Fair enough. Just because a guy has to clear a TS and fly into a hot zone to pick up hazzard pay, you're not going to cut him any slack. I supposed you wouldn't be impressed with my dessert shield and storm medal either.
Not particularly relevant to the airplane at Brussels, nor to the conversation, of course, and therefore, you're right. No slack.
Do they still even hand those out anymore?
No.
If I had to guess guppy, I'd say you're a former management pilot. If you still did it, you wouldn't have time to hang out on a rumour board here and police people's war stories (no offense.)
If you had to guess, which you don't, you'd be wrong. I'm a line pilot, flying the Classic.
Do you have much experience in the third world on runways where you must not use the taxiways because they aren't stressed for the weight? Doing 180's on less than 150 foot wide runways in the dark can be done if you use the differential technique.
I do, but that's also irrelevant here, as we don't use runways on which we can't meet the book requirements for the turn. We base our planning on legal numbers, not "tribal knowledge," and we don't break airplanes to make a buck. I've flown my share of assignments, trips, and missions under urgent or demanding conditions, and to this day firmly believe and preach that there is no flight which must be made. When one compromises safety of flight because someone is dangling a dollar or a euro or a riyal out front, then one is acting unprofessionally and foolishly. Presently my employer will not fly into a location in which we can't turn on the book value or have a tug available to assist. We're not going to tear up any airplane just to turn around on a runway.
Of course this also wrecks a set of tires too, but during a war or a profitable charter who cares.
I do.
Every operator is different however, perhaps they don't allow the captain any real command authority were you work. Or perhaps your airframes were too decrepit to do this. Or perhaps you just weren't aware it could be done.
Perhaps we simply hire professionals who aren't stupid enough to break airplanes just to make a book, who have the command authority and the backbone to say no, and respect our airframes enough not to abuse them. We actually look beyond the current trip and plan on having that airframe available and in good shape down the line for future trips. I'm aware it can be done; I'm aware of a lot of foolish thins that can be done. That does not imply by necessity or otherwise that one need be foolish enough to do it.
So long as you impressed the ladies in your thirties, apparently that's all that counts.