Originally Posted by
Slasher1
Yup......for over 31 years now a pilot. Can't say I in any way share your viewpoint though and it must suck to have such an outlook (and frankly makes me question if YOU'RE a pilot and what kind of pilot you might make if so--a life of living to CYA and a schlep playing a fall guy seems like one hell of a way to live. And seems pretty incongruous with good judgment and decision making). Of course I've seen greed and corruption (and even been proactive in fighting it from time to time). And also seen plenty of LCCs who do manage to turn a profit, actually pay their workers at a decent level and even take care of them, and follow the rules. You can go back to the C-46 days to find out what happens to upstarts who like to take chances, coerce, cut corners, and flout the rules. Most of them were pretty short lived. And I believe in today's culture and regulatory environment companies who don't support prudent, safe, and legal decision making processes wind up suffering in the bottom line anyway. Fines and crashes are WAY expensive. Not to mention tarnished reputations. And by definition no HKG based carrier operates solely in planet Hong Kong; they enter the airspace of other nations at their pleasure (and can easily be banished if they operate unsafely or as scofflaws).
I can honestly say IN those 31 years I can't remember a situation where a supervisor or employer (after being presented--albeit maybe in a tactful way-- with the facts that what they are asking is breaking a rule and/or unsafe and that in no uncertain terms I am NOT willing to do that) being forced into doing it (or being fired for refusing TO break a rule). Nor do I think I'd like to work for such an entity. Hasn't happened here. Most of the time (when it's happened) they've been grateful I've pointed it out and we've worked toward a solution (which is prudent and safe). Perhaps I've lived a charmed life. Or perhaps a lot of what happens to you depends on your outlook and how YOU behave (and the boundaries you set).
Now, I HAVE found myself in situations where my perception (of what my supervisor or employer might think) didn't match reality and gotten into binds largely of my (or our) own making that I've had to extricate myself from (perhaps breaking some rule in the process). And learned not to do that again.
As well as learned to place bleating emails about this or that (that some might view as intimidation) in the circular file where they belong -- or maybe saving a copy in the dusty file in case something later comes up which it never seems to do.
I think one has to get away from the 'all about me' mindset. It's not all about you or your toys, ex-wives, boats, or houses (or even a corporation -- altruistic OR corrupt and greedy -- or even a regulator). It might have taken me longer than it should have to realize, but there are 300-ish trusting souls sitting in the back; many of whom have little idea what we do. That's a tremendous responsibility. It might be OK to take chances with your own life, but it's NOT OK to take chances with theirs (and this is one of the reasons we're licensed and have commercial carriage rules to begin with). And like it or not that weight falls on our shoulders. Doing the right thing is more important than any job.
In summary - you learned to Cover Your Ass, and got good at it.