Originally Posted by
TRUTHSEEKER1
I didn't say you had......... it was a generalisation that if he had got Sala to Cardiff everyone would have saying what a great guy Dave Ibbotson was......because he failed to get him there, they are all slagging him off.
The people who should be getting slagged off are those who put Dave Ibbotson into this untenable situation, if he thought he was flying in daylight he was going to be operating within his capabilities, as soon as it became a night flight he was outside his legal capabilities but he foolishly took a chance.....now if the organisers knew he was a DAY VFR only pilot I would hope they get a deserving punishment for having such a blatant disregard for his wellbeing, the same has to be said for putting anyone in a situation where they have put their trust in an organiser to get them somewhere by reliable means.
It makes no diference if the passenger is the School Janitor or a £15m Footballer, their life has the same value to their loved ones."
I agree that the agents and everyone else deserves to be punished, but Dave Ibbotson committed a criminal act in taking on this flight, his social media posts about lack of practise were foolish, he must have known where he stood legally. Henderson and McKay have a lot to answer for, but the pilot is ultimately responsible for his actions. In an earlier post you used the term "he was acting as a pilot" I'd agree, it was an act, he was neither qualified, nor competent to be there, just like all the actors in Top Gun, Airplane 74, 77, The High and the Mighty etc etc. They were acting a part, not competent or qualified as pilots. I know how horrendous commercial pressure on a single pilot, charter operation can be, I've lived it for years, it's where I earn my living, but I also know how protected I am if I say no. I've told customers "I'm not paid enough to die for you." like another poster on this thread I've gladly accepted unemployment rather than face flying for a total arse who won't listen when I tell him something is either illegal or potentially lethal (total arse's next pilot killed him when he hit a mountain flying outside his qualifications and the aircraft flight manual.)
If Ibbotson had made Cardiff he wouldn't have been a hero, just another criminal pilot who hasn't been caught yet. Seems harsh, but I'm responsible for a lot of staff on an AOC struggling because of law breaking like this. I do feel sorry for his family because by his actions he's left them not just with the horrendous loss and mess to deal with, but because he left them with that loss and mess by knowingly breaking the law, and that will tarnish everything for them.
SND