Just some questions here about aviation pressures around the world, and some points about certain segments of the so-called "advanced" aviation indu$try in the US.
First of all, operational pressures on Captains can vary within one country, and they depend to a large extent upon corporate attitudes towards safety, which can give Captains strong incentives to avoid either delaying a flight, or "writing up" an intermittent or failed component in the aircraft logbook. Weather radar not doing so good? A hydraulic pump only operates in a (thermal) bypass condition-when the FO holds the switch down? A DC-8 has no hydraulic pressure indicated for the hor. stabilizer? The owner (who flew some of his cargo jets solo- both during and after a ramp check...what type of 'alleged' payoff?) does not believe you until all three flightcrewmembers + the mechanic demonstrate the failure
The second or third-tier US cargo industry has many stories which might and do appear unbelieveable to those with more sheltered aviation backgrounds. Never mind some stories from the older days at Connie Kalitta and others. I know pilots who worked there. A Learjet engine failure at high altitude was ok, as long as you descended, re-started it but wrote up nothing about it in the aircraft (FAA document) logbook. In a different Pprune thread, certain situations were described.
Just flew with a lady FO (from Michigan) whose Captain on a 2-engine Falcon at a smaller carrier years ago was tempted to make a 1-engine takeoff! He was afraid to describe in the logbook, the inability to start an engine! She talked him out of the nutty idea. One guy had an engine fire in a heavy recip. (DC-@) aircraft and never declared anything with Tower. No F. Herberge here.
If such pressures still exist in the US with many smaller companies (this was long before today's extortionate fuel prices)
, imagine in foreign lands, where jobs are very difficult to be found and a diversion costs your company many thousands of dollars-just in landing fees, excluding the other costs, such as higher fuel prices.
Years ago, a Hungarian Malev crew, somewhere in 'eastern' 'Europe'
, gave the fueler a load of free H. wine so that the guy would fuel up their Tupelov!
I flew a trip with the guy who was the navigator on that flight. How is it now with many different governments and companies, all over the planet?