Originally Posted by GlueBall
Are you saying that you would come early on your own for the extra time required to check all the locks, rails and fitted netting of all the pallets on a fully loaded 74? Wow! Don't trust your loaders/handling agents? What's next? Will you be checking tire pressures? Don't trust your maintenance staff . . . ?
I do not trust loaders/handling agents either, not even on a 737F, simply because I have seen to much with my own eyes:
- belly nets not installed (- expect loadshift at rotation)
- aft belly full on the loadsheet but empty in the aircraft - forgotten to load
- wrong containers loaded
- aircraft loaded "the other way round", container for aft position loaded in the front position and vv
- pallets build until under the roof but not secured for forward movement
- etc etc
and believe me, all this happened with loaders and handling agents loading freighters every day. Things like that have happened and will continue to happen.
The tiny difference is - I am sitting inside that plane and if it crashes, I might be dead - they are staying outside and if my plane crashes - they can still feed their family and kids. They might have to answer some questions - but they are still alive.
Checking the load is simply part of my job, if I don't do it, it may kill me. Same as I make sure I have bunkered enough fuel before takeoff.
And re trusting your maintenance staff, you still do your preflight walkaround, do you???