I have said before on PP that I am not happy with the sample of the global pilot workforce that have passed through my hands. Whether or not this sample of close to 400 AW139 pilots is statistically significant is not for me to say. All I can comment on is the facts as I see them.
The vast majority of those pilots had what is necessary to be called competent, that is to say their
potential to be competent was detectable but their lack of a decent foundation and a testing regime lacking rigour had not enabled them to realise this potential.
The situation was characterised by an ability to do the 'day job' to a high enough standard to escape censure but when things went wrong or the task varied from the norm their weaknesses were exposed.
We should not condemn any of our community for failings in their preparation for the tasks they take on. Any failings must be laid at the door of the system that designs and regulates their training. We are all capable of making such mistakes and I frequently reflect on the many I have made in what is a career approaching 50 years. What you need after making a mistake is support and understanding but sometimes our prejudices get in the way of delivering that degree of empathy. If this young woman made a mistake she can be happy that there were no lives lost as a result. There are many out there who do not have such consolation.
G.
