CessnaAxDriver and US Ppruners:
How about a debate about this industry.
I agree, in general, with various observations made by BelArgUsa, and-too a limited extent-can understand Cessna's resistance to criticism of US govt decisions by someone who grew up elsewhere. But he worked for years for a US major airline. Here are my criticisms of some previous US govt decisions and policies and do not speak for anybody else. Some of these policies and laws still exist as our industry races to the bottom. Some of the fault lies with the fact that different MECs live in a vacuum to a large extent when they
battle Upper Mgmts.
Let's first clarify that this US industry was never deregulated. That is a deception for the American public, created under the smoke of the (Democratic) Carter Administration, and sponsored to an extent by Democratic Senator Kennedy, partly motivated by his desire to improve air service within his tiny "Republic of Massachusetts" and between its many city pairs. Blame should be shared by both major parties-stay tuned.
I am a native US citizen and was hired into a turbofan right seat in 1985.
The airlines have never operated in a political vacuum. The huge anti-labor advantages (proper in a so-called "advanced industrialized nation"? ) given to some airline Upper Mgmts by the Reagan, Bush Sr and other administrations should have been a scandal. Former Professor Alfred Kahn (the US 'guru' of airline dereg.), who advised the US Congress on the benefits on partial deregulation with his convoluted and bizarre theories received very lucrative
stock in New York Air, and there were comments in "Aviation Week & ST" that this stock was somehow connected with his successful arguments before Congress in 1977 or '78.
US laws and a few White House Chief Executives enabled charming slime to abuse our profession using numerous legal methods. At the top of this slime heap (Misthaufen) stands Mr. Frank Lorenzo ("Frankie Smooth-Talk"), who set a historical precedent by his exploitation of bankruptcy laws (he understood the political landscape, via Ronald Reagan, as Wellington understood Waterloo's layout better than Napoleon) in order to void the Continental labor contracts. We have not made too much progress since the early 80's. Several top DOT Administrative Judges made very favorable rulings for Texas Air Corporation, and then quickly went to work for TAC (against labor?). Just a coincidence, I suppose.
The US federal laws which allowed airlines to grossly underfund our pension funds should also be a national shame and scandal. But what mindboggling complexity, even for most of us who went beyond Jethro Bodine's level of education.
These are just a few of the realities, allowed by decades of politicians sticking it to aviation professionals (CO, Eastern etc) who have given everything they could to help their airlines survive.
Sure, the creation of junk bonds in the 80s was not the fault of our US government.
But (mostly GOP) government arrogance towards our profession (because we are neither management nor major stockholders) would have had little effect if this industry operated inside a vacuum.
I would never apologize for what such meddling has done, either directly or indirectly, to our airline industry.
A relative lost part of his pension due to an airline "White Knight"-enabled by US laws which had existed for decades. I would never apologize for that either.
By the way, is it not true that of the three (3) people on the PBGC (the pseudo-private govt pension corporation), two (2) of those people also have decisive roles within the govt-run ATSB (Air Trans. Stabilization Board), which decides which US airlines deserve favorable govt. financial loans? With other industries watching how the US airlines lean heavily on the PBGC, they have joined the game (let future generations worry about the immense debts). If that is true, is that situation not a major potential conflict of interest?
If these situations are/were true, it would never be my decision to apologize for such.
If these situations are mistaken, I will gladly stand corrected.
In my opinion, BelArgUSA's observations can be valid no matter where he was born, whether Ruhpolding, Bavaria...Brugge, Belgium or Olathe, Kansas. He appeared to have worked for years as an airline pilot here. I can name only three airline (or former) CEOs who had the instr., multi- and maybe a type rating: Bethune (CO:757, via his Boeing job), Arpey (AMR: flying his familiy in an Aztec or Twin Comanche), and Mr. Mickelson (Am Trans Air). Heck...some US-born academics and others are given credit as "aviation consultents", almost none of of whom had any operational job in US civil aviation, whether as mechanic, pilot etc.
I know several mainline pilots who are leaving all their seniority behind, frpm ages 41 to age 52, in order to join other airlines as new-hires (Fedex, UPS, Emirates) or leave the career altogether! One studies and has a family, to pursue a career as a Nurse Anesthesiologist. This almost never happened years ago. These guys have been full-time pilots for at least 18 years or so. An FO I've worked with is on the backed-up interview list for one of those companies. They want to work for companies in careers where people are not spat upon, and the airlines etc have leadership and the intelligence/integrity to plan and execute long-term corporate strategies. When jumpseating on Fedex, notice the very good morale of their ground- and flightcrews. It leaves me quite envious after I leave their facilities. This company is too arrogant to care, unless hundreds of flights are cancelled...the Board of Directors finally pull their heads out of their a@@@@, find some backbone (?) and notice: I see why they need such total wimps on the Board. Prove me wrong.
Most top officials in the DOT, FAA and elsewhere NEVER worked as a pilot or as a controller, mechanic etc. They chose to never even require a scheduled rest period for reserve/standby crews until after bodies were removed from the MD-82 at LIT. The FAA was never primarily funded by nor directly manipulated by a foreign government (i.e. the US congress and the White House anti-labor political agenda).
I have a one-day trip today and need time to fly the simulated Hurricane, P-38 or Bf-110 against some bogies or FLAK. Yep, a sign of early dementia, but at least it is VFR flying that some of us can afford. Tot ziens and au revoir.