System or Individual
One of the problems that has always plagued our illustrious CandT dept. is the lack of control over the individual trainers. The bulk of whom, are amazing pilots who are more than capable of passing on their invaluable experience. It is the minority that account for the negative image and moral associated with our Check and Training departments.
Sadly, there are those (Line pilots and management all know who they are) that are just plain destructive. As the airline grows and along with it the training department, the willingness to keep individuals who clearly are not doing the job must end. If your check and training record stands out from the bell curve you should be looked into. Just as all line pilots whose training stands out should be given more attention.
The only reason anyone has ever given for keeping destructive check and trainers around is the outdated concept that they are hard to replace. Bullocks. Replace them and get the respect back that the check and training department deserves. Drop the old boy network. In a company where everybody's performance is continually weighed and measured, how these individuals can continue costing the company money, and negatively impacting careers as they do, is inexplicable.
Oh, and while you are at it, improve the communication between your check and trainers and the training department. Have the standards guys ride on more checks, especially of those that have a higher "failure" rate. As time goes on there are individuals whose ideas drift, they are then checking to their own standards without the knowledge of the training department, and no way for the training department to keep them in check. (pun intended).
If FOP management wants a few bulldogs around to use training as a discipline tool then we will NEVER have a respected, modern, efficient training department that actually improves the skills of line pilots.
I for one, will be watching the upcoming merge of "senior" and "flexible" fleets to see who comes out on top !! Can you tell who I am rooting for ??
Safety first !!
Peace out.