Originally Posted by
ShyTorque
I agree, having done both.
However, having the man who pays your salary (and who can dismiss you from your hard earned job with a wave of his hand) sitting behind you in the cabin adds a certain extra pressure.
I've never forgotten the story of one pilot who landed on the aircraft owner's lawn on his first day in the job, but slightly in the wrong place. He hadn't been briefed on the correct place. He was told he was incompetent and never to return.
ShyTorque and Crab, I completely agree with your points which is why this particularly incident is so shocking. As we are agreed that the hardest part of the job is knowing when to say no, those pilots that work for a management company/AOC need as much support and back up from their superiors as possible. This is the whole point of having a management structure and a SMS structure to identify these hazards and mitigate the risks. We are all aware that feeling pressurized to operate below legal limits or those limits that the pilot feels comfortable with (whichever is higher) is a fast way to yet another high-profile accident.