I have never had a member of management question, or even comment on, a decision of mine to fly or not fly. I can't say the same for the 25+ years I spent flying in the GOM. The attitude from management is entirely different. I've also never had a complaint from the med crews. They have sometimes commented on other pilots' decisions, but if they ever said anything about mine, it was never related to me by anyone. The med crews knew I would fly if I thought it was safe and legal, and would refuse if not. Med crews, like everyone else, tend to value competence and level-headedness. Being unsure and changing your mind often scares them. If they trust you to know your job, and your commitment to doing it right, they won't question your decisions nearly as much. They can usually tell if you're turning down a flight just because you prefer to sleep, and if you do that a few times, your trust is gone. None of this is unique to flying, it's standard in every industry, every job.
I will say that 3800 hours at retirement isn't much. That says that it was a long time between flights, and it's impossible to stay proficient while not flying. HEMS is not a job for low-time pilots. You don't get a chance to fly that often, and when you do you have to be perfect every time. It's difficult even with tens of thousands of hours.
Last edited by Gomer Pylot; 7th Apr 2015 at 01:57.