Chris Higgins,
I won't speak for other contributors on this forum. My posts are not intended to be critical of my employer. The reason I made the statements I did is because I don't want to see what is essentially a good company in crisis. Employees have a right and responsibility to draw matters to their employer's attention which might help improve the well-being of the company. I have openly expressed these feelings to my direct managers (who read these pages) and they all know who I am - A result of using my nickname as my PRRuNe login
I have enjoyed working for this company almost 14 years. I find your allegations are emotive, offensive, and at best difficult to believe, because I personally know and have flown with every Captain in this company in my time in one capacity or another. I have
never witnessed any of the behaviours you describe.
Alright, I'll admit it, these were isolated situations and they happened years back, but then there's this one:-We came back from a navex during the times of the Class 4 Night Rating and after one your crew gave his welcome to sunny Port Macquarie speeches on the area frequency got onto the crosswind leg and promptly turned off all the exterior lights(?!), how do you do that in the first place is beyond me, but it happened.
1. We don't do PA's during sterile flight deck;
2. Back then the aircraft fitout had a separate interphone/PA handset so it would not be possible to do the PA on the radio without a significant brain fade; Nonetheless I've had finger trouble in the past with the radios and no doubt will again. That's what's called human factors, Chris. Sorry, I'm not a skygod belting around at F510 with 40 deg sweepback
3. To turn off all exterior lights would activate a caution light in the flight deck, necessitating action via a QRH procedure. Not something you really want to do in the circuit if you can avoid it, especially at night.
Myth Busted
Alright, if you want to make a serious case of this and how great you all are. I will give you a date and time where one of your magical crews were doing a circling approach at PMQ and freely admitted that they were down at 300 feet AGL on radar altimeter and in IMC!
We don't have any "magical crews", Chris. Just average blokes and girls doing a job. I suggest you read your Jepps, Chris. Visual Circling, when meeting the minimum criteria for circling
IS an IMC manoeuvre by definition, because 2.4k vis (Cat B)
is less than VMC. 300' obstacle clearance by day is also perfectly legal, provided you can visually sight and avoid the obstacles.
So what did the crew do wrong? Unless you were in the flight deck looking out the window you are not qualified to make your statement. No doubt you will retort with "no, that's not what I meant - I meant they were in cloud". Prove it.
Myth Busted
Give us a break. The general populace around here know you dislike Eastern. Who knows why? I've never seen a positive post from you yet (apart from stroking your own and Dick Smith's ego). No disrespect intended to DS.
Now let's get back on the topic. People leaving Qantaslink.
Good morning.
