bristowburnout
bb,
I don't for one second advocate a mronic management system that exploits its pilots...... Possibly you havev felt this way for some time now.
However, the question begs to be asked, why did Suggs say what he said?? Yes the man, was horrible invention of a draconian, flawed, industrial system. Lets not forget though, that, that was his perception of a Helicopter Pilot.
Now you can argue all you want, but until pilots actually unify themselves and fight for what they actually want, and not whinge about stupid little things like, why must I pay for coffee.... How do you expect management to take those sorts of individuals seriously?
Don't lull yourself into a sense of security. Your, as in pilots, have only got it looking better than previous years, because industry requirement has made it so. In the last 5 years and over the next 3 years, the Helicopter Pilot work force, will decrease by almost 30%, and thats just in the US. The industry is feeling this pinch and as a result is being forced to pay more for their pilots so as to try and keep them. Their [Pilots] improved conditions is not as a result of negotiation and holding talks. It is as a direct result of those people who have retired.
As far as me being some one that you most probably had a reasoned discussion with. I doubt that very much, but I will say something, I wonder if your reasoned discussion would have been for your benefit and what you wanted, or for the benefit of your colleagues and what would have been best for all. The perception pilots give is anything but unity. You only have to listen to the crew room talk to realise that. Any operator will find some one to do the most insane job if he requires. Procedures can be published, agreements agreed upon. But make no mistake the Helicopter Pilot ego will come racing to the surface. Where one pilot turned down a job because he thought it was too dangerous, another will stand up and say 'I will do it'. As a result where industry should be improving as far as conditions are concerned, then hero pilot will screw it up for the team. And the sad reality is, the are too many egotistical helicopter pilots out there.
So in my opinion management will always win, and helicopter pilots will always be screwed.
Oh and just so we are crystal clear, an issue that should be discussed, rather than how much coffee you have, is real conditions like, not putting undue pressure on an individual pilot to do some thing the operator knows he should not do, but at the cost of commercial pressure will make him do it. That sort of crap is what needs to stop. That is a real issue.