Why would I get off my soapbox when this argument is just getting good?
To the MEL watchers. My MELS do cover things like lights in the toilet...maybe your MEL needs more work. ( and the simplicity of the statement which covers this contingency is magnificent)
I flew one kind of plane that requires a special inspection light to be operating to check for an emergency gear down procedure. IT can be MEL'd while operating in daylight...so the day it broke we waited for the sun to come up and off we went.
To mr. generator man. Did Vegas have a spare IDG for you? And there are some pilots (none on this forum I am sure ;-) ) who might have known of the problem prior to pushback and waited for the plane to move under its own power one foot prior to putting the generator on line. Now of course the plane is underway and can continue with the generator offline.
(And your chief pilot would fire you? You must not be working for a fine UNION airline if your chief pilot would and could fire you for doing something that is on the safe side of flying.)
But none of you would do that , would you?
And as to airworthiness. Was the 747 in question airworthy on landing at MAN? Of course not, the engine was out! It needed repairs to return to standard airworthiness, didn't it?
I will take all the flack you guys can generate.
STILL waiting for the answers to questions asked earlier.
and yes, I have flown about 100 different kinds of airplanes, only a few of which required type ratings.
And believe it or not flying long haul 747's only interested me in the glory days of Pan Am. Those days are long gone. There are actually 747 jobs available that pay less than 737's. Take a pay cut to fly a 747? That makes great sense!
The lawyers will have a lot of fun on May 16th. Was the plane air worthy? What was the status of the MX logs? Why did the engine reportedly spew flames from the aft end? May we listen to the recordings between the maintenance people and the aircraft? (if recordings available)
Awaiting your next salvo!
jon