TBC: can I partially hijack your thread for 2 minutes?
Skycop: How does one improve the situation? The helo world (UK)is notorious for lack of unionisation, or co-ordinated efforts to attain a fraction of that enjoyed by our FW brothers. Perhaps it is because there are too few of us. My first suggestion would be to prevent anyone with a FW rating from filling a helo vacancy. After all, why have a FW qual if you are not going to use it in anger at some stage. This means he/she will move on when it suits them, leaving the employer with the usual headache: where do they get the next one from and are they going to suffer the same again. A transient workforce doesn't engender loyalty and decent T and C, does it?
TBC: your main priority is to work for a decent employer, first. The rest will follow i.d.c.
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Thermal runaway.