Mangalore. There were two pilots on that aircraft when it crashed. The F/O was a senior F/O ready for command I am informed. What was he doing to help avoid this tragedy apart from voicing his concerns things were not OK and suggesting a missed approach? I do wonder what sort of incapacity training the F/O had, if any. Sure the Captain got it wrong and all the blame has been stacked on him. There is no mention or evidence of the F/O intervening directly to try and avoid what happened. I take it, it was a two crew operation. If I was a F/O and I thought we were going to crash I would do anything to avoid a crash, even if it meant wrestling the controls from the PF. Yes, even if I had to hit the guy over the head with the fire axe to stop him killing me!
I would sooner strap my backside to an aircraft as a passenger, knowing full well there is an experienced Captain up front. He maybe retired or let go by their previous employer, however knacked he may feel after a long day. There is no substute for overall experience. None whatsoever and the more the better. Far sooner that, than an inexperienced captain, who has a good chance of not being selected into the airline on merit as he has connections, maybe cheated somewhere along the line. etc., etc. Even if he or she has passed this space cadet/fighter pilot/astronaut medical examination the DGCA require. Reinventing the wheel will not reduce the accident rate in this case. The expats now have to subject themselves to this folly also. In fact I will suggest that this directive alone will increase the accident/incident rate, as it will turn away the experienced expats. Of course this is the very point of having them sit the DGCA medical every 6 months, in addition to 2 medicals they normally sit for their licence which is validated by the DGCA.
Radio work. I was listening on a tower frequency recently at an airport in India. An aircraft was being read a departure clearance. Before the radio operator of the aircraft receiving the clearance was able to read back the clearance, he was stamped on by an AI radio operator demanding a start up clearance as he was late. Is it surprising the expats sometimes have trouble interpreting radio signals, when they have to contend with this sort of arrogant and amateurish behaviour?
Last edited by doubleu-anker; 6th Mar 2011 at 22:56.