Sabenaboy,
This is a discussion,lets not get personal,shall we?
you would too often ground a plane and cause unnecessary inconvenience to your pax and financial losses for your airline
Only time i refused an aircraft was a night flight in europe with anti ice valve dispatched in the closed position and obvious icing enroute.
I dont write the MEL nor the DDG.
If that never happened in your career, but instead you used a written rule as an excuse EVERY time you saw something allowing you to ground the A/C, that might explain why you (have to?) fly in China.
Quite a childish note.
I use the rules i am given by my airline and my licencing department to judge wether a flight can be operated or not.
If my airline leaves the final decision on me in case of a grey area,i will use my knowledge,experience to decide wether the potential risks are manageable.
I am flying in China because my previous airline went bust and the other airlines pay in europe are crap,i save 110 000 +eur/year here.
I follow rules and SOP's
Sops are what they are,mostly guidlines, Rules are regulations,rigid.
If you bend the rules and anything wrong happens,the airline you tried to save money or be so flexible for will be at the day of the hearing,not on your side but on the other side of the bench.
I think the difference between you and me is that I will more easily admit that I'm not infallible.
We are all fallible,we are humans,however i put all the chances on my side to provide my crew and passengers the safest flight i can provide.
Sometimes safety comes before profit.
You may read that i am all for fuel saving...some consider not uplifting extra fuel each flight is dangerous,i think this philosophy costs the airline money not some rare occasions when i deem as the final authority that the aircraft should be operated in the higher scale of safety net.
I despise cowboys in the cockpit. I do not like nitpickers without any flexibility either
I despise cowboys too,i dont enjoy nitpickers either,however,i always respected prudent and knowledgeable,less influenceable captains.
Sabena,are you a first officer?if so, i believe the day you will change seat,yoour perspective may change...there are times company financial benefit do not and should not cross the boundery of safety/potential hazardous odds.
It may not seem so but Im quite fun to fly with
and i often helped the CC cleaning the aircraft in short turn arounds to make the turn around slot,so you see im not the DEVIL white gloved captain you may think,i take account of my airline and my passengers confort /ontime performance,but my final goal is the flight safety.
I wish you safe flight too
