Remoak,
Like you, I was an expert BAe 146 pilot. I started to fly them in 1989 and by 1998 my memory was shot to pieces and my speech not worthy of an airline captain.
I could not imagine learning a new aircraft type, so I stayed with the 146 and changed bases.
I didn't know anything about fumes in those days ,but I felt so ill I thought I had early dementia or cjd. Stupidly I just kept going.
By 2001 I was in real trouble but kept quiet.
I had a bad fume event in 2002.
By 2004 I was ready to quit, so I did. I walked off a particularly challenging flight and drove home to my 400 year old house (with wooden work surfaces in the kithchen - what are you on?).
In 2005 I again had a fume event and quit, completely xxxxxxxered.
I was grounded due to chronic stress in February 2006.
In April 2006 my blood / fat was tested and it was full of abnormal amounts of chemicals, as was 27 other pilots blood / fat.
My sample had Tri cresyl phosphate (TCP) - or engine oil - in it.
I was a big sceptic too until my cognitive ability was measured, along with the other 27 pilots and guess what? We all were around 10% below the poulation average.
Now that for me is quite a powerful amount of evidence.
All we are asking for now is for a much bigger survey to urgently look into this serious problem and for some brave scientist to risk their reputation by measuring what is in those oil fumes, because if the fumes contain TCP I would like to know exactly how they got into me and my mates and stayed there a year after I stopped flying.
For every day that the fumes are not now tested, makes me realise how twisted and political this whole business is!
Please prove me wrong.
Once again, I am so pleased you are not affected but maybe just for once, think of your colleagues who know, with absolute certainty, the cause of their awful ill health.
Can you please also explain why now I feel, more or less, how I did back in 1989?
Take care - in that air! It ain't good for SOME people. That's a fact.
DB
