FL440: likewise, I have no wish for my comments to be misinterpreted. It is not the students I blame for their shortcomings, but the
organisations that train them. Whilst the training offered may be appropriate to achieve a minimum standard for entry
to the majors, the
emphasis on the majors as a part of that training serves the students poorly in the environments that are being thrust upon them as a part of their training. You're quite right -we don't see a lot of them, sometimes several months between appearances, but when we do, we may see as many as 3-4 "gaggles" of up to 5 machines at a time in as many weeks. Often there is not an instructor or pilot with experience in the area amongst them. The number of times that a pilot from these places has approached anyone in the area for a briefing or even a little information, you could count on the fingers of one hand. Far more likely they will simply pour through with scant regard or attention to what is going on around them, causing sometimes quite serious havoc. Personally, I wouldn't dream of coming into 'your patch' without 1st trying to get some information on procedural issues of which I am ignorant. I've only flown up that way a handful of times over the last 30 years. If I had to, I could probably get where I was going without screwing the pooch too badly -but I would certainly want that information/local knowledge if time & circumstances allowed me to pursue it -and I would do whatever I could to conform with published procedures where available and avoid cluttering common frequencies with inane chatter.
We all do whatever we can to assist whenever necessary, as we should. Lord knows there have been times I have needed sorted... for my sins! My point however (again) is that these guys are not being taught the
basics of airmanship properly. Again, they are being let down by their training organisations and cut loose
in command in a system for which they are ill-prepared. Mountain flying -particularly in a high-traffic density area- is a demanding exercise. You
cannot have your head in the cockpit trying to sort out what it is you need to do now/next. That should have been sorted on the ground, before you launched, preferably in a properly structured briefing. If that isn't possible at the minimum a briefing from an experienced local pilot can save a lot of grief -for everyone. Need I mention the C310 at QN on RWY 14? Or the Cardinal that ran out of fuel winding up on the steps of the hospital 200m from the RWY threshold? Any one of us would offer whatever advice/assistance we can
if asked, even to the extent of 'follow me, do what I do' if necessary and traffic permits. The emphasis is on 'if asked' there, because we rarely are. I am not suggesting that all bad pilots come from N of the Bombays or anything of the kind -just that many of the classic pooch-screws we see are from that area and the point of origin (sometimes down to the particular location on the tarmac!) monotonously regular.
Originally Posted by FL440
Surely you cannot expect a pilot from somewhere totally unfamiliar to be absaloutely perfect the first time they fly in your region?
Of course not. I do however expect courtesy, no more or less that they would expect from me in their area, and some respect for the task they are undertaking. A quick flip around the Coromandel it ain't. Yet that seems to be how many from that area treat it.
Some of the previous comments in this thread have left me virtually in a state of despair for the falling standards... "she'll be right" doesn't cut it. Students have to be
properly prepared and
assessed competent before they are launched on some of these extended solo missions. They also need to be advised to approach locals before entering unfamiliar areas -I don't think I've ever been knocked back when I have sought advice from someone more experienced. There's always more to learn, more places to go. There's always someone that knows more than me too -those are the people I seek out every time.
Not a bad idea when you think about it.