Patrick
Well-Known Member
If I ever become an FAA Inspector, this will be one of my projects.
Sierra West Airlines
- Thread starter CFIT99
- Start date
If I ever become an FAA Inspector, this will be one of my projects.
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
I ran into a crew last year in ELP. Nothing seems to have changed. The worst part about them is that they do tail end 91 repo legs. So imagine getting a call at 2 am (after being on call 24 hours), planning an international trip to the middle of Mexico with your hour callout, waiting on freight for an untold amount of time, stopping in KLRD to clear customs, flying to KYIP, unloading the freight (while it's 25* F), and then re-positioning back to KELP. From what I was told, they routinely do 16+ hour duty days. Most other operators would put you on rest in KYIP and leave you there until they sell you on a trip out of there.
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CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
A multitude of reasons.
1. The local FSDO doesn't enforce the regs.
2. They hire guys with really low time and upgrade them at 1200 hours to keep a steady supply.
3. They have been in the freight game a long time, and have a lot of connections, so finding charters isn't hard.
EIR
It's 5 o'clock somewhere
Pay off their POI.
Blackhawk
Well-Known Member
This is what I don't get. You don't have a 10 hour look back since you were on call and that's not rest. It was obvious when they had that Metro crash in Missouri that this is what happened- the crew was exhausted. Everyone in ELP at the time assumed Sierra West would be toast. Anyone could look at FlightAware and see what happened. Nope.
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
What crash was that?
Blackhawk
Well-Known Member
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20060817-0
"The captain stated to the NTSB that he was "tired' and did not sleep since he began company flying on the day before the accident at 20:30. He stated that he and the first officer spent several hours on the ground in Alabama where they got lunch but did not sleep."
Accident occurred at 1530. He started his day at 20:30. I'm sure he was "on call" before it began. Still, they'd been on duty for 18 hours when the accident happened, though technically not on duty since it was a part 91 repo, but they did not have rest. No change to Sierra West operations.
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
Thanks, tried to Google it, but didn't find it.
topofclimb123
Well-Known Member
The word from old timers, who have been around aviation for 40+ years, is that they divulged a lot of their knowledge of the narcotics trade to the FEDS. Flash forward those 40+ years and now SW is a major government contractor and a very wealthy land baron.
EIR
It's 5 o'clock somewhere
What government contracts to they have? I've only seen them fly auto parts.
Box hauler
Well-Known Member
I flew for them for 1.5 years and the only thing I moved were car parts. Not sure what contracts he is talking about.
topofclimb123
Well-Known Member
You can search gov websites on contractors/vendors and the amount taxpayers have paid. Here's one site. Pak West Airlines Inc. in Oakdale, California . There's journalists researching the possible link of their involvement with fast and furious.
Re the POI: FAT FSDO oversees their Ops Specs and SFO oversees their home base, Oakdale airport. ABQ FSDO should oversee them since they are really based in ELP. All of the FSDO agents are fed up with them, but they are being pushed from above to deal with it.
Sw is running multiple property management companies out of their hq. They occasionally have renters showing up at night in their pajamas paying their rent in cash.You have no idea how much property theses guys own.
It makes since that they may be tied to higher ups in the govt. It's the price the Feds had to pay for the info they extracted from sw.
Box hauler
Well-Known Member
Yeah I know the Robinsons do massive business, I was just speaking about the flying they did when I was there.
topofclimb123
Well-Known Member
Yep, Robinson needs to be called out as he did by calling out his Mexican border brothers. He's been getting away with his "get out of jail card" from the gov't for too long. We've known too many people, pilots and businesses who have been taken by him and his family. There's going to be plenty of embarrassed politicians and business partners when the Life and Times of the Robinson's go public.
Active Shooter
New Member
You'd be surprised how many airlines have made PITA FAA inspectors "go away".
topofclimb123
Well-Known Member
Has anyone heard how the Robinson's Oakdale Country Club home burned to the ground about a month ago? It seems to be a hush subject in that town with no mention in the local paper. Maybe there is such a thing as Karma?
topofclimb123
Well-Known Member
This is going to make a great book. Deb [Hutchinson] Robinson grows up in a family run car wash business and marries Ken, a washed out UPS pilot, to create their own air freight company specializing in Mexican trade. Ken's business partner, Jan Eric Aarvik, back in the day at their skydiving jump zone in California City, is apprehend and extradited back to his country where he is supposed to be in jail for narcotic smuggling . Ken and Deb then use their proceeds to buy up swaths of real estate, all the while receiving preferential treatment from the government, local and federal. There's obviously way more to this story. This could become movie? Stay tuned.
topofclimb123
Well-Known Member
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Ya know the FAA prides itself on broadcasting these near weekly press releases condemning and penalizing operators. Of course, they would never condemn their own kind that they protect. What information did Ken the "Snitch" give the FEDs to allow his long lasting immunity?
