In the real world, there is a lot of pressure on you to get the job done. If you do not get the job done, you will be asked to explain yourself, you will have irate customers screaming at you, your chief pilot on the phone & your career on the line.
When this happens, you look at your shoulder
- and count 1-2-3-4 bars sitting there.
Now, even though the guy who hired you probably doesn't know what that means - you do! It means that you will balance all the factors in the equation, taking each into carefull consideration. You will recognise that the one paying your salary (the company) and the ones you are ultimately responsible to (your passengers & the CAA) are not the same. And you will have no doubt as to which takes the higher priority.
Your checklist will be:
1) Is it safe?
2) Is it legal?
3) Is it in the companys best interest?
4) Is it doable?
Your job as a captain is to protect the passengers and the company from themselves, you are the guardian of your passengers lives, your own license & the AoC. If you do not feel that you can balance the above factors, you should probably spend a few more months in the RHS. If you still cannot make it work, find something else to do with your life.
Remember, no matter what the passengers tell you - they often have other options for getting to their destination. And no matter what the company tells you, the profit margins are rarely that slim that one diversion will cost the company its life. Even if they do go bust - or fire you - there will be other jobs out there. If you find that the word gets around that you are not "a man who can get the job done" & that prevents you from getting other work - you are probably looking for work in the wrong circles
If there is no other work to be had - do something else with your life.
In the end, none of the big carrieres will hire you if you lack integrity or the ability to get the priorities right. They exclusively hire their future captains, not just their next F/O.
And finally - you have yourself to answer to. You take a good, long look at yourself every morning in the mirror & determine if you like that look or not. My advice is: make sure you do
Brgds fm
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