I can also recall, as I suspect FED can, a tall ex RMP senior line training captain, on hearing of a wrong deck landing, saying loudly in the flight planning room that he would resign if he ever he did the same. Cue a few weekends later and a management trip to play golf. Wrong golf course -
does that count?

"You are always a better pilot than your co-pilot. I have spent more of my life than I would like to remember as a co-pilot and I have always listened and learned from the Captain of the aircraft." - I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

Who said anything about co-pilots thinking they are better pilots than the captain? My point was that quoted hours of experience doesn't necessarily make you a better pilot, it just means you've had more time airborne. We shouldn't confuse experience with competence.

What about the situation where you have 2 captains crewed together, which of them is the better pilot? The one acting as captain for that sortie? Following day, both pilots crewed together again but the previous day's co-pilot is now the captain, are they now the better pilot?

I've held captaincy for many years and the best thing I think any captain can do is not go into a flight with the belief that they are the better pilot, they are simply charged with the overall conduct and safety of the flight, building an air of self-belief that you are the better pilot based purely on your rank is wrong, IHMO at least.

You have to be fair to them; they had to plan that trip to that golf course in a bit of a rush. The reason being that the initial golf course was socked in with fog when they arrived; unbeknown to them because they hadn't checked the weather before they left.

The oil company executives, having been in the back of a S61 for ninety minutes or so were given coffee and biscuits at Aberdeen whilst they sorted out another golf course. They went for one, ninety miles in a different direction than the first, got clearance, checked the weather this time and off they went.

They landed at their planned golf course in the middle of the monthly medal tournament to discover they had phoned up the wrong golf course.

It was probably the first step towards losing a contract with a long time, almost traditional customer.

The Old Golf Course Chestnut
 

Oh, what a fun day that was. Wry smiles throughout the planning room as I recall.

A certain quite notorious N.Sea Cmdr had recently lost his deposit running for Parliament, only to subsequently be placed Capt. LHS for 6 months by the same ex RMP for being facetious on the radio to Lossie Radar en route to the Beatrice during a Line Check (I was his co-joe), then came the golf course fiasco.

Not long after that our exalted GM Scotland KO'd his Missus in the hospitality tent on another golf course during a PR gig with a different oil major.

Fun and games; bet we could all write books......... :ok:

NEO

Arr punchy little Welshmen, my mum from the Rhonda would be proud... :E