Hummingfrog, I think we have seen pilots of both sides lose it in busy situations. I agree absolutely that the military pilot brings many advantages to the civilian world, one of which has to be the positive experience gained from having pushed the envelope in order to get the job done. Basically we had been given the opportunity to frighten ourselves 'gasless' and got away with it, if lucky, something very few young civvy pilots have the chance to do. The knowledge gained from pushing the line allowed us to know when enough was enough; that enabled military pilots to stand up to managerial pressures when the weather was beyond reasonable levels.
My experience of pilots allowed a dispensation from the exam requirements for licensing was from an earlier era, both as a line pilot and a sim instructor. I still believe there should be a level playing field, it's fairer on those who don't have to do the exams.
It's great that the, military are now working within the procedural world, and have knowledge of all the nav-aids available, certainly not the case from the 70s and 80s. As I stated previously, it's necessary to have a thorough knowledge of all aspects of instrument flying especially if your work environment requires you to be IMC for most of the day or night, not just to escape from the umballah.
The timings from the service schedules are correct. It may appear unbelievable, but that's a perception problem on the military mind, not for those working in a civilian environment. I have nothing but praise for the licensed engineers, working shifts, in extreme conditions on and offshore, they work wonders. Nobody but an engineer is qualified to denigrate them.
It bears remembering that a civilian machine worth many millions of dollars is losing money for it's owner when sat in a shed being polished. If it's fixable then every effort is made to replace parts and get them strapped on, the machine tested and back on line. I know it's hard to get the head around, but it's life out of a green, blue, grey suit.
Example. China, Super Puma died late PM. We were on the phone (8 hours ahead of UK time) to the Aberdeen night shift in minutes, before daybreak the part was in the hands of the courier en-route to Amsterdam, then on to Hong Kong where my smiley face retrieved it, took it through customs and then to the machine. We were flying again within 36 hours. Money was one factor, but there was also an element of pride in getting our machine ready to go again. Then we got the REMF from Redhill on the phone complaining about us not following procedures............ F**k off sounds very similar in Cantonese.
