I think a few posters should have a wake up call about what it is like to fly for a small TP company.
I will show my bum in the middle of T5 if they were CAT II approved. If relativey large TP operators struggle to keep the planes and crew in check a 5-6 plane outfit has no chance.
Coupled to the fact I doud't if there is a JAR approved sim that can do CAt II in the metro. I wouldn't be suprised if the crews did there LPC/OPC's in aircraft which is another bone of contention with alot of us working in this line.
"monitored approaches" depends very much on the CP and the battles the crews have done. The CP's tend to be old hands in the industry with set views that they have operated that way for the last 20 years and its always worked. Yes the youngsters can ask for these new fangled ideas to be available but it will fall on deaf ears (been there done that and got the T shirt), crews are looking for escape so its not worth fighting the good fight.
As for operational pressures regarding diverts and operating at the limits yes we have all been there and it is extremely tough sticking to your guns. After sticking to your guns you are made to feel like a traitor to the company and alot of the time its implied your a crap pilot because you have done the right thing. With sarky comments made by people who don't have a sodding clue what they are talking about. There is usually some South African ex employee pilot who is held up as a god like entity because he never tech'd an aircraft and never canceled a flight due to wx. Experenced pilots will know he was proberly a gash cock ignoring virtually every SOP and rule in the book, but the management loved him becaue "he got the job done"
I am working with pilots that knew the FO, nice lad apparently and was chuffed as hell getting a slot on the Metro. Which is something the CRMI's out there should remember while they are itching to get there hands on the report for a case study, he is quite well known!!!
Personally I am going to wait for the report, but its almost a deja vu with what the poor sods were up against with a few situations I have experenced.
Just because they are saying the aircraft was working normally doesn't give the full picture with these TP's. When the engines refuse to start sometimes its a sigh of relief from the pilots because you just can't go. There are numerous issues with the garretts and there rigging which can significanlty increase the work load to the crew. Tampering with the rigging needs dupe signature so would be unlikely to be dealt with by line maint of one man and a spanner.
The full picture really will ony come out with the report but I suspect there are going to be some bloody huge holes in the swiss cheese that they were up against.