Originally Posted by
deefer dog
Surplus, if I may;
By all means you most certainly may.
You believe you have.
You are correct, I do "believe" that I've seen a photo copy of the actual FP complete with dated seal. I can't think of why or who might go to the trouble of faking it, or what might be the motivation.
You have seen an untimed memo that you believe was written by the operator in the flight plan office.
The header of Celia's alleged memos is missing so, we don't know to whom it was addressed. However it is both dated and timed as 291650. The language and style of the memo is, IMO, typical of what someone in that position might be expected to use. Someone attempting to create such a phony memo is highly likely to be much more articulate and grammatically correct than Celia was. BTW, for what it's worth I am fluent in the Spanish language so I did not need a translator and was able to pick up on the nuances. I do believe that the photocopy of the document is genuine.
Leaving aside your repeated belief that you have seen the actual documents, doesn't your observation that you have never in 40 years seen a flight plan quite like this one strike you as odd? Surely only an idiot would advertise in advance that they were about to conduct a flight with zero fuel reserves and only one alternate?
BTW, unless the weather is really crappy two alternates are not required. Celia blew that part.
Yes, it does strike me as very odd - another reason I believe the documents are genuine. Only an idiot would plan a flight and depart with inadequate fuel to reliably reach the destination, let alone meet the legal requirements. What you had in the left seat of that airplane is exactly that: The Village Idiot!
The level of arrogance and imagined impunity overall of the pilot, who has flown this same route at least twice previously with insufficient fuel (and god knows how many others pushing the limits) and gotten away with it, is typical of a teenager who blithely texts on his smart phone while driving at 70 mph on a two-lane country road is both (but for that damned tree) fat, dumb and happy.
Running out of gas happens to other pilots but not to him. So, don't worry, be happy. The local Top Gun is in town.
If any pilot fudges anything, be it fuel, duty times or an MEL item, they make every effort to ensure that the paperwork looks straight. I would be astounded if the Captain authorized the figures on the flight plan we have seen, and agree that some other more junior person might have been trying to highlight a problem that they may have had difficulty in voicing.
There you go again, assuming that this fellow is concerned about what looks straight and what doesn't. He's not in the least bit concerned about that. In fact the flight plan may even serve as proof of his exceptional skill level. Our "Ace" will go anywhere with less fuel than required but never without paperwork, the content of which HE and HE ALONE dictates. What really matters is that "Official Seal" in the lower right hand corner.
The junior person in the equation is none other that the so-called Dispatcher. He has a license for effect but he's really just the captain's errand boy. He fills out the paper work as instructed by the "Capi" [which is what he told Celia], delivers it to the office and comes back with the weather info - which our astronaut sticks wherever it fits and ignores. What does it matter what the weather says, do you really think he's going to cancel the flight for that?