MFL

[iflyplanes]

I am saddened to hear the news that MFL is leaving!

Please leave your condolences below....

:{

[Air Profit]

Have to comment. MFL was a man who's bark was far worse than his bite. Had many enjoyable trips with him. He's a good friend as well locally here in the U.K. So yes, he will be missed.

[Cpt. Underpants]

Completely agree. A good man with more steel than most.

[ACMS]

Ahhhh you guys crack me up.

I for one will not miss him at all.

In fact the level of tech knowledge on the 777 fleet just improved markedly.

He treated you like **** on the line ( if you let him ) then wanted to be your best bud in the bar....nah sorry.

[Apple Tree Yard]

Mike was certainly 'old school', but he also was a good pilot, who expected a good standard from others. If you can't take a bit of criticism, then you are probably in the wrong business. Too many of the current generation have far too precious feelings, that are very easily 'offended'. Best wishes in your retirement Mike, many of us here will miss you.

[AQIS Boigu]

Sorry but if someone

- demands knowing all en-route alternates from HKG to LHR in sequence by heart

- teaches you how to hold the clip board

- insists on a "clicking" pen rather than a "turning" pen

- flies the 777 like a 400

then maybe it was time to retire...

In regards to his health I sincerely wish him all the best and hope he can enjoy his money.

[mngmt mole]

Ummm, exactly how I do things. What's the problem (click pens....they drive us ALL crazy !)

[boxjockey]

Good pilot. Right. I haven't seen so many mistakes made in a cockpit since my primary training days.

box

[Captain Dart]

An exemplary training captain.

Exemplary of how not to be one.

[mngmt mole]

...there's going to be a lot of threads on PPRUNE if we start one for each pilot we don't like. Iflyplanes....i'm sure everyone will remember you fondly. :rolleyes:

[ACMS]

I had the awkward displeasure of more than a few run ins with him, in most cases he backed down, why? Because he was wrong.

[Hugo Peroni the IV]

YOu wont miss him for long….he's back for the simulator assessments for new joiners. What a club who can't move on…..Rickie, Kaffer, MFL?

[CokeZero]

Mike

You won't be missed

You are a worthless ball of S _ _ _

Every pilot is rejoicing that you are retiring - couldn't have happened sooner

Now F _ _ _ O_ _ already !!!!

[A3301FD]

"He's okay once you get to know him" = "He's a D**k H**d but you get used to it"

[XFR8]

Same old names on this thread, sniping and name calling from the comfort of anonymity. A disgrace really.

:ugh:
The managers love you guys.

[Oasis]

We all have our good and bad parts.
I wish him all the best in his retirement.

[oriental flyer]

I know he had a reputation but every time I operated with him either in the aircraft or the Sim I always found him to be very fair and honest
Personally I would be more than happy to have a drink with him anytime and I wish him the very best in his retirement

[Rascasse]

People always show part of their true character when anonymous. There is no rule saying you have to be a 'nice' guy to fly with. Yes, he could be prickly, but at heart he is a good man. Too many thin skinned people in the job these days. Don't want to hurt your precious feelings. Good luck to him. He suffered more than most in life, and handled it with grace and dignity. More than I can say for most of what I read here. Pretty disgraceful.

[Captain Dart]

The moral here is, treat people as you would hope to be treated yourself, and you won't get flamed by 'anonymous characters' on the internet when you retire.

[raven11]

Read the two 49ers books written by John Warham to see that he was one of two flight ops managers that stood up to the tyranny of the time. The rest, well, you know...

If our industry had more men like him, we'd be in a better place....

Ya, I know that he had tough standards...so what? And as far as memorizing every ERA on a flight to Europe....contrast that with many pilots today that....well, you know.

Which would you rather fly with?

All the best Mike.

Raven

[Rascasse]

Mikes actions during the 49er episode are well documented in the book. He was one of the few people in a position of influence to stand up to what was a moral travesty. He was and is a much better man than most of those who criticize him. If you don't have anything good to say, then perhaps just spend some time looking at yourself in a mirror. Sad image huh?

[Arfur Dent]

Mike was brave when others were floundering. He set the bar pretty high regarding what he expected of New Joiners (everybody actually) and was normally fair. He gave over 30 years of his life to Cathay Pacific Airways and has endured tragedy and, lately, illness. Whatever your experiences are of this guy, let's wish him well for a long and happy retirement. His kind don't come around very often.

[Hugo Peroni the IV]

I wish i'd flown with Mike; rostered once, did the research on his likes and dislikes, expected him to fly a half-average approach, expected to get some grief for mine. For those who just got on with it, rather than whine about him, I know few who wouldn't have a beer with him.

A character indeed to whom i wish a long happy retirement. If our current managers had half the moral compass or backbone this man had, maybe we would be in a better place.

[mngmt mole]

Well, there you go. We all remember him differently, but some have mentioned that he had great qualities. That being the case, maybe those less charitable amongst us might have the maturity to not take a kick at him now that he has left. Overall, he was a good man who dedicated most of his working life to the company.

[mngmt mole]

...oh, and Michael Hunt, you say 'that's not what we are talking about here'. Well, in case you missed it, many of us ARE talking about his other qualities here. Everyone is a complete person. Just because you didn't have anything to do with him outside of the airplane doesn't mean many of of the rest of us didn't. He was (is) a great bloke in many respects, and yes, he was difficult at times in the airplane. Many of us thought him a good operator, so on balance your opinion is no more valid than mine and many others. The main point is, he has now left the company, suffered more than most in many respects and deserves to not be attacked anonymously. If he didn't like your flying, at least he told you to your face...

[spleener]

All the Best Mike.
A pleasure to fly [and occasionally argue!!] with you.

[Michael Hunt]

Absolutely. The world is full of opinions and individual experiences but I doubt any of this would come as news to Mike and I think he enjoyed having this reputation and actively nurtured it with his antics.
So if he reads any of this rubbish I would imagine he would be having a quiet chuckle to himself.
Perhaps it all was a 30 year piece of performance art which makes him a modern day genius.... Who knows.

Would love to know what happened to my original post by the way? Seems to have disappeared.
Bizarre

[quadspeed]

He's got his particular ways of doing things, but his heart in in the right place and he's an excellent trainer for those willing to be trained.

He's always had my respect and I wish him all the best.

[Rascasse]

hmm. that's exactly how you sound actually. basically, you sound like a child. :rolleyes:

[Dora-9]

A complete and utter bully..And if you knew you were right and stood up to him, he became your friend for life. I'd buy him a beer any day.

[Rascasse]

Exactly my experience Dora. Mike gave me a hard time about vnav on the -400. Funny thing was, he was wrong. After a good natured argument, he started laughing, patted me on the shoulder and apologised, admitting he was wrong and commending me for fighting my corner. You are correct, friend for life after that. He was right far more than he was wrong, and expected a high standard. I don't see a problem. He also came from a background that didn't tolerate 'precious' personalities, and those that couldn't accept criticism and correction. He is a good man, and it's pathetic and disappointing that there are those out there who feel it appropriate to kick someone anonymously, without considering the whole person. He endured much more than most these past few years (personal family tragedy and health), and I can only wish him and his family the very best for the future.

[cxorcist]

Didn't know MFL, but saw him around. I think it's just sad that guys are slagging Him anonymously on here after he retires. If you had a problem with him, confront him politely. The two above seem to have had good experiences doing just that. I find this to be the case with all the CX bullies I have run into during my decade here. It's weakness and insecurity that are like blood in the water for these types. Some of us weren't babied through civilian flight schools and cadet programs. Believe it or not, there is value in that old school methodology, not that you'd ever know it from our timer wasting CRM class.

[8driver]

Mike did one or two of my PCs in the -400, I never had a line flight with him. The PCs were fair with good grades and pertinent debrief points. I had few beers with him over the years (including during my initial course), and the guy always had great stories that would make me laugh. I'll miss seeing him around.

I've found that of all the checkers I've heard horror stories about in 12 years, those stories turned out to be completely overrated when I actually did a PC or LC with them. That doesn't mean I liked each and every one, but they were generally fair if you came prepared.

I wish Mike all the best in his retirement.

[SweepTheLeg]

I agree. No matter what your issues were with the man, it's quite poor form to slag him off anonymously on the internet upon retirement.

[PanZa-Lead]

Mike did my training on the classic when I first arrived in Cathay. He didn't suffer fools and I liked that about him. I enjoyed his company in the ground on long layovers (some 7 days) and he had great stories to tell. As for his flying skills I thought he was similar to all of us... Good days and bad days. In his military days he flew on a special forces squadron in UK and Middle East. Stay well Mike

[Rascasse]

Regarding my post on this thread, #30, referring to the prior post, which I described as being written and sounding like a child: I see you deleted the post. I will assume you had a change of heart after reading all the other comments. I hope so, and commend you if you did so for the right reasons. Seems like a few others have had a twinge of conscience and are deleting their posts.

[Michael Hunt]

Regarding my post on this thread, #30, referring to the prior post, which I described as being written and sounding like a child: I see you deleted the post. I will assume you had a change of heart after reading all the other comments. I hope so, and commend you if you did so for the right reasons. Seems like a few others have had a twinge of conscience and are deleting their posts.

Nope, Didn't delete my original post. It was deleted for me.
I Stand by what I wrote which I think was a very reasonable synopsis of what I witnessed in my few years on the jumbo way back when.
I thought the behaviour was wholly unacceptable and extremely unproductive from a training perspective and I most definitely did not come up through the ranks the easy way before Cathay.
In Mike's defence that type of behaviour was rampant at the time and was tacitly endorsed by the fleet office.
Fortunately we seem to be moving on from that era which can only be a good thing.

[Rascasse]

Well, that's what I call 'doubling down'. :rolleyes: I do concur with your last couple of comments however. I still think that kicking a man on the way out the door is unnecessary, petty and immature, and the many of us here who think well of him is enough to win that argument.

[White None]

Hmmmm.... Birds of a feather, flock together, and I guess if to win...argument is deemed important to the flock then trainers like ML should be lauded. Personally I've always considered listening, flexibility and teaching to be the way ahead.

Socially, each to their own, no judgement, it takes all types etc; however, for all Mike's supporters, you do realise that there's an enormous, overwhelming silent majority saying nothing to be polite but not... that... upset....

[Michael Hunt]

As far as 'kicking a man as they go out the door' I wouldn't be too sure.
I would be absolutely floored if I didn't see his face pop up on a " welcome to our latest sim instructor" newsletter in the coming months.....Invest in a "clicker" pen boys. It ain't over yet.

[Rascasse]

Haha.....that did make me laugh :ok: Love him or hate him....he's a good guy when you get to know him.

[Guru]

Mike,

I hope you are not reading this, as this whole thread is well beneath you.

I have thanked you in person and I will do so again anonymously here. Thank you, I wish you all the best in retirement.

[el commandante]

Guru,
I call this A S S K I S S I N G!

But ML is ok. I actually enjoyed flying with him. But I also don't care too much because I'm not a little princess like most people here.

[BusyB]

White None,

"Socially, each to their own, no judgement, it takes all types etc; however, for all Mike's supporters, you do realise that there's an enormous, overwhelming silent majority saying nothing to be polite but not... that... upset...."

How would you know that they are silent supporters of your viewpoint.:confused:

I suspect that, like myself, they are silent supporters of Mike.:ok:

[White None]

Uh Huh :-)

[Anotherday]

Fortunately every time I got called off reserve it was because half a dozen others had gone sick to avoid flying with him, I was crew controls last resort, sitting on 95+ hrs and got a nice extra bucket of cash because of him.
Thank you CX. God only knows how much these people cost the company, not that we're here to carry punters and turn a profit.
Heaven forbid.

[Meikleour]

Never had any problems with him when he was my F/O.
( yes, there really are some old gits lurking on here! )

[XFR8]

If he had one fault, it was that he didn't have the knack of making oxygen thieves feel good about themselves.

Great flying and having the odd rum and coke with you. Enjoy retirement, you've earned it.

[MENELAUS]

Hear hear, xfr8. A bloody good Chief pilot and Gma to boot.

[olster]

Not particularly brave slagging someone off from behind a keyboard. Very nice guy when I knew him back in the Kai Tak days.

[Rascasse]

Well, on balance I think ML comes off pretty well on the thread. We've bashed him and praised him. Even the most jaded amongst us would probably not wish him ill in retirement. We will all get there eventually, and none of us will do so without bending a few noses out of joint along the way. Best wishes Mike. Let's give this thread a dignified burial shall we?

[MENELAUS]

Amen to that. All the best Mike in retirement. If you deign to read this.

[jumbobelle]

I know others have had run ins with him but he's always been charming and a gentleman to me. Good luck with his new life.

[jonathon68]

Average pilot. One of a few who made me uncomfortable on the 400 back in the day. "Unstable.....f@rk off".

Mediocre (at best) trainer. I watched him train two S/O's. Both left.

But one of the better Boeing characters for the 90's. Maybe the others set a really low standard?

Anyway, he survived three decades at CX. He definitely spoke some common sense when many of his peers were busy keeping silent. Plus he definitely was good company after hours. Happy retirement!

[Knock1]

Way things are going someone with Mikes Bark and integrity badly needed. Very best of luck MFL