Pollution,
I agree and disagree with your post. I am all for preserving conditions of service and agree if you chip away at that, it is inevitable that standards will be degraded. A classic example of this is the level of service provided to the passengers by our cabin crew now compared to 20 years ago. However, having high standards at a workplace doesn’t equate to the level of difficulty in performing the actual job. Airline flying is mundane and not very difficult, this is a fact! I am not suggesting that we are all dumb and incapable of doing anything else, but the reality is that the majority can do it and can do it well! Accept the job for what is, and if you can’t, then I am afraid your ego is set too high. This is not a career where you are constantly challenged mentally. There is no need to be creative and no need to use your imagination. If it were not for SOPs it would be extremely easy to be complacent, just an indication of how routine and simple airline flying really is.
This thread was pointing out the absurdity of Cathay’s culture and the deficiencies in the training department. When you have a high number of experienced, intelligent, and capable pilots failing a command course, then there is something fundamentally wrong. The perverse line captain, checker, and manager who defends Cathay’s training system, secretly prefers the high failure rate only because it elevates their position by falsely believing that only the elite can become an airline captain. These are the same losers with egos that surpass their abilities. The fact is the majority are failing because of subjective criticism, and not on performance or ability. Nothing wrong with having pride in what you do, being professional, and having high standards, but even a captain for a low cost carrier can have these traits, don’t put yourself on a pedestal just because you earn more than them.