No matter what it says,the questions not being in bashing FR constantly but having 3 or 4 aircraft with the same problem at the same time isn't it telling you something?
MAD is a big FR base but it's not either a crazy big company hub like you can find for IB,or LHR BA,CDG AF,FRA LH etc etc...it's quite a percentage having a serious problem that night in MAD. I wouldn't blame the guys themselves because if they were four of them that same time, if that's their decision making...then who's to blame?(4 doing the same mistake) These guys didn't appoint themselves as captains, the company promoted them. Based on which grounds? If the decision making is not good enough then why/how did the company promoted/assessed them?
-either they really need captains and with the conditions they offer, they might need to lower the standards to have enough LHS,in taking guys not able for it or not YET able for it
-or they promote guys who run the show without making waves (sometimes making waves like going against company decision,fuel,etc etc...is the safest and most efficient course of action), no feedback or reports on somebody doesn't make this person good and professional!
-or they put too much pressure/workload so that these guys lose clearsight and decision frame is gone
-or because young, easy-to-influence people start to believe what's constantly said by company in the media
ilots are lazy,working very few hours,not challenging job where everything is under control etc etc and that it can just be them ******* up to make it go wrong. When you get an upgrade in less than 3 years at 25yo, if you're a little bit luckier than the average in not having seen too much crap on the line as in life, you can fall in the trap of,we fly min fuel every day,nothing ever happened,I got promoted, that thing's not that hard to do!Not to me anyway!PROB30 TEMPO..."that's not gonna happen" "why?" "it never does"
I'm not a former Sabena but flown with a couple and I can't believe how much positive these guys,porperly trained from other times, other means, other policies, other beliefs can bring in. The experienced guys teach the youth where training tells you about SOPs,VNAV and paperwork...training is good but still basic and based on SOPs only assuming you will never be in a **** situation with them. Problem is life is life and you'll necessarily get in one and you never are taught on how to take you out of it. Technical and airmanship knowledge is kept to a minimum like everywhere except that with more cpt/ltc of 3 years/3000h, what do they teach you? FO learns slower,gets the upgrade at same point but with less knowledge, and will know even less as a cpt etc giving less to the FO etc etc...