Im sorry to hear that you've run through such scary experiences while flying around RP, and I can surely Imagine how scary it was to be a Pilot and unable to do something to correct it when flying as a PAX.
Maps , Newspapers on the windshield/windows are common. Kites are common too, but only sensible pilots finds time to report those occurrences.
About the 319 departing HKG? How recent was it? coz many years back, about the start of yr 2000, there was a similar incident on a 737-300 taking off on the correctly assigned runway but has its CDU set-up for the opposite end. Apparently, there was a last minute changed on the rwy in use and it happened during the taxi.(crew missed doing the necessary RE-set-up- Both Pilots are Wide body Captains at present and still with PAL).
- it boils down again to CRM
- lack of proper education pertinent to this industry( company trying to save money by providing obsolete training tools which are no longer applicable at present time.)
- too steep position gradient in the cockpit
- some are so confident knowing that its their Home base or frequently flown destination(they believed by experienced that there's no mountain on that side...ooops)
- with the Massive exodus of Senior and more experience pilots, airline companies lowered their standards to accomodate immediate upgrades on those vacant equipments.
BUT with all this, i assure you "most" of those Pilots are competent to fly those airplanes. Its more on the companies fault why their Pilots tend to do those practices.
Last edited by Cessna1052; 17th Dec 2006 at 19:25.