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Old 4th Sep 2009, 10:11
  #4330 (permalink)  
Me Myself
 
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The authors of such claims should really help us by building up pressure on airlines to review some rest policies and locations. Simply because most of such decisions are made for the profit or like EK having rest facilities adjacent to the cockpit REMOVED and replaced in the very rear of a long aircraft for passenger comfort reasons. I'd rather be safe than a little more confy!
There isn t any rest policy and as a captain, I really do not need one. I ve got my own swiss pocket knife called common sense and experience to help me DECIDE what and when I am going to do it. Period.
Experience is to have ploughed those tropical routes years in and years out as a F/O watching how " the old man " does it..............or screws the pooch. That s also experience.
As to common sense, I don t think I need to give a specific definition but let s say that along with experience, it is what brings you home alive.

I too, have made errors of judgement, and trust me when I say I am a sorry, prudent, scared wooss when it comes to CB s. Luckily, I came out ok without sending any pax through the roof. But still, this memory humbles me when I am wicked enough to think about it.

The answer to that isn t in writing the 10 000 s rule in the rule book which will go forgotten in less than a week, but putting emphasis on training.

One thing that has always rocked me off my saddle at AF is that when you upgrade to command, your training captain is likely to be a guy who was upgraded just a year before you. What kind of experience can a guy like that bring you ???? Just about zilch. Sure thing, he ll stuff your head with " ze book of rrrrrrrules " like a turkey on Thanksgiving, but as far as experience is concerned he is just as virgin as you are.
Safety culture comes from Flight Safety department but is relayed, or should be , down the ranks by old hands and it should be something one should be enthousiastic about and not have 4000 different pig headed minds about.
This culture, just like geraniums on spring time, has to be " nourrished " on a regular basis otherwise it goes into oblivion within months.
The Jo burg incident in 1998 could have had the same ending had Mr Boeing not built his 744 like a tank. For a few weeks / months, all of what people could talk of were " hu dangerrrrrrrrrrrous cee bee werrrrrrrrre " veer this 40 deg, veer that 50, AF planes all over the bloody place. Superb ( and I m not jesting here because when AF puts its mind to it, they really come up with some fantastic material ) publications, rehash on line check, you name it. What happens then ???................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz !! The matter is considered as " solved " as Inspector Clouzeaux would put it, forgetting that people leave and new one join. This is a never ending task and no zzzzzzzz is allowed.
Nor can it be left solely to the goodwill of some fantastic fleet heads of training, who too, won t be around forever.

The Colin report adressed all this and strongly advised to go back to basic which was done in part but not the whole way. In order to judge this report, one should have implemented it in full. Instead, some people started winging about " Whot ??? you want me to go and get a command on short haul when I had .......PLANNED on a forever Daiquiri splash on the beach. Nope !!! " and the implementation of this rule was postponed ...........yes !!!............10 years. Do I need to translate into NEVER or NEVER NEVER land, cuz sometimes I feel this is where we live ??? .

I see nothing shocking in the fact it is going to take that much time to come up with conclusions. If memory serves, Swissair 111 took just as long as that, and they had a lot more evidence to work with.
I can already hear the rant about " The BEA, the french state, AF, not to mention Airbus" will see to it that the books are cooked " well done ".
Hoy !!!! smell the coffee !!! So many states are involved that this will never be possible even if the french wanted it that way and for all their flaws, I don t think they do.
Something will come out of this and I am confident the ventilator will have enough dung for everyone to stay occupied cleaning himself for the next 10 years.

Last edited by Me Myself; 4th Sep 2009 at 13:52.
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