Wes_Wall writes:
No way any justification what so ever can excuse away their conduct. Sad.
(SLF, not a pilot, and not a frequent flier)
Agree 100% with you.
I have always been the type of pax who took the time to thank the pilot and 1st for getting me safely up, over, and back down. It's harder now as one almost never sees the flight deck folks. (I also thank cab drivers, bus drivers, and friends I ride with when they deliver a pleasant, non stressful ride.)
I've been keeping a close eye on this thread, and I'm amazed at some of the responses from supposedly "real" and gainfully employed pilots who have defended these two slackers.
There is, frankly, no excuse for not being fully engaged in one's job. There is no excuse for being out of contact for "approximately 91 minutes" and there is no excuse for overflying a destination.
None. Period. Not even being sleepy and taking a nap.
SOMEONE should have been in control of the flight. NOBODY was.
Let me write this in a better way. You are not employed to do anything less than deliver your pax on time to their destination. Period.
You are paid for your skill in getting them there, and you are paid for your skill in getting them somewhere alive should the destination be impossible.
You are not paid to have discussions or web surfing sessions which take away your time from flying the aircraft. Period.
You are paid to fly the plane. If doing so has become too boring to put your all into, then get a different job.
On an average leg, a Greyhound bus driver here in the US has about 50 souls under his or her care. Drivers are paid up to $25 per hour (ave. seems about $14) and work 8 to 10 hour days. As I enjoy sightseeing, I frequently travel Greyhound, and have never "enjoyed" so much as an incident. No baggage lost, no white-knuckle holding on hoping the bus doesn't crash. (Greyhound could work on their terminals a bit, but otherwise they have a system which works nicely and safely.)
Thinking back to the mid 1970s, when I first remember taking a flight to go somewhere, it seems that about 1/4 of my flights have had some kind of idiotic problem. Delays, tech issues, clearance issues, and, of course, after 9/11, absurd security issues.
Having said all this, I'd like to ask:
How is it possible that one of mankind's best creations - a modern transport airframe - can be captained by someone who isn't completely "in love" with what the machinery represents and what it can do?
Whenever I fly, I'm completely enthralled by the technology which makes a comfortable flight possible, and completely in awe of the sheer human effort it takes to make it so.
As far as these two high-time pilots... Well, honestly, a city bus driver would also be fired for spending that much time not paying attention to his job.
Some of you "professional pilots" who have been defending this pair really need to think about the image you're putting forth, and how seriously you take your profession.
If it's become so routine that you can actually sympathize with a flight crew who became so detached from the "aviate, navigate, communicate" golden rule, perhaps you should seek some other career.
You're certainly someone I wouldn't fly with at the pointy end, knowing you were up there on a flight I was boarding.
Someone in this thread mentioned something along the lines that SLF have no reasonable expectation of hearing anything from the CVR for this flight.
I'll take that person to task at this point.
What was once a respectable group of professionals now has in their midst people who certainly don't take their responsibilities seriously and don't command the "my life in your hands" respect that the previous professionals were very much entitled to.
Don't flame me on that statement - I know there are many skilled folks in both seats who save lives every day by avoiding complacency and doing their tasks to the very best of their abilities.
But it's time we stopped accepting second best, whether they have 15,000 hours or 1,500.
And now that air travel has become a commodity, and sadly, staffed by people who consider it a commodity, perhaps we need more information from the flight deck so trends can be identified.
...
Again, I am not speaking badly of dedicated pilots. I have a great respect for pilots who are truly captains, whether they're PIC or PNF - those men and women who have respect for the concept of flight and take their positions seriously.
Those who don't share the same fascination, the same love, well, they shouldn't be in the front seats. If it's just a job, go get another one. No shortage of pilots these days.
..
bitch directly to ray [at] rottenray [dot] com if you want to