Question from an Inexperienced F/O
Hello All,
Please, first of all, ignore my username, it's from a past life. I have a situation I found myself in over the last few days and I require some advice from yourselves.
I'm a low-hours F/O with a major UK jet airline, been here less than a year. This is my first job. I've done my first 6-month sim with no major problems and have, to the best of my knowledge, no major negative feedback from other guys I've flown with on line. In other words, I'm no axe-murderer.
Recently I was sent to another base for a few days flying (as my company has the tendancy to do). Normally I enjoy these trips as it's a good chance to fly with different people etc etc.
Anyway, I flew on this trip with a Captain from this base, and I had the worst day I've had on line to date. It's quite hard to sum up quite why it was such a dreadful day but I feel the chap had basically no CRM skills at all. Every comment from my side of the cockpit was put down, dismissed instantly, discarded as wrong. I tried over the four sectors to approach matters differently, and every way I tried met the same response.
As an example;
Captain (looking at ND); Oh, look, TCAS traffic's nearby.
Me (as conversation...); Yeah' about five miles at 3 o'clock
Captain (shortly); No, that's six miles.
Mulitply the above conversation by a 4 sector 11 hour day and try and imagine how I felt by the end of the day. I tried conciously hard not to let the increasing breakdown between us not affect the flying of the aeroplane but by sector 4 I had had enough and the only dialogue in the cockpit from my side was Standard Calls, I simply refused to say anything else to be immediately shot down in flames again.
The Captain refused to listen to my briefings for T/O, SID and Approach and landing. Again by sector 4 I had enough of him doing other stuff whilst I was briefing and told him that "The briefings are for my benefit as much as yours, I don't fly here regularly and I'd really appreciate it if you gave me the courtesy of listening". His reply? "Oh, you actually want me to get the plates out and go through this with you?"
Whilst I was PF, the Captain routinely 'tinkered' with the FMC, without any asking by me, or any discussion of what he was doing or about to do. On the final approach he changed the active routing from what I was flying to a 'picture' he was happier with. I told him I'd like the original routing back and he point blank refused. I asked again more firmly and was dismissed again.
On landing on Sector 4 his comment during the landing roll about my landing (not a bad one!) alomost tempted me to bite, but I took a deep breath and ignored him.
I've spoken to two other F/O's, similar experience levels, and they have had identical days with this chap. All three of us felt utterly worthless by the end of the day. I am utterly convinced that had any non-normal situations evolved there would have been a completely ineffective crew upfront due to the F/O being so disregarded and the tension in the flightdeck.
What do I do?
Do people need to know? Do I get a reputation for myself as a whinger in a new company?
Do I do Nothing?
Tell my Base Captain?
Tell his Base Captain?
Ask Crewing never to roster us together again? What about the other poor sods who have to fly with him?
Thanks for those of you who took the time to read the above, it's quite hard to put in words just how strongly I feel about this and quite how much of an issue I feel this chap is.