Boss nicknamed pilots `Slack' and `Slow'

[Wing Root]

Friday, Adelaide Advertiser (Don't think Wirraway gets the advertiser :) )

Boss nicknamed pilots `Slack' and `Slow'
By Chief Court Reporter MARK STEENE
06sep02
WHYALLA Airlines boss Kym Brougham castigated his pilots for using too much fuel and running late on flights and forced them to work on their days off unloading baggage, the Coroner's Court heard yesterday.

Former Whyalla Airlines pilot Tim Kuch said he and pilot Ben Mackiewicz were hired as casual pilots around the same time in early 1999 and the two of them were played off against each other with the promise of a full-time job.

He said he believed Mr Kym Brougham, who had special nicknames for the two young pilots, treated Mr Mackiewicz much more harshly than himself.

Both were often abused in front of passengers, he said.

"I was `Slack' and Ben was `Slow'," he said of their nicknames.

Mr Brougham, who ran the airline with his brother Chris, also experimented with lean aircraft fuel mixtures during passenger flights.

A lean fuel mix has been implicated in causing the damage to one of the engines of Flight 904 before it crashed into Spencer Gulf on May 31, 2000, killing all eight on board.

Mr Kuch also told the court of ongoing tension between Kym Brougham and Flight 904 pilot Mackiewicz. He also raised concerns of safety procedures.

"Kym admitted to me that he had a personality problem with Ben," he said. "I heard that on two or three occasions."

Mr Kuch, who works for Qantas, said he and the other pilots would be often called by Mr Kym Brougham on their days off and told to come to the airport to assist in loading baggage and processing passengers during aircraft turnarounds. "Any time you weren't flying there was an expectation you would assist," he said.

"If you weren't there, you knew you were going to cop a phone call."

Mr Kuch said Mr Kym Brougham had an ongoing issue with pilots running behind schedule on their flights. But he said it would often be impossible to run on time, considering pilots generally worked alone and had extremely short turn-around times, particularly at regional airports.

"A couple of minutes behind schedule and you'd be severely reprimanded," he said.

"I've never experienced the pressure I had at Whyalla to run on time.

"(Kym Brougham would say) basically, `obviously you're a slack pilot and you should speed up your actions'."

Mr Kuch said that about four months before the crash, Mr Kym Brougham was a passenger in the co-pilot's seat during a passenger flight between Whyalla and Adelaide when his boss showed him a new method of running the aircraft lean to save fuel.

"He explained he was collecting data to see if it was an efficient way of running the engines," Mr Kuch said.

"If the lean of peak system worked, it was going to be another way of saving fuel."

Mr Kuch said he did not know if Mr Mackiewicz had been trained to use the system.

The inquest is continuing

:eek:

[olderbutyzer]

There's more behind that accident than just the engine(s) failure.

[shakespeare]

Hopefully those digusting individuals (the bosses) are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. They have blood on their hands and this type of unscrupulous behaviour should be made an example of. One of our own is dead directly as a result of the pressures applied by that company.

Any of you young pilots out there being exposed to this type of pressure should not tolerate it. get in your bosses face if they try that dish out that type of treatment. Better to be out of a job and alive, than to follow the company line like our comrade, and not be around to talk about it!

I certainly hope this young mans death will not be in vain!

[Java]

This airline may have put extra pressure on these pilots, I am not here to comment on that, what I will comment on is the reference to nicknames.

What I do know is that Kym Brougham often referred to his pilots as "Slack". It was a nickname, but it was used in an affectionate way. It was Kym being friendly, and if you knew him you would understand that. The way this has been reported and the way Mr.Kuch has completely misled Coroner's Court is wrong.


shakespeare

Fair enough comment, but be realistic for a minute. You and I both know how many guys are out there battling for a gig in a clapped out C182, let alone a gig in a Chieftan. Your suggestion is the mature and rational one, just walk away from that sort of employer. But so many guys are so over focused on trying to make it in this business, they lose all perspective on the real world and what really is important, and will put themselves in these difficult positions.

I am in NO way meaning any disrespect to the memory of Ben, but don't lay the blame completely at the feet of this company.

For you and I both know how many GA companies out there push there pilots and work them too hard. Is this the fault of the operators or CASA. CASA are more than happy to publicly hunt down and crucify operators, but have no desire in trying to implement a complete overhaul of the system to control pilot numbers, develop a proactive career structure and an environment so operators aren't under so much pressure and pilots can have a safer and more secure career structure.


Sorry for the ramble, but I believe this to be the truth.

[Capt Claret]

Java,

Surely it is not CASA's mandate to regulate pilot numbers. Imagine how you (or any aspiring pilot) would have felt when applying for your student pilot's licence had the reply to your application read,

"Dear Java, as Australia has an abundance of aspiring pilots, your application for an SPL is rejected."

This action would not even give you, or others, a chance to pit yourselves against others in the market place.

In my view CASA's mandate, amongst others, is to ensure operators operate within the law of the land, don't breach various regulations, and operate a sound business.

Now we all know that in reality this doesn't happen, as many operators cut the corner just to try to remain in business.

In my view again, the country needs less operators, who are more financially viable, and that don't need to operate on zero, or negative margins, simply to secure work, to try and stave off the inevitable. Should this utopia one day appear, perhaps pilots won't be pushed to exceed F&D limits, fly overloaded, fly unairworthy aircraft. They may even be paid a decent wage.

[ulm]

I knew Ben when for a short time he instructed at a small south coast aero club. Nice Kid :(

Forget knee jerk reactions to comments made without access to the body language. It is like fughting by e-mail. How does anyone know what KB meant by slack and slow???

One telling comment above is 'control the pilot numbers'. A job for CASA perhaps. But in my view one good way would be to get rid of the 150 hour SE CPL. Make it a 250 hr ME CPL. Allow PPLs to be instructors (VFR PPL only) and separate the two streams.

500 hours even, like the old UK model!!!

[Java]

Capt Claret

In my view again, the country needs less operators, who are more financially viable, and that don't need to operate on zero, or negative margins, simply to secure work, to try and stave off th inevitable


I see you are happy enough to say lets have less operators, but not less pilots. We are getting off the topic of this thread and I may start up another one again about this topic, but WHY if the universities can put in place quotas for Uni places, can't CASA do a similar thing. And yes if you miss out then and you really want to be a CPL, but don't make the grade bad luck. I know enough people who wanted to medicine or law and didn't have the required marks to get in so missed out. The did something else, and went into other careers. There has to be a reduction in the number of pilots coming out, and yes maybe in the number of operators aswell. CASA have alot of worked to get this industry in order I think. Also we need more healthy debate about this topic.


cheers

[gaunty]

BIK-116.80

Spot on.
Except I believe that the "crankshaft issue" albeit may be "real" is a red herring.



Java
It is NOT CASAs "job" to get this industry in order their job is to set regulatory standards and police them.

The market will fix the rest, although I am of the opinion that in the Oz case numbers should be regulated, say like the taxi industry, in many areas.
But this is a political issue not a safety regulatory one.

Having said that if CASA really knew what they were doing and "policed" them properly, then they would have closed down many of the culprits before now.
When they finally do or attempt to do so everybody screams "foul".

Seaview, Monarch and others like them were happening right under their noses and I'm sure that there are similar.
Granted some lessons might have been learnt, but the evidence suggests that those that may have learn't them are no longer around to execute them.

[Jotul]

Lean side of peak for fuel savings ?.
Must like paying for exhaust valves.
He may consider the hand glider industry for the future .
It is less complicated.

[ulm]

Gaunty

If you say 'albeit' you don't then have to say ' may be'. :P

Right, thats one out of the CPL intake by way of, vis-a-vis poor grammar :D

Why set an intake limit. I know heaps of bright people stuffed by yhe system condemned to sh!tty jobs in this lovely meritocracy.

Keep the current intake standards, just require a higher output standard, more experience and more hours.

Hey, with better training CASA wouldn't have an excuse for 'route quals' in that nastiest of all regulations, the proposed Part 121B. (aka JAR-OPS)

Chuck

[Mainframe]

Don't make the mistake of believing what the newspapers report.

There are many issues that will be brought out in the inquest.

Legal eagles use the court as their stage and rehearse how they will achieve their objectives.

Don't discount engine manufacturer's defects, there is a recall and grounding in place now.

Bear in mind that this operator fitted Factory engines, more expensive than local rebuilds, and not what a cost cutter would do.

The same operator has frequently achieved more than full life (with extensions) from these factory engines so obviously they are being operated properly.
The "aggressive leaning" comment is a bit emotive when in fact it is what the manufacturer recommends in their manuals.

There may well be personnel issues, but that doesn't break crankshafts.

Other agendas will prevail in the inquest and that should be kept in mind.

Don't make assumptions based on media beat ups.
Even tricky Dicky grand- standed on this one suggesting insufficient fuel. If the wreck hadn't been recovered, the real cause would not have been discovered.

[Java]

Mainframe

Good comments.

This company has given many pilots a great break into this industry. It would be good if a few more people would stand up in support of this company.


cheers

[Northern Chique]

I believe the preliminary report on direct cause(s) of this fatal accident is out for all to read. It seems to imply the engines were at fault.

The companies role is a seperate issue. If the facts are presented in the correct manner, all provable and accountable, the relevant parties will pay a price eventually.

It has been noted here and in general discussion that the veiw from a new CPL pilots line of vision is very tunnel-like and narrow indeed with very little outside information swaying them from the hours and experience one needs to advance in the aviation industry.

It still remains true that in the final summation the pilot is still ultimately responsible for their passengers and aircraft. If there are pressures to constantly step over the line of the law set by casa and the aircraft manufacturers, the pilot may have to subject their own goals and visions to scrutiny, talk to the boss and if necessary take action against the company.

Sometimes a step across the line may well just be a little push by peers or subjective pressure (such as get-home-itis) but the first step is identifying the problem. Stepping across for some of my mates has proven fatal. You can mess with the laws of man from time to time and get away wih it, but very rarely are the laws of physics and gravity so forgiving.

I had felt I had no choice but to turn myself and the company I was working for into casa. The company has since been to court and lost many of its privilages. Hopefully I have done something toward protecting the companies long term future, the futures of the pilots, staff, engineers and the passengers. It took tremendous resolve to do what I did, but no regrets.

But the short story is I should have never been put in that position in the first place. The fleets are aging, the parts market expensive, replacement aircraft pricing is prohibitive or nothing is available to fill the nieche. The pressure will not go away, it will become greater. The best way to fix the problem is train pilots to never accept a "second best" attitude. Cheaper quotes will come and go, but quality training is worth every cent.

The aviation road should be open to all who wish to have a try, but have better and more consistant quality control measures in place.

Its the pilots who have the run in the industry, and have the best position and knowledge to make the changes necessary. While many are prepared to knock the status quo, few are prepared to come up with the answers and help direct the changes, and each has their own reasons why.

*stands back and watches the proverbial hit the ceiling*