Parabellum, it’s hard to disagree with anything you said so eloquently and without putting anyone down. The discussion about the original incident probably would have been laid to rest long ago, but for the tone of some posters—on both sides of the issue.
There is one last thing I want to say about something that is particularly difficult to understand. To some of the Captains and F/O's....I can understand your frustration and distain for those who don’t know your world and dare to comment. But not only do you disparage posters who aren’t pilots, you also disparage pilots who disagree with you, like Dani. His management style obviously works for him and doesn’t jeopardize safety. Surely there should be some tolerance for alternate styles of crew management. And is the ATCO who expressed his concerns, completely ignorant of the realities behind the cockpit door and therefore guilty of another meaningless opinion? I’d hope not.
The way several of you have chosen to state your case seems to reflect an attitude of “no one except me knows anything” and “A Captain is always beyond reproach (unless he happens to disagree with me)” You come across as people whose minds are not only closed, but nailed shut. Sadly, I think many would agree that doesn’t reflect well on your profession. And some of those might even be your peers.
There is another thing that is hard to understand……“At 600mph, there is
no time for a discussion and a mutual hug. It only works when one person is in charge and his commands are obeyed
without a discussion every time.” Anyone but an idiot realizes that there are lots of times when “do it now” (no questions asked) is essential to guaranteeing the safety of all aboard. However, no one has suggested there was an immediate threat to safety in this case. To suggest that "discussion" or attempting to clear the air with the "offender" wasn't an option because there was no time for it (especially with two First Officers on board) on a lengthy flight, seems to be just blindly defending "one of yours" and is ludicrous. Given similar situations, I'm sure there have been Captains who made the time to deal with staff problems, however they saw fit and resolved them without diverting. Why this particular Captain was unable or unwilling to do that, who knows?
Finally, remember that some SLF do know and may even be related to pilots, and that provides some insights. (It has even been rumoured that occasionally on the flight deck there is time for conversations not related to a particular flight
) So, we are aware of
some of what goes on in the inner sanctum, even though we haven’t experienced it directly.