Originally Posted by
vilas
This accident may not be purely the result of fake license even with gunuine license similar crashes have happened. And an individual here and there may beat the system in any country. But the ability of such large number of people to get licenses, get selected in airlines, successfully go through their training programs and transition from right to left and subsequently become trainers themselves shows the rot is very deep. It's not just professionally mediocre but the criminal minds eventually take over power centres of Unions etc. and make it impossible to change the system. That is very frightening.
Indeed it is very frightening. Aside from those countries where cronyism and corruption are embedded in the 'culture' it seems no place is totally free of sub-standard pilots.
I blame some of it on pay-to-fly schemes, whereby a candidate stumps up big bucks and expects a qualification at the end of it. We see this problem in our universities also, where pay-for-a-qualification schemes are the very financial lifeblood of these institutions.
Then we have subtle pressure applied on airline check pilots. The attitude is often that the candidate or the airline (or both) have invested a lot of money in training, so let them through the final simulator check on the basis that they will get solid consolidation during line training to address any deficiencies. But that does not always happen, as the exigencies of the roster cause short cuts to be taken, boxes to be ticked etc in order to get them out on line as soon as possible.
And, forgers or fakers do come up with some most innovative tricks. Only a few years ago I did a type rating on a guy who claimed that he had been a B747 Captain with British Airways. To put it mildly he was not very good, but foolishly (with the benefit of hindsight), I passed him out to commence line training. Reports back indicated that he could not taxi, which aroused suspicion that he had never operated a steering tiller. Further investigation by the airline revealed that he had never had a command at BA. His employment was terminated.
Six months later he reappeared at the simulator centre on another airline's type rating course, where reports from his instructor indicated that he was rather clueless, given his licence already had the aircraft type on it (different type). A photo copy of his licence not only showed the type rating I had legitimately issued, but his 'new' type issued some time previously, and somehow he was now an instructor and examiner on the type I had issued! Good work to achieve instructor and examiner on a complex aeroplane with scarcely any time on type and within six months. His licence was issued by a respected regulator known to be quite strict in processing paperwork and did not appear to have been a conversion of a foreign licence. I'd love to know how he did it.
Needless to say, now, at the slightest indication of a standards problem, my candidates don't get the benefit of doubt; they fail and are required to undergo further training before I will re-check them. Of course that does not guarantee that they won't go elsewhere for a check.
As for the Pakistani problem - ICAO should immediately down-grade the whole country to restrict them to domestic operations until such time as the regulator and airline receive a complete overhaul and rigorous audit. ICAO can not interfere in internal aviation matters, but their mandate does enable them to stop dodgy operations flying across borders.
Is ICAO treading softly-softly with certain countries in name of political correctness? Another possibility?