Your help needed: BBC News questionnaire on flying hours
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Your help needed: BBC News questionnaire on flying hours
Dear all
As before, please let me introduce myself: My name's Ian Shoesmith and I am a BBC News journalist who is examining the recent and continuing massive growth in short-haul aviation.
As part of my research, I'd like to know more about the conditions in which pilots are operating. We'd like commercial airline pilots only please, to click on the following link: http://www.pprune.org/Fatigue_questionnaire_4.doc and complete the questionnaire on pilots' hours, fatigue and aviation safety.
The results will be taken in aggregate, and may be used in any BBC programme.
As with all emails, private messages, texts and phone calls, any information provided will be in strictest confidence and will not be divulged to anybody outside of the BBC.
Many thanks in anticipation
Ian
As before, please let me introduce myself: My name's Ian Shoesmith and I am a BBC News journalist who is examining the recent and continuing massive growth in short-haul aviation.
As part of my research, I'd like to know more about the conditions in which pilots are operating. We'd like commercial airline pilots only please, to click on the following link: http://www.pprune.org/Fatigue_questionnaire_4.doc and complete the questionnaire on pilots' hours, fatigue and aviation safety.
The results will be taken in aggregate, and may be used in any BBC programme.
As with all emails, private messages, texts and phone calls, any information provided will be in strictest confidence and will not be divulged to anybody outside of the BBC.
Many thanks in anticipation
Ian
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Just to add: I forgot to thank Danny Fyne at PPRuNe for his help and technical expertise. Along with a couple of you who've made enormously helpful suggestions, Danny read the questionnaire before making it available for download from the site.
I hope this further reassures PPRuNers, and urgently await your responses to the questionnaire.
Best Wishes
Ian
I hope this further reassures PPRuNers, and urgently await your responses to the questionnaire.
Best Wishes
Ian
Just a reminder that unless your management has agreed to its pilots participating in this survey, you would be wise not to download or copy this survey to any computer provided by your employer.
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Re Ratherbeflying's point: that's one reason why we're happy to accept responses in the post, as well as by email attachment.
Can I again stress though that any information provided will be treated as a journalistic source, and as such handled in strictest confidence.
Thks
Ian
Can I again stress though that any information provided will be treated as a journalistic source, and as such handled in strictest confidence.
Thks
Ian
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Hi White Kite
The primary focus of the questionnaire is on pilots who currently fly for one of the airlines regulated either by the CAA or IAA.
Best wishes
Ian
The primary focus of the questionnaire is on pilots who currently fly for one of the airlines regulated either by the CAA or IAA.
Best wishes
Ian
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Beware! Much of BBC output has a strong left-wing bias. If you want the truth about Iraq, or the EU (which it blindly champions) or global warming, don't get your info from the BBC. I suspect that this BBC reporter already has an agenda. He now needs a few selective facts to substantiate his opinions.
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I have a feeling that your report will be anti low cost airlines. And you have already planed your report and just looking to use us and twist our words to fit your report. It would be wise to watch what you say, and we all know the BBC can leak like Whitehall when pressure is applied.
Paxing All Over The World
Big Mach You may not know that the BBC consistently angers politicinas of both left AND right. The current UK govt is centrist and the BBC upset them more than any other in history.
It is generally believed that the BBC is neutral and whether they are 'right' or 'left' depends upon the political perspective of the observer.
Perhaps we should give the report accurate information and then judge what is broadcast? After all, we would not want to jump to conclusions would we.
It is generally believed that the BBC is neutral and whether they are 'right' or 'left' depends upon the political perspective of the observer.
Perhaps we should give the report accurate information and then judge what is broadcast? After all, we would not want to jump to conclusions would we.
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PAXboy suggest you have a look at this site.
http://www.biased-bbc.*************/
If you follow the links you will find many more who have discovered the bias of the BBC. As to its attacks on this government, most of its attacks have been because this government is not left-wing enough. The BBC is anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-capitalist, pro-EU and politically correct to the letter. I have no objection to anyone holding these views. What I object to is paying a licence fee to an organisation whose reporting is so unbalanced.
I suspect that this journalist has already made up his mind. He will now seek out facts from crews, discarding those that do not fit his story and highlighting the ones that do.
The political Left are seeking to weaken the low cost operators. The politicians are critical of aviation in general on the premise that it is a big contributor to global warming. The journalistic left are supporting them. The reality is aviation is a convenient means of levying tax, but politicians are not going to say that and a BBC, dependent on public funds is not going to say it either. Many BBC reporters work hand in glove with reporters from the Guardian newspaper. I would not be surprised to find a BBC/Guardian axis behind this story. If the travelling public cannot be taxed into to abandonning their holidays in the sun, perhaps they can be frightened into staying at home.
Typically there will be stories of pilots asleep at the controls. I am sure we have all cat-napped on a long cruise sector with the agreement of other crew members. In fact, this cat-napping is recognised as being a good idea, but it is not how the BBC would portray it.
I look forward to watching the programme and being proved correct.
http://www.biased-bbc.*************/
If you follow the links you will find many more who have discovered the bias of the BBC. As to its attacks on this government, most of its attacks have been because this government is not left-wing enough. The BBC is anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-capitalist, pro-EU and politically correct to the letter. I have no objection to anyone holding these views. What I object to is paying a licence fee to an organisation whose reporting is so unbalanced.
I suspect that this journalist has already made up his mind. He will now seek out facts from crews, discarding those that do not fit his story and highlighting the ones that do.
The political Left are seeking to weaken the low cost operators. The politicians are critical of aviation in general on the premise that it is a big contributor to global warming. The journalistic left are supporting them. The reality is aviation is a convenient means of levying tax, but politicians are not going to say that and a BBC, dependent on public funds is not going to say it either. Many BBC reporters work hand in glove with reporters from the Guardian newspaper. I would not be surprised to find a BBC/Guardian axis behind this story. If the travelling public cannot be taxed into to abandonning their holidays in the sun, perhaps they can be frightened into staying at home.
Typically there will be stories of pilots asleep at the controls. I am sure we have all cat-napped on a long cruise sector with the agreement of other crew members. In fact, this cat-napping is recognised as being a good idea, but it is not how the BBC would portray it.
I look forward to watching the programme and being proved correct.
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Biased BBC
Stoic,
Unfortunatly BM has a point (even if his link does not work??) Auntie Beeb has over the past few years tended to "dress to the left" & we have all suffered, its "biased" reporting of a number of incidents has ensured that the uproar has been exagerated when things have been done in the course of "national interest", I personally would accept mistakes to occur (after all we are all human) in the course of national security if it means that another 7/7 will not occur!, I take it you dont agree??
Unfortunatly BM has a point (even if his link does not work??) Auntie Beeb has over the past few years tended to "dress to the left" & we have all suffered, its "biased" reporting of a number of incidents has ensured that the uproar has been exagerated when things have been done in the course of "national interest", I personally would accept mistakes to occur (after all we are all human) in the course of national security if it means that another 7/7 will not occur!, I take it you dont agree??
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"or is it just a quick buck ?''
A common view on journos covering aviation since the demise of the specialist reporter.
3 months full time work by Ian going into research. The more cynical you are the more its worth writing or calling to check out the depth he's gone into before compiling the survey and having it vetted by working professionals.
Danny and I have both done our time on Balpa technical committees. I can only think of one, totally outstanding, person had the time to research in depth over such an extended period.
Whether a programme comes out of this is in many ways immaterial. Ian has had the time to gather and collate information such that, if nothing else, the associations should lock him in a room for an extended debriefing
Rob
A common view on journos covering aviation since the demise of the specialist reporter.
3 months full time work by Ian going into research. The more cynical you are the more its worth writing or calling to check out the depth he's gone into before compiling the survey and having it vetted by working professionals.
Danny and I have both done our time on Balpa technical committees. I can only think of one, totally outstanding, person had the time to research in depth over such an extended period.
Whether a programme comes out of this is in many ways immaterial. Ian has had the time to gather and collate information such that, if nothing else, the associations should lock him in a room for an extended debriefing
Rob
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Good job that us 'professional' pilots don't indulge in the stereotypes and knee-jerk responses like all of those pesky journos eh?
So what if the Beeb may or may not be a leftie, cheese and sausage loving entity? Does that mean that all Ryanair pilots are obnoxious, mealy-mouthed, shifty-arsed eejits like O'Leary? Didn't think so.
Give the guy a break.
So what if the Beeb may or may not be a leftie, cheese and sausage loving entity? Does that mean that all Ryanair pilots are obnoxious, mealy-mouthed, shifty-arsed eejits like O'Leary? Didn't think so.
Give the guy a break.
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Unfortunately Mr Shoesmith has already provided evidence of a preconceived bias in his investigation from an earlier post
You should use your investigation to collect the 'hard stats' and use these to come to a conclusion, not decide you need to 'prove' something and then search for the stats to back up what you decided in advance what you need to prove. Unfortunate, as this slip of the tongue fatally taints what could be considered to be an impartial investigation by a reputable news organisation on a subject that really needs to be discussed in public. Dodgy dossier?
As I think I've said already, what I need to do is prove that pilots are flying more hours than ever before (one estimate I've been given is that it's 30% higher than it was a decade ago) but I don't have the hard stats, and they're proving difficult to obtain. any ideas, anybody?
I think it is quite simple in this case. Either
1) Mr Shoesmith will follow the normal journalistic direction of shooting our industry down in flames.....
2) or he might just be able to make a difference.
With regard to no 1 - well who cares it will be another article/program that will disappear amongst the hundreds of other sensational efforts to denigrate our profession.
Case no 2 - on Grand National day I say its worth a punt....
Good luck Mr Shoesmith!
1) Mr Shoesmith will follow the normal journalistic direction of shooting our industry down in flames.....
2) or he might just be able to make a difference.
With regard to no 1 - well who cares it will be another article/program that will disappear amongst the hundreds of other sensational efforts to denigrate our profession.
Case no 2 - on Grand National day I say its worth a punt....
Good luck Mr Shoesmith!