Quote from captplaystation:
...it remains a sad fact of life that most of the "human resources" types (and indeed CEO'S/ Chief Pilots ) do not want someone with a "personality" or even an "opinion" on their hands.
The old joke concerning how a line pilot would like his chief pilot to refer to him, when mentioned . . . " I would like him to say WHO ? " springs to mind here.
Spot on. Without reference to any particular case, these guys are terrified that their part of the operation might be the subject of controversial scrutiny, possibly jeopardising their grip on a greasy pole.
It's a cliché to say that fleet managers, and their dwindling number of flight-crew assistants, have to spend too much time at their desks, but it means that their peer group – the people they need to ingratiate themselves with – now consists mainly of people who have no cockpit experience.
There was a time when CEOs and Chief Pilots were arguably too ready to heap praise on their pilots in the aftermath of an accident. There is now a culture that the line operation is a completely straightforward business, which should be 100% reliable. Today's fleet managers – themselves often relatively inexperienced in the line operation – may be guilty of tacitly accepting this illusion, in the interest of keeping on-side.
In the event of any incident – or even a costly delay – lengthy discussions will usually uncover some perceived error on the part of the crew, generally showing the captain to be fallible in some degree. It's a long time before he or she lives down the resulting stigma, even if any formal investigation absolves him/her of blame.
Administrators, on the other hand, seem to be relatively immune from the consequences of their errors, do not have to possess a licence, let alone a type rating, and are in a position to negotiate their pay when switching employer. Management pilots are less mobile in their employment, unless they have qualifications in other fields. With mortgages and pensions to protect, brave decisions are best avoided.
Last edited by Chris Scott; 21st Mar 2010 at 14:26.
Reason: Minor additions.