Quote:
It was widely known, at all levels of management, that those flights regularly flew well below the nominal floor of 6,000'. As for sending captains down there with zero experience of Antarctica: it was diabolically dangerous. All three members of the crew had never been there before. For the CAA to have allowed such a reckless policy was unforgivable.
Agreed. As it was for Air NZ to request such a reckless policy.
It would have been less problematic for Air New Zealand to have used only one crew for these flights, and then been in line with the experience requirements of the other operators to the ice. USAF for example required 20 hours experience down at the ice prior to going down in command.
It was NZALPA who insisted that these were "perk": flights and were to be shared amongst their senior members.
From Bob Thomson in his "History of New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme 1965-88
Air New Zealand and NZALPA went to some lengths to ensure that their senior pilots and members were seen as professionals who knew it all and did not therefor need to seek advice from elsewhere, such as the RNZAF, USAF, USN or the division.
The experience of Bob Thomson in Antarctic operations has been printed in this forum.