How many..?

[Chuck Ellsworth]

How many positive things can you list that TC does for you?

There that may get some comments.  :o

[Fendermandan]

Actually, believe it or not, there is a nice lady here at 4900 Yonge St TC.  She answers the emails quickly and was a big help in processing my CPL. The application process was not all that difficult for what is GTA local FTU charging $400-500. There is also a guy that works in the accident reporting group and he is willing to tie things up if need be.

[mcrit]

The quality of service tends to vary widely depending on the individual you are dealing with.  I've had some really good service from people that really took pride in their job.  I've also had a few WTF moments with people that were either NDP card carrying union minimalists or twits exercising their speck of authority.  The vast majority of people I dealt with fell solidly in the middle of the above spectrum.
As for what the organization as a whole adds to Canadian Aviation;  I'm not sure what to say.  They do look after issuing licenses and ratings.  Without that I suppose we'd have a wild west where anyone could hop in a plane and fly....

[Colonel]

I was told it was all about the four P's:

Politics
Paperwork
Promotions
Pension

[Colonel]

[quote]Enforcement I'm always disappointed with[/quote]

I wish Enforcement had more of an
interest in safety.  There are pilots
that continually crash, and they seem
to have no problem keeping a licence.

I know a guy, crashed a Cherokee after
a short field takeoff from a grass strip.
Broke his passenger's back - he had to
have vertebrae fused, and he never
really recovered from it.  But Enforcement
was ok with that.  The knob is still flying
today, and his ex-pax is still limping.

TC as a whole seems to have no problem
with incompetence, which bothers me.

The FAA has this wonderful thing called
a "409 form" which they file on a pilot
that does something spectacularly stupid.
The 409 requires them to re-take their
flight test for the pilot certificate with
an FAA examiner.  Many knobs decline,
because they know they could not pass.

[duCapo]

[quote]Politics
Paperwork
Promotions
Pension[/quote]
So true, some even admit it. It's all about CYA and focusing on their head in the public trough at retirement.

[jump154]

They did very well in issuing my new License Booklet - about 2-3 weeks from posting the application.

However, looking at GAOS, they still have not processed the medical I renewed a whole month before I sent in the booklet application, in the vain hope that I would have an updated medical printed in the new booklet. So still carting around both booklets for the next 2 years.

Bright side is they have not sent me the bill for the medical processing fee yet. Maybe they lost it - but I still have my magic stamp :)

[cloudrunner]

I have always dealt with the Hamilton office for licensing and they have been nothing short of outstanding for me in the last 20 years. When working internationally on a validation or license conversion, the issuing country wants to see a verification letter. Last one I needed, I made a phone call at 0900 to make the request and had it by 0915 signed and emailed to me on the other side of the world with a smile. Working in Cochrane Ont in the 90's, the inspectors were good guys that came and did a thorough job with a good attitude. Kept the operators on their toes but never busted balls. That's about the sum total for me...