Well I think the management should be applauded for "going out there" period.

[don't you just hate being the first guy on a new page]

Same, same in Air Traffic Control, especially Just replace "pilot group" to "air traffic control group". From my experience this significant risk isn't always acknowledged and managed.

A nicely balanced, yet brutally honest reminder from management.

The halfwit who leaked it should be sacked and banned from the industry :ugh:

Leaking
 

I see nothing wrong with the letter becoming public. Perhaps it will act as a wakeup call for other carriers.

Are United Pilots not following their SOP's or is their an issue with their SOP's ?

SOP
 

Well, you can bet your last dollar that somewhere there is a pilot who thinks they know or have a better way to do it:mad: I suspect that all of these procedures have been vetted by the Mfg, FAA, ALPA Safety and the combined training and standards organizations of both CAL and UAL. At the end of the day it doesn't matter if you have one pilot that thinks these new SOPs don't apply to them:ugh:

Leaking...

I see something very wrong with the leak - that is, the author may think twice about issuing a similar memo in the future. It is a serious threat to a safety management system if management can't communicate with staff about safety related issues without confidentiality.

Would you self-report an incident if you thought your report would be leaked by management to the press?

It goes both ways.

If internal safety memos continue to be leaked, they will get the PR department to write them rather than the safety department.

Yep, these 'come to Jesus' letters are pretty common in the business in recent years. The usual FOQA complaints are that we do too many rejects and not enough go arounds.

As mentioned on other threads, I fly with some folks who seem to be doing everything but flying the plane while in the seat. They text while I'm taxiing and play games on the iPhone while descending though Chinese metric RVSM airspace as PF. And, if I say something about it, they pout and play 'I've got a secret' for the rest of the trip. :{

Illegal personal electronic devices are proliferating once more in the cockpit. Tablets play movies off of wifi hard drives with Bluetooth headphones and speakers. Unapproved GPS receivers are hacked to work with company tablets. Non-TSO headsets play tunes off the iPhone. NW 188 overflying MSP seemed to cut down on this unauthorized electronic stuff for a while but now it's back.

If we don't clean up our act and be more professional, the feds will do it for us after the next crash. := The NTSB has for years wanted airlines to audit non-accident CVR recordings to ensure SOP compliance. And cockpit cameras. Strictly confidential, non-disciplinary, for safety only etc., etc., etc...

Spot on Bubba. I've experienced the same. It's disheartening.

Yup Airbubba

I some times wonder if I am becoming an old fart like what I used to fly with 30 yrs ago -
No you can't text while taxying
No you can't make a call while taxying
No you can't watch a video in flight
No you can't have one ear plugged into your Itunes
Clearing the runway please don't lean down, get your phone turn it on.

Airbubba...oops, that's like Korean Air pilots in the 80-90s! Eventhough the electronic gizmos ain't that advanced then but there were walkmans, colorful mags and Japanese mangas.:ugh:

"recent"...my post must be at least 10 characters.

In any accident, a full report on the use and timings during the flight of all electronic devices belonging to the crew is standard procedure.

Our rule is - we turn the phones off when we get off the bus.

I haven't seen any gross violations in a while....

Airbubba and Trista_dvr. I assume you're both FOs, in which case you have my sympathy. Is there not a confidential reporting system you can use? Captains behaving like you say are not only unprofessional; they're dangerous.

I assume you're not a pilot if you don't know who taxis the aircraft at most airlines. ;)

airbubba , not for a minute did I think you were the FO. Herod, airbubba has been around longer than danny.

Air bubba

First Officers taxying the aircraft? Next they'll be wanting landings too. Outrageous :E

Actually in my experience, in the UK, FOs taxying is SOP when it's their sector. Perhaps in your company and/or location it's different. It's all part of this wacky idea of developing the next generation of aviators. Role reversal I've heard it called.

As for the memo that started this thread I cannot fault it. I know nothing of the politics at United but I read it as an impassioned plea to the flight crew to do their jobs professionally. A former trainer said to me that "Fate is the hunter" should be required reading on a conversion course and I believe he was making a valid point about never letting your guard down. Be safe out there 'cos someone or something is going to try and spoil your day.

I read it as a plea to "straighten up and fly right even though we have failed to establish a positive safety culture and have allowed you to bust SOP's for years, failed to reign in the outlying cowboys, failed to empower the disciplined amongst you, and watched as human nature did it's thing and a large majority of you bowed to the pressure exerted to get the job done"

You just described the management culture of the majority of american airlines....