Rogues Gallery

[flying-spike]

Anybody with experience in the industry will have come across some devious behaviour and low acts perpetrated by operators,other pilots,pax etc. Why not share your experience here so that the less experienced might learn what sort of things to expect (the glass half full part of me hopes they won't be repeated).

PLEASE NO NAMES, EITHER INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANISATIONS

Share your experiences here so that others might learn.

[cjam]

Last week I saw the owner of a large Auckland GA outfit park in the staff carpool car park even though he was the only one in the vehicle. It is this sort of devious behaviour that has infiltrated the whole industry and leaves me wondering about the future and saddened at the thought of how low we have sunk. If you're just joining the industry....DON'T!!! You can expect to witness this sort of corruption on an almost daily basis and although initially many rally against it, it will beat you down over the years until one morning you wake up and find that you yourself are just as bad, saying Wanga-ray instead of Funga-rei and being tempted to smack your children instead of putting them on the naughty matt for 8 seconds. Last night while seperating my chai tea leaves for the recycling I left the light on in the lounge with nobody in there....goodness knows how big my footprint is now but it doesn't bare thinking about. The industry is rotten from the inside out and you can't help but be affected. Be warned, stay clear.

[flying-spike]

I did ask!

[Buster Hyman]

I once saw an Australian airline's 747-400 sit on a taxiway for 10 minutes with its engines running! I was shocked. If it wasn't for the engine noise, I reckon I could hear those trees in the Amazon being chopped down. Shameful, absolutely shameful.:=

[cjam]

Sorry Spike....I have to admit that I'm quite drunk at the moment.

[flying-spike]

Half your luck. I reckon that manager would have more right to park in the disabled spot (mental that is)

[ForkTailedDrKiller]

Sorry Spike, I thought better of it!

My mouth has got me into enough trouble already this week.

Oh, what the heck! I think one only has to look at the NTSB reports on some of the recent major aircraft accidents in this country to see all of the "devious behaviour and low acts" you want.

Dr :8

[flying-spike]

No problemmo mate.It wasn't me that lifted your post though. Go right ahead with as many examples as you have. I am sure we all have something to share

[QF DRIVE]

I did fart on the flight deck once (maybe twice) and blamed the cabin crew who delivered the coffee.:=

Any lower ?

[Capt Wally]

can we have perhaps 'nice' acts rather than shameful ones? Otherwise we shall be here 4ever but if nice acts where shown here it ought to take about 3 mins to run out completely of nice things to say!:bored:


CW

[Ex FSO GRIFFO]

Many moons ago whilst heavily engaged in CHTR ops in PD, I had to change aircraft rather quickly - it was ALREADY loaded and ready to go - and the resident 'filthy' pilot who ALWAYS left the aircraft dirty / messy / and 'crap' everywhere, had actually filled her up - AND wiped the windscreen for me............WOW!!

I actually bought him a beer when I got back later.

He still didn't really change though.....Only bloke I've ever seen start an aircraft facing the runway, brakes orf, and just 'go for it'....:=

[flying-spike]

Fair enough CW but the idea is to give the newbies a heads up so they know how to deal with the rogues. As you would know some of the crooks keep reoffending and catching those who are not aware.
Still, I like the idea of peace, light and happiness but I am trying to start a super-thread here!

[Capt Wally]

that's fine 'FS' I was speaking with forked tongue:ok:

A super thread hey? well you sure have the subject heading for such a thread although me thinks that the Mods will cut it down & fast once the dirty laundry gets hung out!:bored:


CW

[flying-spike]

You should be a wind-up merchant.Youhad me!:D
I can't see why the mods should stop it. It is in the interest of all pilots as long as we stick to the "no names, no pack drill" rule

[airman1]

2 days ago I had to shut the right engine down in a PA31 due to low oil pressure and extremely high engine temp. I had just left a private airstrip (about 22NM) and was on climb passing 6500 ft when I noticed the problem. Anyway to cut the story short made a single engine approach back to the private airstrip. I then rang the boss and explained what had happened!! He was less then impressed ... He made comments like have you heard of PNR's and EPT's you could have made it back on one engine!!! I was very shocked this is a bloke that prides himself on safety. He then continued to tell me that I was to drop the oil and filter out and check for metal shavings. If there were no shavings I was to fill it up and fly it home. Well I told him the keys are on the seat and I am catching the bus home and hung up on him!!! I organized a ride into town when I got a SMS .... LAME is on his way, there is no need to resign we will have a chat when you get back.:ugh:

It just goes to show that even the safe operators (well the ones that appear safe) get upset and think of insanely stupid things!!! :=

[Capt Wally]

'FS' yeah soz, wind up I can be good at:ok:

'airman 1' in yr case it would have been "damned if you do damned if you don't"
Continuing on as per the operators expectations could have resulted in several very diff outcomes. such as another eng failure due to high sustained pwr settings then the resultant crash! Possible long term damage for that good eng whilst enroute home SE.
You did the right thing & what's more you where prepared to be man about it, well done:D
I hope you both learnt from that experience, yr boss can't be a P***K all the time & you won't ever trust him again.


CW

[flying-spike]

Excellent post A1 and a great reply from CW. Thats what I want to see.Keep 'em coming.

[Capt Claret]

airman1,

I knew a bloke (pilot type bloke) some years ago who had a similar event, only after he took the cowl off and made the "inspection", he didn't replace the cowl properly. Said cowl departed the airframe on the subsequent flight, I think causing some other airframe damage on the way.

The repair bill was taken from his salary! :mad:

[flying-spike]

Had a bloke repeatedly pester me for a job. Finally relented and within a month he had knifed me in the back to the owner/ops manager about duty times (The pilot wanted to work outside CAO48). I wouldn't bend the rules so had to leave. Haven't flown for a living since. Thanks pal! Still, I believe in karma.

Lesson to newbies: Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies even closer.

[Metro man]

Company I once worked for had a major accident, all died. Workers comp. premiums for the pilot had not been paid and his family got nothing.

Now get this, later on the company was grounded by CASA after it was found they had reduced the passenger insurance below what was legally required.

Also paid below award, no superannuation, no allowances or holiday pay.

Thankfully now out of business.:yuk:

[Defenestrator]

Metro Man,

I sincerely hope said company was sued to the point where they were unable to afford to eat. Low bastards! :yuk::yuk:

D

[Much Ado]

A1 if your story is accurate (and well handled if it is), and as recent as you suggest you're taking a huge risk if the boss in question reads this thread.

He may well, and probably does, have some grudging respect for your stand on the day but that will evaporate when he sees you not reciprocating that grudging respect (he did the right thing in the end too) by posting about it on here.

Just food for thought.

To the rest...this is the sort of thread that quickly gets out of hand and attracts trouble.

If you keep it as it currently (mostly) is, absolutely unidentifiable, it'll be ok but if it starts down the road of disgruntled pilots trying to slap current or past employers for perceived slights then it will be deleted in a heartbeat.

[flying-spike]

Couldn't agree more. The idea is too give a heads up to our fellow pilots. If we attempt to name and shame or refer to an accident or incident that is too easily identifiable it will end badly and the only people that will gain from the exercise are the lawyers.

[Capt Wally]

Am sure the Mods will put the lid on this thread soon enough. As much as we would like to hear some of the nasty tactics that has been perpetrated by operators who ought to know better human nature won't allow us to not let loose with both barrels sometimes when it comes to being stabbed in the back or being hard done by.

"till then we must try to use the 'kiss' method here & make the stories mostly generic.



CW

[Triple Captain]

I heard a while back of this guy whos girlfriend set fire to his log book.


:ouch:

[flying-spike]

That's Ex-Girlfriend, right?

[airman1]

Much Ado,

I totally understand what u are saying and will take it on board! But I don’t work for that operator anymore. The story is extremely accurate the only things I left out were the swear words and yelling. There is such a shortage of twin drivers out there that I don’t need to work for unsafe operators and not only that there is a right way to talk to people (Yelling and screaming is just not on in my book). If there wasn’t such a shortage or drivers out there I probably would have done as I was told to keep my job. :ugh:

My previous employer wouldn’t know how to turn on a computer let alone log on to PPRUNE. I don’t think anyone will read this and put two and two together, but news travels fast in aviation so I will just keep quiet from now on.:uhoh:

[Jet_A_Knight]

What about the 'pilot' who joined a company as 'ops manager' and took all the calls for charters etc.

One would arrive at the office and he would come in 'off a job' - a job no one else had heard about - or was asked to operate.

Funnily enough, he was like, at least number 10 down the seniority list.:mad:

He wasn't short of a bob (like the rest of us were) - only short of hours - but could afford to fly to another capital city every other weekend to work on a house he and his partner owned, and daddy got him a job in an airline nice and early in the piece thereafter.

Opportunism & nepotism - all in the same body.

Ah, the pilot 'fraternity'. :hmm:

[flying-spike]

Had a pilot who used to bring the mail in from remote communities as part of the freight. Locals used to send money in the mail to rellies in the "big smoke" as bank transfers were a tad out of their capability. This pilot seemed to live well beyond his means whilst in town. Last heard being pursued by the Federal police....jerk.

[flying-spike]

Ok guys, I thought this would chockas with good yarns to share about @rsholes and their act in the industry. Is this all we have. Is everybody happy? Is it all peace,light and happiness? Please, don't disillusion meany more!

[Ralph the Bong]

Well, there's this guy in Dubbo....:hmm:

[Mail-man]

Great thread,
I think we have all been asked (or expected) to bust duty before.
But as far as labelling someone a dodgy operator, just look at CAO 20.18.10
In the case of charter or RPT aircraft, all instruments and equipment fitted to the aircraft must be serviceable before take-off..... (mel, pus and so on) but you get my point. Are there any above board operators?????

[doublestrobe]

Yeah Mr Dubbo:ouch:

[Flintstone]

Two stories, both about the same operator.

First one was a departure from Tennant Creek at about 0500 during a heavy wet season. It was the one that almost washed Katherine away, '98/'99? It also caused flooding of parts of the Tanami (which, incidentally, scared the cr@p out of me when having flown 90 minutes on a 187 track from Tindal I saw the moon reflected on water through a break in the clouds. WTF?!! I thought I was out over the Timor :{). I was flying a C210 and had to find my way through really heavy rain to land and when I did the noise of the water being thrown off the mains onto the underside of the wings was deafening, never heard anything like it. Water on the runways and apron was flowing an inch or two deep and I had to taxi in with a dog and a white stick.

Dropped off the freight, topped up the fuel and headed for Alice. At 300' the AH toppled and the ASI dropped to zero. Cloudbase was about 500' and thick enough for it still to be dark underneath so I had the choice of either climbing in IMC through the cloud and almost certainly into an embedded CB or a low level circuit in the dark and landing. Seeing as how I'd been doing the run twice a week for over a year and knew the Tennant circuit well I opted for the latter. The subsequent phone call to the boss contained a number of threats about what would happen to me if I didn't press on. I told him I was heading for the company house in town where he'd find me once someone had replaced the flooded vac pump and drained the pitot/staic system. A few hours later I got a call to say the aircraft was ready so I ambled out to the airport where I found the boss (a LAME) standing on the uncowled engine trying to undo a stubborn bolt with a long screwdriver and half-brick. It was a 'Snap-On' brick though so that was ok.;)

Once he'd finished I then had to fly the freight and him back to Alice, the atmosphere was less than cordial perhaps not helped by me deliberately flying through every bit of cloud I could find (he was scared of flying) :E

Story 2. Left Darwin for Ramingining in a C402 fresh from maintenance. Only passengers were two locals who had missed the Metro flight and they were asleep before I'd closed the doors. One woke up around TOC and started singing along to his boom-box, Slim Dusty probably. A little later he started punching and kicking the seat in front of him, my warning to pack it in had no effect and around then I was informed that I was a "pucking white c*nt". I also caught him swigging from a bottle of Bundy that he'd somehow smuggled on board which explained his behaviour. As I was past halfway I called ahead to the company agent and asked her to have her hubby the local police sergeant there when I landed. In the meantime there was nothing I could do (single crew) other than let him drink and verbally abuse me. Things started getting nasty though and he got out of his seat and came at me with the bottle. I pulled the pin from the extinguisher and threatened to spray him with 'poison' then beat him to death with the empty which got him to sit down. As I was restowing the extinguisher he rushed me and I dropped it under my seat so had to resort to knocking off the autopilot and pulling and pushing hard a couple of times pinning him to the floor and throwing him against the ceiling. His mate stayed fast asleep!!

The bottle wielder finished his Bundy, passed out downwind, fell into the aisle on base leg and pissed his trousers on final. After shutdown his mate saw him and legged it so while we awaited the paddywagon I 'tested the patient for consciousness' with a couple of toe punts between the eyes. He didn't wake up :E

I filed all the reports but the company refused to pursue it because ".....it might put other aboriginal passengers off flying with us". How could it? Nobody but me knew I'd put the boot in!



Edited to add a third tale.

All single crew RPT aircraft require a functioning autopilot, nothing says you have to use it though. So, the company would fix and test the AP, sign it off as functioning then mark the on/off knob with engineers sealant so they'd know if you'd switched it on or not because "If you use it we'll inevitably have to repair it again". :rolleyes:

[Capt Wally]

hey 'fred' tell us sumfin' interesting next time mate, sounds like you just described a normal days outing/s with a lot of operators in da bush!:E
Still amusing anyway, ta


CW:ok:

[flying-spike]

(1) Had a similar incident had just selected gear up departing off 36 Dn when one of the "locals"decided he would come up front and help me fly (I didn't think I was doing that bad a job and you would think by 300' he wouldn't have had time to form an opinion!). I threatened him with the extinguisher whilst busily winding in nose up trim, did a right downwind for 11, landed and handed him over to the feds at the terminal.( I knew my mob wouldn't do anything to him) You guessed it, no action taken by the so called authorities but I understand he copped a flogging from one of the elders who was seated up the back when he eventually did arrive back in the community.

(2)Had to load one of the locals into the copilot seat and he promptly went to sleep. Looked down to change tanks at top of climb and noticed a hip flask tucked into his shoe! I pulled it out without waking him up and stuck it into the seat back to hand over to the cop at the destination. Very amusing watching him searching for it when we landed

[airman1]

I was just thinking about this the other day I try to forget all about it and haven’t told to many people.

When I was working out west a couple of years ago (my first job SE Charter). This is no lie....... I use to transfer prostitutes from one base to another. I believe the knock shop owner had a few premises in each popular mining towns!! Anyway to cut to the chase it was all VFR flying and I had 4 good-looking women on board when the weather closed in!! I set it down in a nice looking paddock to wait it out, it took about 4 hours to clear. With no mobile reception and no way to contact base the boss naturally started to get worried. So I arrived at my destination only to find every man and his dog is out looking for me. I get out of the plane with no tie and shirt buttons undone this is only because it was extremely hot and humid waiting it out on the ground. You can probably start to form a bit of a mental picture of what everyone was thinking at the time:ooh:

Well did the boss get a bit irate or what didn’t even want to know what had happened. I ended up cleaning our entire fleet for 2 weeks, sweep the hanger floor, cleaned the toilets and didn’t get to fly for 9 weeks. He wouldn’t even let me taxi any aircraft to the other side of the airfield for matantence.:sad:

Now I did try and call base before I set it down on both the HF and VHF but no answer. Yes it was my decision to conduct the flight in the first place but was under pressure to get them there (always the way with charter I know!!). Never did find out whether I was put to work on the ground because was supposedly up to no good in the bush with 4 good looking women or whether it was my poor decision to go in the first place.:=

I have always had great respect for the weather after this little incident!:ok:

[flying-spike]

I bet your boss was only p1ssed off because he wished it was him.
Tell me, after a few years in the industry who do you reckon has been screwed more, you or your pax?

[Broads]

"ay, pie-let, just one more little boy"

The locals out bush trying to persuade you to load 4 adults and 4 children/infants into a 206.

Or camp Dogs, Turtles, Joeys and Cockatoos accompanying them in the cabin.

[Pinky the pilot]

Flintstone and flying-spike; Thanks for that!:ok: It reinforces my view that I had it far far better flying around in PNG!:D

Up there at least, only the weather and/or the terrain tried to kill you!:eek:
Er.. well, the locals also occasionally did but up there we at least had some protection. Mine came courtesy of Messrs Smith and Wesson!

[flying-spike]

We had an ex Air North bloke work for us for a while who pulled out his side-arm on occasions but he reassured me it was only to shoot snapping handbags if he ever had to make a forced landing! Although I do believe he used it as an attitude adjuster with the locals on occasion.

[sms777]

He is a top bloke, i always felt most comfortable flying with him knowing he had that piece sitting in the side pocket. He was member of the local gun club in Darwin an had an approval carrying it in case he had to make a forced landing in croc-country.:)