Read this today while studying the "notams"-
From the INDIA TODAY newspaper-
Errant pilots in India mostly escape being disciplined even though some of them report to work drunk during festive seasons.
Apart from the fact that it's not a criminal offence for a pilot to report drunk before a flight in the country, the dearth of experienced pilots means airlines often have to turn a blind eye to the nuisance and let the offenders go off the hook lightly.
" It ( drunk pilots) is an old issue. Our airlines don't want to take action against them as there is a shortage of experienced pilots," a retired pilot said while commenting on an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York getting delayed after one of the four pilots reported to duty inebriated on Monday.
The offender - a commander - failed the pre- flight breath analyser test. The airline managed to replace him at the last moment. The plane took off in the early hours of the morning after a delay of 45 minutes.
Though some pilots in India report to work drunk just after Diwali, Christmas and New Year, the airlines don't take harsh punitive steps against them as they afraid of losing the pilots. " If you are a junior pilot with not much experience, you may be in slight trouble. However, if you are a commander, then the airline concerned mostly ignores it," the retired pilot said.
"A commander has 8,000 to 35,000 hours of experience. He is the only one equipped to fly a Boeing 777 200LR, which can fly from any point in the world to the other for 17 hours at a stretch. So if you discipline or sack him, he can join any other airline within no time," he added.
Moreover, the country does not have a mandatory check- up for the pilots before their flights. And then, there is no rule to discipline him when found drunk on duty.
"The airlines are playing with the lives of the people in absence of the compulsory check- ups for pilots and the lack of punitive rules," the retired pilot said.
A simple solution, according to him, could ensure that the pilots don't come to work drunk. " A pilot who comes inebriated should be immediately be disciplined or sacked. All airlines the world over should have a data base on such transgressions by the pilots. Considering banks maintain data bases for defaulters, it should not be a big deal to draw up one for the errant pilots," he said.
The Centre, he added, is planning to bring in mandatory breath analyser tests for all pilots before they fly. " The nuisance prevails abroad also. However, in the US and the UK, it is a criminal offence. In London's Heathrow Airport, security personnel are empowered to randomly check whether pilots are drunk or not. Getting caught could increase your chance of being prosecuted," the retired pilot added.
Courtesy: Mail Today
Now I know some aspects of life are a bit different in this beautiful country, but is this for real!!!????
