MateoSix
2nd Dec 2001, 05:14
Hello Fellow Pilots!
The following you are about to read has been on my mind for some time. After reading some topics about inexperienced pilots I want an opinion or feedback from you. Before I start please note that I do not want to be a traitor or any other kind of @sshole. I know that screw-ups happen in the cockpit.
But I am not talking about little screw-ups here.
I have had an insight in one of the national Mexican Air Carriers. I know that Mexico is far away for most of you, but the aviation world is smaller than one thinks. One more accident/incident could affect each of us. This airline I am writing about is in the STAR Alliance. Don’t get me wrong, there are LOTS of good pilots in this airline, but what I found out really scares the s**t out of me:
Many pilots in this airline don’t have a problem in letting unqualified people sit and fly the planes from the right seat – with pax! As an example, one of the few female pilots who was at that time (y2000) only certified as a F/E on the 727 flew a F100 from t/o to landing from MMTM to MMMX. Another female pilot did the same thing with Allegro on a 727, but she over-rotated the plane, damaged the tail, and got fired (with the F/E). But guess what? She works now for the same airline I am writing about. And do you think this attitude changed after 11 Sept? Guess again! When you ask about this kind of unprofessional behaviour, you usually get an answer like “what should go wrong?” (Hm, isn’t that poor PPL level attitude?) This happens more than you think – you won’t believe the number of “cockpit-qualified flight attendants”
The other problem is that many of the new F/Es or F/Os are totally underqualified. I know as a fact that one pilot who flies the F100 now, needed 250 hours of sim and four (4) attempts to pass the entry test. His total airplane flying experience at that time: 185 hours. Another pilot – now on the 727 – was just too lazy to study for the exams. But his daddy is a 727 check captain, and he also managed to “get in” after four failed attempts (he didn’t need the fifth attempt, though). Many captains actually complain about the poor knowledge and skills of the new F/Os.
The maybe most disturbing fact that I found out is that a small number of pilots have a drug problem! Random drug testing? Sure, those people know when “random” is, or they have a security deposit ready!
You have to understand that corruption is very deeply rooted in MX. If I report this to the Mexican DGAC it would be covered up anyway. It was tried before.
The fact is that some of those few pilots - who either don’t have the knowledge or the attitude to be a pilot - screw up the life of everyone within that airline and maybe yours, too. But no one seems to care about this in MX. Is something like this possible in the US or Europe?
Any suggestions on what to do? I cannot hide this any longer. If you think I am making all this up, email me and I’ll send you some names and other info. Please understand that I cannot say too much, I’ll be No.1 topping Osama by the time I post this…
The following you are about to read has been on my mind for some time. After reading some topics about inexperienced pilots I want an opinion or feedback from you. Before I start please note that I do not want to be a traitor or any other kind of @sshole. I know that screw-ups happen in the cockpit.
But I am not talking about little screw-ups here.
I have had an insight in one of the national Mexican Air Carriers. I know that Mexico is far away for most of you, but the aviation world is smaller than one thinks. One more accident/incident could affect each of us. This airline I am writing about is in the STAR Alliance. Don’t get me wrong, there are LOTS of good pilots in this airline, but what I found out really scares the s**t out of me:
Many pilots in this airline don’t have a problem in letting unqualified people sit and fly the planes from the right seat – with pax! As an example, one of the few female pilots who was at that time (y2000) only certified as a F/E on the 727 flew a F100 from t/o to landing from MMTM to MMMX. Another female pilot did the same thing with Allegro on a 727, but she over-rotated the plane, damaged the tail, and got fired (with the F/E). But guess what? She works now for the same airline I am writing about. And do you think this attitude changed after 11 Sept? Guess again! When you ask about this kind of unprofessional behaviour, you usually get an answer like “what should go wrong?” (Hm, isn’t that poor PPL level attitude?) This happens more than you think – you won’t believe the number of “cockpit-qualified flight attendants”
The other problem is that many of the new F/Es or F/Os are totally underqualified. I know as a fact that one pilot who flies the F100 now, needed 250 hours of sim and four (4) attempts to pass the entry test. His total airplane flying experience at that time: 185 hours. Another pilot – now on the 727 – was just too lazy to study for the exams. But his daddy is a 727 check captain, and he also managed to “get in” after four failed attempts (he didn’t need the fifth attempt, though). Many captains actually complain about the poor knowledge and skills of the new F/Os.
The maybe most disturbing fact that I found out is that a small number of pilots have a drug problem! Random drug testing? Sure, those people know when “random” is, or they have a security deposit ready!
You have to understand that corruption is very deeply rooted in MX. If I report this to the Mexican DGAC it would be covered up anyway. It was tried before.
The fact is that some of those few pilots - who either don’t have the knowledge or the attitude to be a pilot - screw up the life of everyone within that airline and maybe yours, too. But no one seems to care about this in MX. Is something like this possible in the US or Europe?
Any suggestions on what to do? I cannot hide this any longer. If you think I am making all this up, email me and I’ll send you some names and other info. Please understand that I cannot say too much, I’ll be No.1 topping Osama by the time I post this…