Ts I know exacly what you mean. I had many years in China training pilots with my subordinates training rear crew for winching and under slung operations. Everything done IAW Royal Navy procedures. Everything was routine, no problem. It was fine when everything was going by the book but when things went pear-shaped you, as the captain had to sort it out because they did not know what to do. They had no basic discipline in aviation so they gave up. The Chinese are just as concerned about other peoples lives as we are but they were lost because they did not have the aviation expertise that a good crew should have.
We found that the ones we picked up from the street were the best after they had spent some considerable time in ops or passenger handling. Then they would go to loading and winch training. After some two years they would go on to public transport winching line training. Public Tranport Winching is slightly different, 10 foot winching with OEI Flyaway. Part of the couse was winching off the back of a supply boat at full chat. They were OK at that, not that we would have noticed because it wa a new experience for our Chinese pilots.
Because we were an English speaking technical organisatin we had university graduates in English and every technical subject that you could think of. Most of our pilots were ex PLA, predominately ex Marine. They were brought up in the fly by numbers envirionment where initiative was unknown. It took them a long time to accept that they had to follow instructions from a peasant in the back of the aircraft.
We cracked it! Just to changeover crews on tankers. Our earlier graduates are now running an SAR operation in Shanghai. At least two of the captains and one of the winchman I would give space for at Valley but they have had a long, 8 years, indoctrination..
I am not trying to put an oar into the UK situation but that is what I have experienced outside of the loop.
Last edited by Fareastdriver; 19th Aug 2010 at 20:36.