new controller here tried to quit yesterday. I told him to give it another week and see how it goes. Management cut our training time to less than a month citing the simplicity of the airport layout. This despite the >50% washout rate, among people who even stick around past two weeks after realizing how much this place wants to take your ticket.

That said, he won't make it. I need surgery but can't get it because we can't get people. Can't get people to apply due to anemic pay. Can't get people to stay due to stress (always open investigations, audio pulls, controller statements, CAPs, etc). Can't get people rated due to all sorts of reasons.

It's becoming very frustrating.
 

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