Amphibian

Asking to gather info for our pilot group here at flyExclusive- Was TMC doing supplemental lift and Beech Jet trips for Wheels Up prior to this announcement?

StainRJDriver

Yes.

(...filler...)

Cyborgmudhen

Yup......RJ beat me too it.
Our jets are old and break alot.
The King Airs are far newer, but also crap out, though not as often as do the jets.

Three Green

So now Wheels Up owns a AOC, Gama’s days are numbered. They just picked up a ready supply of Pilots’s for incoming King Airs.

Amphibian

"TMC and their light jet fleet are a perfect complement to our anchor partner, Gama Aviation, and their pilots, who will continue to operate the aircraft in our Wheels Up fleet and provide our members with the same high level of safety and service that they do today."

B727DRVR

Totally wrong.... Do you have any idea how long it would take to build up enough King Air pilots to take over the Wheels Up airplanes and get them up to Argus Wyvern hours? I mean it’s taken 5 years for GAMA to get where they are now; The idea that some other company can just jump in and take over the pilots and planes overnight is ridiculous. And that is assuming that every GAMA pilot would willingly bail and head over to TMC... Not going to happen.

This is not the 121 world where one’s first day as street-hire PIC with 0 hours, you have 178 passengers and a Line Check Airman in the right seat... Argus requires flight time in the aircraft that takes months to build up.

GAMA and Wheels Up are joined at the hip, and they are too intertwined now to be separated. Like the press release said, GAMA is an anchor partner and they have done a great job for Wheels Up. TMC is another tool for Wheels up to utilize and I am hoping for the best for their pilots.

Jkmsr

No way they keep them separate. I agree they can’t move everything over right away. It will take a year or so but it makes zero since for them to buy a 135 then keep paying GAMA. The email was a typical business move, to try and keep the employees calm. I’m sure they will take all our pilots that want to move over.

ThomasMagnum

Now that WU owns their own certificate, they can do all kinds of dirty things as leverage to their pilot groups. Whipsaw is the first word that comes to mind. Nice job opting for no representation, TMC.

Three Green

I am not saying this is going to happen overnight. Kenny D is playing the long game. Remember, The guy can sell ice to eskimos. TMC is due for fleet renewal, watch what they get, it definitely will be something that will compliment the next generation WU Fleet. The word was they considered Fly Exclusive but TMC was just plane cheaper and more malleable.
3-5 years is the time horizon to start unwinding from GAMA and bring the flying in house under their own cert. Kenny’s goal is to make WU a Everyman flying subscription service and for that he needs a cert. As I remember EJM was the precursor to Netjets. Stranger things can happen.

aspiretofly

Thank you, excited to see what the future holds.