-400 heavy, could you forward details, privately if you like, of who your friend is? I did ask a few days ago, but no answer yet, either publicly or privately. I looked at the BALPA Forum and could not find the release you quote, must have looked under the wrong title, so could you tell us all exactly where it is?
No one in the FSG is elected, all volunteers with lots if time spent doing it, who elect their respective group chairman. so some democracy there! I don't make policy, the NEC does and I have not knowingly contradicted any of the policy they have made. The concerns about getting it right are real, for the very reasons that our American contributor mentions, Big scare, no passengers, no jobs, which is a hell of a price to pay for what may not be an issue at all for most I would say.
I am sure that we all do want answers, but we don't want to cause panic that causes jobs lost for no reason either. This is especially so when the evidence is patchy at best and unfortunately, none so far would meet normal standards for such data to be used as a basis for some pretty fundamantal changes. If that evidence turns up after a programme to capture data has captured it, analysed it and identified the risks and solutions, then solutions will be developed or fitted, mods made etc.
Risk is ever present in all activity and it has to be against that one judges whether this is within an acceptable range or not. After all, jumping in your car, flying an aeroplane , cutting the grass and even sex, all involve risk. It is just determining what the acceptable risk is and controlling it that allows society to function at all.
I assume from your comments that you are in contact with members of the CAQTG and thus know of my non-attendance. this was due to leave, booked as you well know some 8 or 9 months before the conference and some 4 months or so before the conference dates were given. No consultation was made outside of the AETG as it was then over dates, so not surprisng that a number of people could not attend. Were you there?
Non -believer is spoken of as if this were some kind of religious crusade. Sorry, but I and others need some hard facts before acting. Whatever my own feelings may be, I doubt that anyone reading this would thank me for following a gut feel and getting it very wrong for BALPA because I went all emotional not logical. Just like flying itself, you sometimes have to suppress gut feel and initial reaction to get to the bottom of the issue and that is all I want.