Shafted

Been a lil Behind on blogging lately due to limited net Access out here in Zurich. Was told by my company that I have to go there to complete my Airbus training and while we are here to help out on the maintenance jobs of our aircraft that have been sent here.

But now I'm here its clear everything is a total lie. For a start they have not even bothered to plan any training for us out here and while we are here those maintenance jobs we are to do are not on our aircraft but fixing a totally different companies aircraft. And to make it more frustrating for us all they are old models of aircraft. Planes that are on their way out and thus totally pointless gaining experience on. Not that we are getting any as it is. All the jobs given to us are menial tasks. Take my past week at work for example. I spent the past few days removing floor boards and then scraping rubber sealant off the floor boards. ALL week!!! 40 hours of mind numbing boredom.

Also our shifts are totally messed up. Some weeks we do a 4 day 8 hour AM shift then some weeks it would be a week of PM shifts or maybe night shifts, or sometimes a mixture of all three. Other times you would do 7 straight nights, spanning 2 weeks. Sounds messed up doesn't it? Well put it this way I was given 2 charts/tables which I have to cross reference to find out which days i am working... For Christ sakes what is wrong with the time honoured 4 days on 4 days off system every outfit in the UK seems to use?

What makes it worse is not just how we all have been lied to but how we have all been fucked over. The local guys here get extra money for night shifts, we don't. They get extra for weekend work, we dont. And now a bunch of guys from Dublin have come over and they get ALL expenses here paid for. Anything they spend money on they get it reimbursed, we don't. Add to that they get 2x pay for every hour they work here. We don't...

Sums it up I guess.

Zurich

Just settled up what is going on now with regards to work. Rumours spread a week or so back that we would be going to Zurich to do work experience as well as work. But after alot of arguments, conflicting info, incompetency and cluelessness it is now confirmed. Well as confirmed as looking at a ticket in your had can be. But all this has left me questioning if there will even be a shuttle bus they promised waiting for me when I arrive.

Originally there were 9 of us meant to go for the 1st 1.5 month stint then 8 more for the final 1.5 month stint. Now its changed to 6 of us and for 1.75 months. Got very mixed feelings about this trip. On the 1 hand I really don't want to go. The country is expensive, everything costs a bomb, just feeding yourself costs a fortune. Then there is the fact that the company is forcing me to pay for part of the accommodation. Not to mention the hassle and headache the company is putting me thru to just get over there, for their benefit no less. Also 90% of the people I will be working with will be German speaking...

But then there is the part of me that wants to go. To experience the country, scenery and just basically to get out of a scorching, bland, boring desert. To see trees, mountains, lakes and green hill again.

Well I'm sure irregardless of how the trip pans out, there will be plenty of pics taken and experiences learnt. If anything it will be nice to escape the Arabian summer!

Sho me Da Money

Just finished my Airbus A330 & A340 course today. Just have to complete my work experience sheets and fill some forms, then its all just a formality for me to get that license. Pretty much went thru every exam during that course with a score of 85%. out of the 6 exams I did I think every score was 85%+/-2. Now that is consistency for ya.

Now that I've finished the exams it just reminds me why exactly I'm torturing myself out here in the desert. Get that license, rack up the experience and move back to contracting. And watch the cash roll in, oh yeah! Earn SHIT loads of money stuff it in a big ass bank n sit around only doing stuff I wanna do.

Memories

Met up with "O" this evening to pass him the cash for Sleepyheads Blitz BOV order. Met at starbucks and as usually from the get go the topic was cars. Mainly his rebuild for his RX7 FD. The topicthen of cause drifted to my RX8 and my worries regarding its future. Being a 7 man he was pretty unsympathetic and said maybe i should sell it... and buy a FD... Told him if he could garentee it to run 1st time when I let it sit on a driveway for 11 months I just might get one.But in all seriousness I would love to own one. But I still dont see myself as good enough a driver to propperly handle a 7 yet.

Anyway we took a drive down to his garage so I could pick up some bits for my Silvia. On the drive there I was following behind "O" Eclipse. Speeding thru the streets hot on his tail just reminded me so much of those days chasing John and sleepy thru the country roads of Wiltshire. Man I miss those days so much. Plus it really makes ya apreciate ya regular driving buddies. Was so different following "O" compaired to sleepy. With Sleepy I could tell where he was going, what he was going to do etc, sometimes without even looking at his car. Something I couldn't do at all with "O" Leaving me to a lot of last minute guess work. Man hopefully those days of tearing thru the countryside with the ol' gang isnt far away.

Also had to turn down "O"s offer to drive his RX7 FC as it was getting a lil too late at 11pm and with a final exam looming tomorrow. Really wanted to drive in it. Been such a long time since I've driven a propper car... Sigh.

What does the future hold

Its been nearly a whole year since I saw my precious RX8 last. Over the past few days in prelude to seeing her again I've been looking at bits to help her perform better. Mainly suspension bits, stuff from Tein, AutoEXE and FEED. I've always been a fan of handling over power. Any idiot can go fast in a straight line, only a good driver can go fast round corners. One of the reason I chose a RX8. But anyway I've decided to turn down getting any bits till I can ascertain my RX8s future.

It's by far the best car I've ever owned. But with my current life I only see it 1 month a year. Which begs the question is it worth having? Think I'll be keeping her till around 2009. But if i still cannot understand which direction my life is going in I'll really have to sell her.

So much for all the plans I had for her when we 1st met. Wanted to tune her up following a different route from everyone else. Emphasising handling and reliability over looks and power. Wanted to stay away from big loud exhausts, body kits, big GT wings, turbos and the like and stick to stability and speed round corners coupled with strong mid range power.

Ahhh, making me relive all those dreams again. But sadly I'll have to let those dreams fade for now. Seems sad to let dreams die like that but I'll try to let them live on in different ways. Driver training I guess is a good way. Best way to make a faster is by putting the right driver behind the wheel. I've seen so many examples of how fast a good driver can make a slow car.

But still I really hope there will be a day when I can own a car of my choosing tuned to the way I want. Seems like a long uncertain road ahead before that day thou.