DHL Fumes in cockpit
Very interesting reading what is hapening at DHL,re Fumes in cockpit.I was down the road in Liege,(DSC),where Ba146 and Airbus 300s are the main types.On the 146,several Pilots were affected by this,and I am one of them.Having flown the type in Air Uk,and KLMUk,I was flying them nearly from the start of their service.Both Flight deck and Cabin Staff were both affected by fumes.This was put down to the use of Mobiljet2 Oil,and APU Filter,and matrixes getting glogged.We changed to Aeroshell,which was better,but engine hours were substantially less,according to the beancounters.Much later when TNT became part of the Belgian Operation,this happened again.Quite a few Pilots were again affected,and the locals were transferred onto different fleets,but those remaining on the 146 suffered several respiratory problems.In my case this necessitated an operation on my sinuses,which unfortunately in a BUPA Hospital picked a severe infection.Luckily I was near retirement age,but lost my medical,and was unfit for about 18 months.Severe migraine headaches continue to this day,but as INCAPACITATED under NHS definitions it is impossible to get ANY job,because of insurance implications in case something you do goes wrong.Therefore,anyone with these problems need to know that you will be totally unable to work if you let this matter get to the serious stage that I got too.Very little effort was made to elleviate the problem and the Belgian CAA did not even get all the MORs,of which some were supressed.The Company Safety Officer,presumably with higher pressure,only responded that it was being dealt with and we flew with Air samplers in the vestibule.Further to that we then had the Airframes retreated with a Corrosive Proof Liquid.The Aircraft were put straight back on line afterwards,and several crews again were subjected to incredible fumes.Apparently the liquid should have dried completely and bonded to the skin,but the ambient high temperatures caused it tp go back to its liquid state,which was very toxic.The operatives spraying this substance were dressed like Cybermen,under health and Safety,yet we as crews breathed in these noxious fumes,and suffered accordingly.The moral is ALL PILOTS BEWARE,because you know where Sympathy lies in the Dictionary,between XXXX and YYYY.