She will not be the only one. I have a copy of the documents that prove this character was up to the same tricks before... and the union knew about it!
When my case hit the press Karlene was one of many who contacted me. She stated
'You give the industry hope.' 'Seriously!!! The world needs more people like you!!! and
'I am facing a bit of a battle myself, but I can't talk about it.' It was at this point I went digging..The similarities between my case and Karlene's are startling.
In both, our respective unions turned their backs on us (BALPA in my case). Just how bad is it when one individual like myself, and now Karlene have to make a stand, alone, to protect our passengers and crews safety from airlines who, it appears, break the law designed to protect passengers and crew safety with apparent impunity? In effect, Karlene and I have had to do the job of not only the CAA and FAA but also the unions!!. In my case, when the CAA was shown documented proof of the falsification of flight duty periods and fatigue legislation abuse, their response (I have a copy of the email) was .. 'get over it'.
The real issue, I am sad to say is, this state of affairs is 100% the pilot's fault. They have, by inaction, allowed the industry to sink to the depths it is today. Along with swallowing the blue pill, many have swallowed the industry mantra that '
safety is our number one priority''.
Many will claim, with the collapse of the aviation industry, there are bigger issues to deal with. I'm not alone in suspecting the issues exposed in Karlene's and my case will become even more prevalent with many pilots scrambling for the very few jobs that are currently available. However, I would propose, the current situation makes it the ideal time to deal with the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about. It is also a perfect time to get rid of the deadwood that is apparent at both the unions and regulators.
I defy any rational, reasonably intelligent individual to look at the details of my and Karlene's case and not come to the conclusion that the
PR safety is our number one priority''. mantra is nothing more than waffle designed to soothe the fevered brow of the gullible and uninformed. Most pilots like the idea of the uniform...the responsibility that comes with it...err not too much if it affects their salary. The red pill? that's why I made the decision to stop flying and write the book series. Blue pill and pretend to be a professional or red pill, ignorant or informed? your choice.