Tropic Ocean Airways
 

Anyone heard of these guys before? Is it a good place to work for? Looks like fun.

Thanks guys

It's fun. That's it. Low pay, no benefits. Give the, a call they are always hiring.

Clarity
 

Hey guys...full disclosure, I'm the CEO. Also a pilot. Just happened to come across this...

Benefits include healthcare, Jumpseat agreements with some 121 airlines, bonus/profit share, PTO, seniority based pay scales which are above market for the 208.

Additional benefits include: we are a fast growing company who promotes based simply on attitude, work ethic, and performance. Pilots are trained from day 1 on CRM, ORM, standardization, etc...some of our guys went on to ace interviews with 121 carriers thanks to the professionalism taught here. A couple are in the process of interviewing for ANG units, as well.
Two pilot crews so lots of opportunity for upgrades through growth (provided you just kill it in the professionalism arena...seniority does not guarantee upgrade).

Company is run by ex-military aviation...we look for those who have the type of attitude and professionalism that I'm used to. If you do, we'll take care of you.

Oh yeah...you are correct...it is a lot of fun to fly seaplanes, too. Work hard, play hard.

If you would like additional info please email [email protected].

Fly safe. Good luck with the job search.

Best,
Rob

Rob, what kind of hours do you need, etc? I know it's 135 but do you have VFR only pilots, etc?

Does anyone have more company info? Do they hire direct entry captains?

Also does anyone have info on QOL?

wow
 

that guy got wrecked by the CEO, where's my popcorn?

Anyone have info on them?

Tropic is the industry standard for wages 10 years ago. The training program is great, but the wages are at lease 50% below standard. The excuse of “we are higher than industry standard” may apply to a wheeled Caravan, but any float Captain, especially a Part 135 IFR amphib Captain should be looking for a minimum of 90K a year, plus all the benefits. Tropic forces their pilots to sign a broad ranging no compete that doesn’t allow them to fly floats for any other operator, except in Alaska, for a period of 2 years after leaving. (I believe it reads, anywhere Tropic may operate or may potentially operate in the future). This Is not only bad for morale, but also seems completely un American. Your employees should want to stay and be rewarded, rather than be forced to stay because you are afraid they may take a job that pays industry standard. The DO is a pilot, but his top gun ego and me first attitude doesn’t really mesh well with a safety conscious flight environment.

I agree $90k is about right for a Capt on floats, depending on schedule. Two years non compete is nonsense. You basically sign away your ability to work.

Non-compete clauses are not enforceable.

And $90k/yr is still poverty level wages in Miami.

Speaking from knowledgeable, legal point of view, the non compete provision, in a broad sense, is unenforceable in any court. Let’s say, if you worked for them and then started a company to directly compete with them (same base), then yes, it could be enforced. But really, who among you have the wherewithal to get a 135 certificate and, not to mention, the ability to buy and maintain an aircraft. Probably less tham .005 of the members of this board. So, back to the point - that noncompete is not enforceable!

I find it humorous that there are employers out there playing games like it’s still 2006 in the aviation industry.

The 135 world is full of them.

All this talk about substandard wages, but I can't seem to find any listings of what the wages actually are. Does anyone know? Also, how commutable would this job be? The post above lists "Jumpseat agreements with some 121 airlines", does anyone know which airlines this would be? How about ZED for other airlines?

Thanks in advance.

non compete is enforcable

90k/yr is upper middle class in miami.

Do you have any more background you can add on this subject (non compete)? Are basing this in some manner on personal experience or a legal background? Just curious.

Happy 2019! I am at 750tt. I want to fly seaplanes to the Bahamas.

I've lived down here for 20 years. 90k you are doing just fine

I should have been a little clearer. I agree 90k isn't bad even in higher cost areas. What I was more referring to was the non compete agreement. I can see where it's wrong to run off with a companies proprietary data or customer list but a blanket no flying a seaplane commercially at all is a bit extreme. I guess I didn't fully realize how cutthroat the business can be (I did a quick google search and a couple court cases popped up). I'm sure a lot of these agreements across various industries are banking on the former employee not willing to put his checking account up against a dedicated corporate legal department. Who's right or wrong is irrelevant in that case.

Whats up Gents,

Writing to you as a former employee of TOA. I've read what you've had to say above and I agree with some of the statements regarding the pay. Yes a Part 135 IFR Amphib Captain should absolutely be making 90K a year hands down. That is what Shoreline and Fly the Whale are paying and if they want to be competitors thats easily something they need to do.

With regards to management, the guys are honestly great. Their C.O.O. Chief Pilot and Director of Operations are top notch dudes. Even Rob is a great guy. He has this don't give up mentality and drive which is honestly awesome comparable to all others out there who just may give up when the cards aren't in their favor.
Sure theres some issues with other aspects of the company but what 135 operation doesn't have those issues. The company is growing rapidly but it's honestly a good group of guys to work for. Yes the pay does need to increase but the workload is honestly not that bad. If you signed up for a 135 you should know what youre going to get. Long hours (some days its less than 2 hours flying on a 6 hour duty day), but thats what a 135 job is.

For someone that wants an opportunity to fly floats (as a 2 pilot crew as they do on all legs) it's fun and you get to see some amazing places. The PICs are all pretty good, some teach different than others. I recommend 3 gentleman, Tony, Will and Nano . They are all amazing captains and have a lot of experiance. Learn from them as they are awesome teachers and have a lot of good seaplane techniques they can teach you.

Yes I would recommend this company to a friend.

the wages for a new PIC Amphib Captian is 54k a year...
every year it goes up but not by a whole lot...
if they want to keep guys around they are going to have to start paying 90k a year period.

The only thing you'll learn at Tropic is how to do office work, or as Rob likes to calls it, collateral duties.

Tropic is one FAA investigation away from becoming another defunct ****-box airline from South Florida.

Is gearing up at FLL a normal procedure in the Tropic SOP these days? or was that gear up on 10R a couple days ago just for fun?

Terrible management, terrible schedule, terrible pay. Run for the hills, amigo.

I still have my doubts that one can live on $90k/yr in South Florida

I live in South Florida and I can assure you that 90k is comfortable living here. Heck, 60k will get you by. 40k-50k is definitely pushing it. Depends on how you live, of course. With 90k, you can get a place close to UM or just outside of downtown, easy.

Contract
 

Hello sir, I was looking at a few good places to fly sea planes in south Florida, however I’m not sure where to go. I wanted a good place I can fly but do you know how the contract works at TOA? Also if you decide to leave early can you terminate the contract and just pay the fee? Would appreciate any info you have on this and also if they are willing to sign FO’s without a contract! Cheers

This should sufficiently answer your questions:
https://seaplanemagazine.com/2018/11...nd-two-pilots/

Hello amphibian. I understand the lawsuit and non compete and nda agreements, but is there a contract and time frame that you have to fly for the company and if so can you get out of it fairly easy by quitting or paying a fee to be realeased from contract to fly for a different company (not a seaplane operator)? Cheers

Frankly, I am not familiar with the convenants of Tropic Ocean’s employment contract. I apologize if I misrepresented myself.

Good luck paying off Tropic Ocean Airways with the $20,000/year you make a year flying seaplanes in Fort Lauderdale.

If you're asking these questions, do you really understand the lawsuit? Go take your 250 hours and go to Alaska. If Alaska doesn't fit your lifestyle, then go fly aerial surveying or cargo where you can actually learn something and then not be on the hook (or in court) when you decide the smartest thing to do is to make a living in the airlines.

The non-compete is for two years... not sure it will hold up in the court, but do you think you can afford a lawyer to find out the answer to that question?

Hi Freddy, I do understand the non compete with not flying for any other sea plane operator for 2 years. I am in a unique situation and have tons of flight time, I just wanted the experience of flying sea planes for a few months so I can be competent flying sea planes before I go to the airlines and a good place in south Florida to fly them for a few months or so. That’s why I wanted to see if I can just leave the company when I’m ready once I want to go to the airlines and if there was a contract cancellation fee or something like that. Any thoughts on this plan, info, or places I can get good sea plane experience would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

I would try either of these:

https://www.flythewhale.com
And/Or
https://shorelineaviation.com

Word of caution: if you want to go to the airlines, flying a seaplane puts you at elevated risk for incidents and accidents on your record.

Hi amphibian. Your words of caution are surely noted! Thanks for the help!

Tropic Ocean pilots
 

Hi everyone!

My name is Maya Lora and I'm a reporter with the Miami Herald. I'm looking into Tropic Ocean Airways for a story I'll be publishing soon.

I noticed that there are some pretty strong opinions floating around on this forum about hours, pay, etc. for pilots working for Tropic Ocean. I would love to hear from anyone who works for or has worked for Tropic about these conditions - good or bad!

You can direct message me here or if you feel more comfortable, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. I'd really like to hear from you.

Can you elaborate?

Stuff like this can happen pretty quick in a seaplane if you catch a wave the wrong way.

https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-...-officials-say

Any updates or changes? How is pay these days? What is the training contract?

After aborting two takeoffs you think the light would have come on! Or does the company apply inappropriate pressure? Caravan inferior product for that environment - fly DeHavilland!

What happened?

Any updates on hiring?