Freight DogsFinally a forum for those midnight prowler types who utilise the unglamorous parts of airports that many of us never get to see. Freight Dogs is for pilots and crew who operate mostly without SLF.
Yes indeed....and those in the cargo business had better take heed...it always surprised me to find that that many Captains' had NO idea about DG on their aircraft...even if the paperwork was presented...and sometimes on a crew change...the info was left in the dispatch envelope to remain...unseen.
Customers,however, will try and sneak DG onto aircraft without the crew's knowledge and hope that those going through the paperwork will have done their DG course long ago enough to be hazy on the subject.
When working for an airline that did not allow DG to be carried at all (ACMI) and despite specifically telling the client this, they onloaded several boxes containing concentrated Coca-Cola syrup. An eagle eyed Purser who was checking the paperwork noticed this and reported it to the Captain who had it offloaded.
On investigation, the offending paperwork was stuffed in the middle of all the rest of the stuff that the Purser was given by the dispatcher in the hope that it wouldn't be noticed or just plain misunderstood. This was from a major, well respected bucket and spade airline in the UK.
Fortunately all Flight Deck, CC and Ops staff in our airline had to be qualified in DG up to Air Loadmaster standard. This was valid for 2 years and a refresher in between. Certainly worked.
The point I try to make is that if ALL Flight and Ops staff were similarly qualified it would help. I know that the two frt outfits I worked for in the past trained their aircrew in DG.
ICAO and IATA boith require that the following groups require DG training: flight crew and load planners, cabin crew and check-in staff, loaders and warehouse staff. Essentially in agreement, ICAO and IATA both specify separate DG training courses for each of the above groups. In fact, IATA goes into further detail in identifying the different groups and the specific degree of DG training required for them. The DG courses for these groups are sometimes referred to as awareness courses and they all include a written examination. All companies should be aware of this. The correct definition of "ignorance" is "culpable lack of knowledge". How many companies are acting in ignorance? Check your companies training records and, where necessary, demand appropriate action. Somebody's life could depend on it.... it could be yours!
IATA DGR 2001 Conference Presentation
