PA38

I have just come back to Manchester from Faro on My Travel (Thursday 15th) whilst we where on the tarmac at faro the Captain got off and spent several minuets looking at the rear cargo hold door.
He then got back on the aircraft an OY registered all white airbus A320, and said over the p.a. that the loader had indicated the rear cargo door was damaged, but he had checked the damage and the log, and it was entered as already being there, and the tech staff at opps where happy for him to continue.
The Captain then said it was an allowable defect and he would have no problems with taking it back to Manchester.
10 out of 10 for his honesty but it caused a lot of unrest amongst the pax, I myself was a little nervous as we climbed to our cruising level, but what bothered me more was had he not read the tech log before leaving Manchester?

woderick

While I can understand your concerns, allowable damage such as this, is normally recorded on a dent & buckle chart. While it is normally in the Tech Log or the Documents Folder this is not something that I would expect the Captain to familiarise himself with prior to flight. I haven’t counted but a typical A320 one runs to about ten pages. It certainly does not mean that he had not read the Tech Log, and the deferred defects prior to flight as damage, within limits, is not normally a deferred defect. All it means is somebody noticed some damage, told the Captain, who looked, checked with Maintrol, checked the D & B, found the damage registered and within limits and came home.

Gerund

I like honesty, and I think most people do too.

I fly into Baghdad every day and explain to the pax before take off that we will be spiralling down from 15,000 ft overhead the airfield at a bank angle that varies between 30 and 60 degrees, at a descent rate that varies between 2000 and 6000 feet per minute. I also explain that the pressurisation controller can't cope with this and that there will be some discomfort to the ears.....however this is better than a Sam 7 up the exhaust pipe.

I also explain that the Sam 7 flies at mach 1.75 (or 400 metres per second or thereabouts), and that in the Angolan conflict no aircraft doing a tight spiral descent was brought down by a Sam 7.

If there is time I also tell them that in the region of 28 Sam 7s have been fired at aircraft arriving or leaving Baghdad in the last few months, and none have hit their target.

And all the passengers seem happy.

Honesty is the best policy I reckon.

Faire d'income

Military pax are the best! Never a complaint to an officer.

PAXboy

It would be great to hear how the squaddies relate that explanation when they get home to their local boozer.

Gerund

The pax I fly every day into Baghdad are ALL civilian!

I tell them about the Sam 7s because I believe they have the right to know.

I do the briefing from the top of the airstair (small aeroplanes!) and ask at the end if there are any concerns or worries. As we keep the cockpit door open I look back during the flight and give the thumbs up and a big smile, every now and again, to anyone I have indentified as a nervous passenger.

I have never had a complaint, but lots of thanks and handshaking after flights.

I reiterate, honesty is the best policy - however grim it might be.

TightSlot

Agreed that honesty is the best policy - however the devil is in the detail that may be given in the process. Sometimes a broad brush approach may be more appropriate, but the individual has to judge it on the day, and if locked in the flight deck, it might be a good idea to ask the Cabin Crew for an assesment of passenger mood first?

OllyBeak

Gerund!

I understand the logic and desirability of the tight spiral descent - but the time to tell me is sometime the afternoon before, not during the flight. The intervening time is too often used by the ignorant for the consumption of various liquids.

Managed to hold it until on the ground though...

OFBSLF

I'm simply a naive SLF, but approach sounds rather, um, sporting.

bealine

Okay- this is a golden oldie but a flight landed roughly in JFK some years back, It bounced twice and settled back on the runway with a deafening rumbling and shrieking as the Flight crew wrestled with the brakes.

The pax were grumbling as the aircraft settled taxiied to the Terminal Building, many threatening to file letters of complaint, when a little voice came through the pa

"Hi! I'm xyz, your First Officer. I'm afraid that awful attempt at landing was my fault. You see, I'm new to this aircraft type and this was the first time I've landed one. After all, we all have to learn sometime!"

Not one complaint was received, so honesty does pay!

Coconuts

Good heavens Gerund!

You are the same non-meat eating, animal loving softie Gerund of old, are you? How did you land a job flying in & out of Baghdad of all places, trust you? Anyway if your pax are ever tucking in to a nice steak meal don't be too honest & turn them off their meal by telling them just how exactly it came to land on their plates however adverse you are to it, sure you won't like a good boy.

Evening Star

This suggests the idea of some Machiavellian humour from the flight deck:

Captain on intercom to Cabin Crew: "How is the pax mood?".

CC: "Looking, on the whole pretty relaxed."

Cap: "Right, we will fix that." Picks up PA: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Slog. Just to inform you that the First Officer just split his coffee. I assure you that there is nothing to worry about at the moment, but we will keep you informed of any developments". Goes to intercom, "How are they now?"

CC (with evil grin), "That spooked them."

BTW, personally speaking I like to know what is going on. Also agree with OFBSLF that the described descent sounds rather good fun.