So what can be done, somebody asked? Well here is a few ideas just from the top of my hat:
1) Change the initial pilot's training program. Specially the theory. I was with a mate last week who is doing oxford and reading his study books I was amazed to find all the crap in there. Binary counting, chemical reactions.....get a life. Meanwhile there is no time whatsoever spend on the real issues like crm, human factors, etc. All those things that make up 80% of what really goes wrong in the cockpit.
2) Make type rating buying illegal by law. Yes, I know this is a though one and I am sure that if it would be in place those greedy beancounters will try to find a way around it, but it would be a good start and it is not impossible. It is clear by now that the pilots can not be expected to bring a stop to this any more, so lets try it by law. I have flown with young guys that payed up for all of it and ended up with a 200.000 euro dept and a 1275 euro a month salary. Eight of our co-pilots are bankrupt. So instead of doing their job they are worried if they can find food that night in the plane. That is not good for safety (and basically inhumane). I got guys here who eat every other day because they cannot afford to eat every day. Do not think I am going to far here, THIS IS REALITY OF LIFE FOR SOME GUYS, and we allow it to happen with this cost cutting stuff!
3) Change the work and rest regulations. They are supposed to be there to protect us but are written for big carrier operations and do not protect low cost pilots and commuter pilots. Pax still think that pilots are fit because they can only work so and so many hours, but for some reason this includes working 60 hour work weeks where most people in normal life do 40 or 36 hours per week. We are long term fatiged! I only found out how fatiged when I took six months away from the job. A whole new life opened up to me.
Just a couple of ideas guys, there are loads more. Madrid is a good start and it gives me a sense of possibilities for the future, because it is possible to stand united as pilots to fight the bad things in our industry. We are the only once willing and able. Management is happy as they are grabbing money. Maintenance have a bunch of good guys but at the end of the day they will also bend from pressure and shift the responsibility to us. Flight attandents have very often 6 months contracts (specially here in Spain) and can never make a stand. Pax just care about low fares, because they don't realize what that does to the safety of their flight. So it is just us guys. MAKE A STAND!