Originally Posted by
Dan Winterland
I doubt it. If you were here at the time you will remember we were working to the max - there was nothing extra to give. The only way that CC worked was with everyone leaving because they were so hacked off. CC works both ways and minimum G days coupled with max duty times took their toll and many people walked. And there were still people working on the few G days they could.
I'm not advocating or presenting, nor glorifying CC, or even dismissing the inherent safety risks of CC, in my differing belief with you about how effective CC was previously.
There is an argument that CC costs the company 20% in efficiencies say, but they regain 25 % by tearing up RPA's and their "soft rules "- you know, the ones that apply only if the operation running smoothly ! The resulting pilot misery being a bone of contention amongst the pilot group as to the true effectiveness of CC.
The burn-out of KA pilots during the long period of full blown CC ( not the vanilla campaigns you note elsewhere ) was described by one AME as being worse than cases of combat fatigue in some cases. Mission orientated pilots, who struggled to self-regulate and saw themselves as essential cogs in the machine, operated at regulatory maximums for long periods of time. I actually felt this type of pilot is a high risk responsibility of the union even with responsibilities of fitness and fatigue mitigation clearly presented. One captain I know who was never unfit for duty ( F/O's may claim otherwise ) was a burn out and left for a better crappy job. I guess there were others.
How bad was it for the normal pilot? Perhaps my memory isn't being honest but there were aspects that seemed easier- buffers and not operating beyond the FTL's. Now, it's important here I'm not suggesting under the new masters it would be the same. The management coup comes to mind.
G Day workers? The present KA operation is reliant upon them. Being on the list is very lucrative and some will never give it up. I wont delve deeply here but I will say, the only way an industrial campaign can be successful is if it is lead by KA training pilots. They are worth 2-1 Line Captain for so many reasons. This is an issue with the training ban- and it is an issue if many trainers are on the golden g day list !