I believe in sanity too and I do not think that keeping our head buried in the sand will not do any good neither, to use your words.
"Your company must have a flight safety officer or similar position and he should be open to being approached"
I do not have direct experience of LoCo operations, I have never worked for them, never been a passenger neither (choice), but I seriously doubt that the flight safety officer of a carrier with 6on2 off rosters is going to listen to Accident Prawn. You are not going to change an established Company culture in a few days or weeks, this takes a major incident or a major investigation from outside.
I agree. just a few pilots working for these Cos seem to be willing to post here on safety and pressure: you are right, this should mean that the problem is not as bad as thought, but I am also aware of human nature and I would probably think well before putting my job at risk.
Many of these pilots, might yes feel under pressure, but they still love their job and they would not change it for anything else.
The main issue is safety, nothing else.
Sometimes it is just the minority which is right (history teaches), and not because the rest are blind or deaf, but just because it is a lot easier to remain silent. It is safer for us, but not for the pax.
Only an indipendent investigation could help: if we had the possibility to send an under cover journalist with hidden cameras on one of these flights, this would be done straight away and then we will find out the truth.
Unfortunately it is nearly impossible to get airside without a ticket or pass, it is impossible to get on a flight without a ticket and impossible to get to the cockpit even with a ticket...the operational flying environment is perfectly sealed off. If something is really going wrong in a cockpit nobody really knows except a few pilots and some engineers, nobody else.
A journalist could never find out on his own.
Otherwise we would know the truth by now and maybe we will all change our minds or confirm our fears.
I have never directly experienced a LoCo operations, but I have read a lot of posts which seem genuinely scary.
If the web did not exist I would know NOTHING about it.
I know journalists often talk about a Boeing 321 or Airbus 737, but despite this they are good in getting public awareness which means political pressure...there are many examples in which a good newspaper has revealed unbelievable scandals, not just in the UK but everywhere in democratic societies and we should not be afraid of letting somebody else investigate on this delicate issue.
And if we discover it is all fine, then I will fly LoCo too and they will make even more money so they have got nothing to lose if they are so sure there is no pressure.
