Nazi CFI

[WrongWayCorrigan]

Anyone had any experience of ousting a CFI with an anal attitude and a Nazi style to leadership?

[porridge]

I, and many others, had the experience of a certain CFI who exhibited a 'Nazi' style of management at a particular place not far from BPK VOR - sometimes referred to as the 'Banana Plantation'. As he owned the school we didn't have much luck. In my experience the more intrenched the indivdual is the more likely they are to adopt unpleasant attitudes towards the staff and thus making it very unlikely that a coup will succeed! Voting with your feet is the only way that you can have any effect, there is work out there so getting another position should be relatively straight forward.

[WrongWayCorrigan]

Thanks, Porridge. This one's an employee. Voting with our feet's not really an option.:ugh:

[Dude~]

I have got a CFI with a really bad attitude. I recently had a taste of his '1950s captain' attitude. I asked for a second oppinion on something I was not happy with on an aircraft and was totally put down for being silly and over critical. I was told that all aircraft have this 'thing' that I soptted when I know they don't. He actually said 'I have far more hours than you therefore I MUST be right now go and fly'.

I was fuming:*

[WrongWayCorrigan]

Sounds like an arrogant guy. Our problem is more to do with public be-littleing (is that a word?) and attacks upon of some very experienced instructors and examiners because they have dared to question some very weird behaviour.

By the way, what was this thingy you spotted? Just curious.

[EGBKFLYER]

Could do something depending on organisation structure, will of the team and the amount of b*lls you all have!

First thing I would do is see who will support you in addressing the situation head-on. By this I mean lodging a formal grievance, in writing, signed by as many involved parties as have the will to do so. I'm guessing that there is no formal grievance procedure, so I would just ask to have a meeting privately with the CFI and present him politely with the letter, which should set out the team's issues, illustrated with dated examples if possible.

Your offer should be either that he stops his offending behaviour, or you will take the letter to his boss (I'm presuming he isn't top of the tree). It would be worth stressing that this is your only problem and that if he stops doing this thing, all will be OK. No use pushing him into a corner I think.

If he listens and stops - problem solved. If he doesn't, see his boss. Again, present everything in writing and this time inform the boss that his CFI's behaviour may cause one or more of you to resign and pursue a claim for harrassment or even constructive dismissal (though the latter could be harder to win). Your employer has a legal duty of care to protect you from harrassment and compensation is unlimited, so he should listen!

Before kicking all this off, worth getting some more legal advice (I only have basic employment law training) - Citizens Advice Bureau, BALPA or another union may help here.

I wish you good luck - bad managers should be ousted, wherever they are:ok:

This leaflet from ACAS may clarify things further:
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=797

[foxmoth]

attacks upon of some very experienced instructors and examiners because they have dared to question some very weird behaviour.

I would have thought experienced instuctors would have the confidence to tell this guy where to go - examiners even more so.:hmm:

[WrongWayCorrigan]

thanks egbk! going to try that.

comment: I would have thought experienced instuctors would have the confidence to tell this guy where to go - examiners even more so.

telling this guy where to go just fuels his rage and produces furiously worded defamatory attacks in "foreign" English (get the picture?) which are recycled and sent by e mail to half the population of this big city where we live, club members, students, casually visiting ground students, their relatives and their dogs and anyone else with an e mail address.

He sits quietly in his office going through ancient authorisation sheets and inventing incidents, meant to prove that a section of individuals who has questioned his practises (which include the total destruction of an aeroplane in an unnecessary taxy incident) is dangerous and incompetent.

"dangerous flying by senior instructor and examiner" might the subject matter of one such e mail attack.

Then he hits the send button. Wheee, off these accusations go to "undisclosed recipients". Nice as pie to your face though.

Of course, he works for a committee made up of private pilots who "don't know nuthing" but have big egos and have declared that they support their employee.

[Flying Farmer]

So these instructors and examiners are having unfounded accusations leveled at them? Does he delete the emails? If written at work and on company computers I would imagine they are company property, get copies of the emails and go and see a solicitor asap, maybe a formal letter from a lawyer re making libelous comments, might make him think about doing this again.

[WrongWayCorrigan]

Thanks FF.

Yup: invented incidents, now at least one per flying flying day. Threat, abuse, insane allegations and all broadcast by e mail. I looked it up on the internet, it's work-place bullying, usually aimed at the most experienced troops because they pose the biggest threat (inexperienced dullards cause no trouble).

Bloke's trying to hang on to a well paying job by discrediting people who've been around for years and know the traps.

Anyway, it's terribly libellous indeed, and all is on record.

Thanks for your input.

[Flying Farmer]

Not only bullying it's also defamation of charecter, those in the firing line ought to take action, lose the bloke his job. better add I'm no lawyer, so take advice :ok:

[Kit d'Rection KG]

...it sounds like perfect preparation for joining certain airlines I could think of...

:ugh:

[theresalwaysone]

Amazing how many people want to crucify this guy! First of all try an act like professional instructors or if you cannnot do that try just, 'nice people'.

Do we know why this man acts in this way, do we, or have we taken the touble to find out anything about this man at all. I am afraid all I have heard so far proves to me is that none of you really know how to deal with people and for flying instructors some of you should be ashamed.

Remember this man is the same as you, prick him and he will bleed, insult him and he will hurt etc etc.

Try and put yourself in his position and ask how you would like to be dealt with. Try and think how you would go home and explain to perhaps your family, your wife and children what has happened to you at work.

Most people respond to sensible sincere comments, try looking at this issue differently and you may solve the problem. Anyone can rant and rave and demand to be treated how THEY want to be treated. The skill is to get people on side so start by asking how you can help him through this problem.

[Charlie Foxtrot India]

Phew, thought you were talking about me for a minute there!:eek:

my advice...keep a detailed diary of this, if not already being done.

[foxmoth]

theresalwaysone - sounds to me like your was has been tried and this is one of those people that do not repond in the way you say.:hmm:

[WrongWayCorrigan]

Yes.

We tried reason, discussions about professional conduct (I guess if you are big jet check captain with one of the most successful airlines in the world you might have a good idea where to begin your take-off roll in a C172). If you've been a UK examiner for 30+ years, you might have a basic grasp of the rules of the air....

All to no avail. The man goes back to his office and e mails spiteful attacks, parading as a "one-man court", convicting, sentencing and crucifying others in a tirade of invective.

I think he's lost his magic tortoise, personally. Detailed journals are being kept.

[DFC]

in "foreign" English (get the picture?)

and

in a tirade of woefully inadequate Indian-English invective

Says to me that this "complaint" is not as simple as it might seem.

Such racial prejudice would be seen by many as perhaps causing a slight problem which could be easily fixed being protrayed as a much bigger issue for other reasons.

One might even have in the back of one's mind that perhaps the problem is not aviation related and not caused by the actions of but rather the race of the CFI.

Regards,

DFC

[WrongWayCorrigan]

No, that's rather simplistic although a different cultural aspect, certainly not racial, let's be clear there, to perceived authority may be a factor.

[WrongWayCorrigan]

No, there's no racial issue. A liguistic and moral issue perhaps, but not racial.

[WrongWayCorrigan]

Caused by race of the CFI? Wrong. Wrong Wrong. We're multi-racial.