Another In Flight Engine Shutdown
 

It seems V8RBK also had a fuel leak ex BWN BI083 yesterday and shut down an engine before returning to BWN. How many engine failures/shutdowns is that in the last few months? Where is the regulatory oversight on this issue? Reducing ETOPS approval times is obviously not improving the situation. Its akin to cancelling leave until morale improves.

Very interesting to see the skinny one talking through his backside on matters of which he knows not. Makes one wonder about his true agenda.

The previous CEO of Air Astana was quoted as saying, it’s a great little airline with great staff.

Interesting to see what happens now slasher F@$ter is CEO, with his contempt towards staff and in particular pilots. Will it continue to have great staff. Certainly things changed in Rba after he arrived. Fatigue and pay cuts ensured there’s little pride or goodwill in the airline now.

What sort of salary do they have at Air Astana, what ever it i, be rest assured f@$ter will squeeze it even more to achieve his bonus, then move on again once he’s destroyed the airline and its staffs morale and willingness to go the extra mile.

F@$ter has never been a clever manager, he can only cut salaries and contract conditions. No skill required for that.
He will last 2-3 years there before moving on and leaving the mess he created for someone else to sort out.

The cycle begins again.

BS Check your PMs
 

"Talking thru backside" BS? Insults dont achieve anything for anyone. Facts do. Check your PMs and you will see proof of every word I wrote.

In the absence of an acknowledgement to that effect I can of course post the technical content of the email on any public forum.

TA

Fat Albert, caution.

A smart player knows when to throw in a hand.
The royal flush has been dealt and awaiting play and you ain't holding anything near a hand of value. Same goes for your playing partner.
Hot air is just that, hot air.

Hey , maybe you deserve your day in the light
Enough of the threats - just post your silver bullet on any forum of your choosing. Before you do such though perhaps you may consider using more than a BB gun and, preferably before the action, get your own house in order lest ancillary parties get caught in the crossfire.

Gents,

This topic has been, up to now, a model of professional probity. Let's not descend to the levels demonstrated in other forum such as Cypriot Airliner...etc

(I think I'll apply to be a moderator!)

Seconded Bus429. If I had any idea what firewall was talking about I would respond. Maybe he would like to send me a PM and explain. No silver bullet, just proof of my earlier statement which BS chose to dispute in a less than professional manner.

Time for the mods to get involved I think.

Royal Brunei Mk.II
 

Royal Brunei Mk.I
25th June 2003 - 11th October 2005
441 Postings & 87413 Hits
RIP

With nobody to hold the rudder and several shots below the water line, there is still hope.

This once great airline will hopefully return to its former glory days, well almost.

The comments made on PPrune over the last few months have indeed brought to light some very serious issues.

I believe that they have also brought about some changes for the good.

Lets hope that we can still continue to have a professional and factual exchange of views.

Royal Brunei Mk IV
 

Thats quite a number of posts and hits from such a small airline, with few staff, few ex staff, and few non related interested parties.

There have been several other threads on RBA that have faded into the past, one with 200 odd posts.

Why so many posts compared to much larger airlines.

Is it just whingers posting.

Its human nature to complain when things are wrong. who would be interested in reading post after post about a great airline where staff were happy and complementing everyone else, boring. Wouldnt we be envious of those staff though.

So many of the posts are negative.

Is that surprising. How often are you called into the office to be complemented on a job well done.

Yes pilot officer x, I have called you here today to thank you.
What for ?
Oh nothing in particular, just the 35 long haul trips youve completed this year without incident.

This is what is expected of you, nothing more to say. Give me a cash bonus anyway, not a pep talk.
People dont generally take time to put pen to paper to give everyone the warm fuzzies by patting each other on the back.

So if the managers were doing the same and everyone was contented, what would there be to say. Nothing, and any thread on RBA would be limited to rumors and news.

Sadly many are still waiting for that day. But its not too late if someone realised staff are the most important asset to a company.
There are rumours of new aircraft and with the departure of the CEO who was largely to blame for this, the time could be ripe for a change. Even if the rumours are just rumours as has happened in the past, now is still the time to take RBA back to its former glory.

Increase the pay scales, allowances, staff levels to where they should be. Bring back the pride staff felt working for RBA and the loss of staff to other airlines who benefit from their experience gained.

Will it help it to become profitable, well is it profitable now with all the pay cuts, fatigue of crews, ill feeling. There is no doubt, staffing levels in certain sections where safety is critical needs addressing, if staff cuts need to be made, look in other departments. If that is not an option, accept the losses of the past.

Its time to start a new game, we can either enjoy a game together, or management can continue to chase you around the court trying to hit you with the ball.

Rally for serve.

Reminds me of the conversation I once had with a manager.

Him. "Now come on, you play ball with us........"

Me. "Yes, and you will stick the bat up my @rse!"

That was the cue for 5 consecutive FRA patterns.

I hope times have changed and things do improve for those of you that remain. I joined RBA in '96 and for the first few years I thought I would happily remain there until aged 60. I am glad I left when I did and have no regrets whatsoever but I do hope things pick up for those that remain behind.

There is still a small nucleus of good people in RBA who deserve better but when I left there were also too many snouts in a very small trough.

Best of luck.

Just a General Word of Caution.
 

I would ask you all, be you pilots, engineers, current employees or ex employees to be extra careful about posting events and then adding your comments as 'facts' before the full and accurate story is known, particularly when you may be in one department and the area of your criticism is in another department. If you are unhappy with your employer then it is all too easy to grab at any event, however insufficiently reported, and run with it just to make a point. If you haven't got your facts 100% correct and in order then you have lost your point, made a fool of yourself and lost all creditability.

Please think at least twice before you hit the 'Send' button!;)

Thanks,

BlueEagle.

87000+ hits in just three days, must be busy:p

Geting The Fatcs 100% Corect
 

With respect Blue Eagle, may I point out that even an accident report, years in the making, by either the CASA, FAA, CAA or whoever, can get it wrong.

We all know the warning written at the bottom of this page. Who is going to give us "the full and accurate story" before we can comment?

Forgive me if I disagree that just because you have (not yet) the full story you loose the point, make a fool of yourself and loose "all creditability"

More often than not it takes quite a few posts in order for the fuller picture to come out. On the whole the posts on this site have been "on target" and it is only the odd Wally who passes through who lowers the tone.

From the title, do you know what I mean?

Well said, Tango Foxtrot. Surely the "full and accurate story" can only come from those who are directly involved. Let them speak freely! Preferably before anyone gets to them to "edit" the story.

The full RBA story will only ever be told long after those whose guilt has caused its telling have ceased to be players. They each have their bolthole in Spain and the offshore account in the Caymen Islands to furnish their retirement plans. Worked for Rishworth? I am sure they are very grateful. Hired a car in Brunei? Thank you very much.

Nonetheless our respect should go to people such as JE who have stood alone with little public support to at least highlight the abuse, ineptitude and favouritism that was and remains a factor within an airline that should, and could still, be the best expat airline to work for in the world.

You know who you are, your time in the limelight is coming and you should be ashamed of yourselves.

With apologies to the decent guys still in the abode.

Thanks for that TA.
Nice thought Nasi Lemak :hmm:

Suit No 60 - Brunei High Court
 

Tiredunfedup

You wondered why the senior pilot who was sacked had decided to bring the case to court in Brunei. Unlike many of us, he is lucky, it turns out that he has legal insurance, indeed he sold medical insurance as well.

I often ment to take out some sort of medical insurance as the company dont cover you at all. having said that they once did for $500 per person, but this allowance was removed along with many other cutbacks, without notice.

That I should now think that legal insurance is more important than medical insurance is to be sure a daming testimonial of Flight Operations managers.

"full and accurate story" can only come from those who are directly involved. Let them speak freely"!

So we are in agreement then, let those that do actually know what they are talking about do the talking.

In case it was missed I said that individual posters should make sure that THEIR facts were 100% correct, not that they should be in possesion of 100% of the facts.

I think we are all singing from the same hymn sheet here BE. Maybe a fact could be "I heard in the bar from a mate of a mate whose sister is the DFOs secretary that..........." which is in fact no more than a rumour which is what this board is all about isn't it?

The rumour can then be confirmed or denied in subsequent postings. Deliberate posting of inaccurate "facts" is quite another thing and anyone guilty of such a transgression deserves no quarter and should imho be barred from the board.

Thanks btw for a moderators job well done in difficult circumstances.

As I sit here in the bar with the estimed Borneo Wild Man, We wish to reply to SlimJim about your misinterpretation of facts. I happen to be a line captain for the past few years, I have no desire to operate in the fleet office. Further more we are both dismayed at the negative comments from former RBA staff who have unfortunately been denied training positions and left under their own circumstances.

As far as BWN comments, I am no way a suck up. It amazes me that if someone has a positive attiude about life they are straight away cast as a suck up.

Bwn please PM me if you have a problem with this.

Back to the subject.....

No fuel leak, but it does seem that the good engine was shut down..........

After the last IFSD and the removal of 180mins ETOPS, we were only just inside the 0.05 threshold to keep 120mins, surely this incident must now take us past the point of loosing ETOPS altogether????

Sook Mi Oph
 

I stand by what I say.

If you have been in RBA a while what is your view on the pay cuts over the last few years,., or the reduction to your signed contract conditions. Are you happy with your back to back Fra's and Lhr's. with 2 days off in between been as a line capt.
Are you not flying fatigued, as you must be one of a very few line capts who is not.

If you are so contented with RBA, then good for you, you will likely be happy in RBA until retirement.

As far as your username is concerned, and your original post, I stand by what I said. Many people may not have seen your original post on the 7 oct, only your edited post on the 8 Oct. please amend your post back to the original for everyone to see.

You identified Wings on the thread (incorrectly I believe)....not on... please identify yourself then.
We know who BWM is, not you.

So Who Cares?
 

RBA General Flight Operations Notice no 038/2003 issued by the Dir of Flight Ops 28/03/03 states "It is becoming common for some pilots to arrive at briefing for flying duties tired and deshevelled. The current schedules are demanding and often have only minimum rest periods; they are likey to remain so in the future."etc

In Feb/04 a Senior Captain was so fatigued he had cause to write to the DFM 767 (cc to various others) and among other issues wrote:
"The Company Operations Manual SOP section states that "The primary task of either pilot is to fly the aeroplane". Likewise the primary task of Management must also be to manage. While management positions may be seen by some as "good little earners" or a way of escaping current roster patterns, proper management nevertheless remains an onerous responsibility and duty that should remain foremost in the minds of all managers, ever aware that they are subject to rules laid down in Conventions, Orginisations, Safety Boards, AOC's, Directives, Certifications, Aviation Law and various others volumes. It is a requirement of any Flight Operations Department to always keep its airline on the right side of a safe operation, being aware of the grave consequences for failing to do so.

These responsibilities are usually only brought into focus when a Board of Enquiry is charged with looking into an accident. At that time it is imperative that a company or its officers avoid the charge of negligence; upon that word lies a company and/or an individual's future. If deemed negligent the Board of Enquiry has the power to fine or imprision or both. Each survivor or relative of a victim is also capable of bringing an individual suit upon anyone so deemed; instant loss of career, fined into poverty for life and/or possible imprisonment. The Flight Safety Foundation definition of safety ends with the warning that "safety is often unsung until it is absent".

It is now October of 2005. What may I ask has Flight Operations done to reduce the Fatigue on the 767 fleet and improve the lifestyle to improve the moral etc etc.? Nothing. The DFO has neglected his duties and has allowed the airlines standards to tumble.

So who cares?

The Board of Directors know little about aviation and safety. More importantly they should know how safety is achived or maintained. With the present levels of fatigue and chronic lack of experiance in the crews, RBA is heading for an accident. Action is required NOW.

Investigate why so many experianced pilots have left over the last few years. Ask the pilots, not the DFO and his 767 managers who are the cause of many of them leaving and who care not.

Latest Affidavit
 

The latest Affidavit doing the rounds is really a confirmation of the behaviour emanating from the 767 Fleet Office for some time now.

Shame on you all.

Huge respect to those that struggle to bring change.

ETOPS
 

Looking through the history of RBA in these posts, about a year ago RBA had 3 engine failures/shutdowns landing in Perth, Ujung Pandang and Karachi.

This was followed by an engine shutdown and diversion into Bangkok and couple of months ago 3 engine shutdowns on the same aircraft over the period of a few days. After this the CAA removed the 180 ETOPS

Now there seems to have been yet another engine shutdown, and some doubt if indeed it should have been shut down at all.

This is a very high % of failure for such a small fleet, and not in keeping with its reputation over the last few years. Big Nuts do you have more news, opinions or comment.

Affidavit No3
 

I have read and re read the affidavit doing the rounds at the moment. It is a disgrace. Just when you think that the behaviour of the 767 fleet managers cant get worse, they lower the tone another rung.
For sure the BOD are going to hear about his lastest misconduct, and it begs the question, how long are they prepaired to suffer the humiliation that the Flight Operations Dept has brought upon the airline.
The fact that one of the Flight Ops Managers has recently attemted to seek employment elsewhere, can only give us reason for a little optimism.

I've already had a poke at a previous poster on this subject. If you don't know what you're talking about South Shore, silence is the best approach. Now go away and read up about ETOPS, then come back when you understand what counts as an IFSD and how ETOPS is actually managed.

Edited to remove direct reference to a specific individual.

BS, I thought we had resolved this by PM. Is or is not RBA operating to 180 minutes ETOPS? I understand that RBK is the latest aog airplane, though not engine related. That must be affecting the schedule badly.

And can someone PM me the latest avidavit please.

Sorry TA I was actually having a go at South Shore for once again raising the (irrelevant) subject of ETOPS and including an incorrect suggestion that the CAA (sic) had taken some sort of punitive action.

Before anyone raises this subject again, I submit the following:

ETOPS is used for operational reasons in order to more economically serve specific routes. Indeed, some routes can only be flown using ETOPS. Choosing to operate to any particular ETOPS rating is a thus financial decision, not an airworthiness decision. Without an operational need for the rating, an operator may voluntarily forego ETOPS altogether in order to avoid the expense of maintaining the required system reliability levels. This would be no reflection whatsoever upon that operator's airworthiness standards.

ETOPS is a reliability matter, managed through compliance with specific service bulletins and airworthiness directives. ETOPS is not restricted to engines but involves a comprehensive assessment of all relevant on-board systems. The process is monitored through a reliability programme overseen by a reliability committee, has little to do with 'airworthiness' as a concept and nothing at all to do with pilots' working conditions. An ETOPS rating is reduced to a lower rating by the reliability committee reporting to the regulator that the reliability of any relevant on-board system, including but not limited to the engines, has fallen below the predictor figure. The regulator will approve restoration of the rating to its former level once satisfied that the relevant reliability level has been restored.

As BlueEagle already warned, please be sure of your facts before posting specific allegations.

RTB
 

So the DFO, who is ultimately responsible for the safe operation of flight operations, recognized three years ago crews were arriving for flying duty ‘tired and disheveled’ = fatigued, largely as a result of the heavy rosters, AND they will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Yet his management response to this serious problem was to issue a notice to all crew NOT to arrive for duty ‘tired and disheveled’, without any change to the crews roster patterns.
Problem solved.
However when a captain stood up to him, he was victimized and sacked.

I look forward to using this approach to my next sim when the flight attendants advise there is an uncontrollable fire in the cabin, rather than remedying the problem, or diverting to the nearest airfield, I will simply write a notice to the senior flight attendant. ‘You will extinguish the fire immediately’, I will have the senior manager responsible for the safe operation of the aircraft, the Captain, sign the notice, stamped with the authority of the company, and give it to the senior flight attendant. Problem solved. My responsibilities for the safe operation of the aircraft are complete.

Sims were never so easy, I’m sure I would get glowing reviews on my sim report.

I have just seen an RBA 767 looking sorry for itself in Perth. Is that 2 out of 6 aog now?

Gezzuz Dark what are you smoking Bro?
Maybe the DFOs letter related to some of the local lads out shopping/eating in Dubai then reporting with out rest for LHR/BWN or maybe the odd expat known to commute from OZ straight to a duty-wouldnt be you would it?

5 days off now-what to do lah!!!!!!!!!!

ETOPS Reduced From 180mins to 120mins?
 

No need to have a go at me BS, and I have not read up on IFSD or ETOPS. I leave that to the well informed technical experts such as yourself.

My simple point was that a lot of RBA aircraft seem to be landing in unexpected places, and that your words "silence is the best approach" could be a thought to worry about. Granted I could have made a better title, hope the above is an improvement.

Your last post has given us all much valid information, and I thank you for that.

But who is "the reliability committee" and what did happen to V8-RBK and what are the present ETOPS limits for RBA, 180 or 120 mins?

ETOPS Reduced From 180mins to 120mins?
 

"ETOPS is not restricted to engines but involves a comprehensive assessment of all relevant ON BOARD-SYSTEMS"

May I ask if this includes Pilots? Due to the reduction in standards and the lack of experience in the crews, we have now had 2 recent occasions when engines have been shut down, when they should not have been.

In the last months we lost to SIN Cargo alone, directly or indirectly, a highly respected 767 Fleet Manager, 3 Senior Line Training Capt's, a highly respected Quality Officer and 2 maybe now 3 Line Capt's. Not to mention the numourous other departures to various other places within the last year.

Now it aint rocket sicence to know that when you are left with a top heavy workforce of inexpenienced crews rather than experenced crews, your incident and or accident rate is going to go UP, which is whats happening.

I hasten to add, its not the crews fault. They have been given the oppitunituy by RBA of becoming Capt's and FO's of 767's with experience levels that other airline would not accept.

Just to avoid any confusion can you confirm that there is only one highly respected RBA 767 Fleet Manager joining SIN Cargo and his initials are DT. We wouldn't want SN getting ideas above his station would we.

The Highly Respected 767 Fleet Manager
 

TA you are quite correct, the above described is indeed already employed by SIN Cargo.

The present 767 Fleet Manager, how shall we put this, who attracts somewhat less respect than his predecessor, and along with the DFO and DFM 767's are the subject of High Court action in Brunei.

I admire the Capt bringing the above case of victimization to court.

You must respect your managers you see. We might write our own rosters, pick and choose our trips and who we fly them with, and leave you oiks the crumbs from our table but you should be grateful for such crumbs - especially if you are approaching contract renewal - isnt it.

Is there any news from the Brunei High court today. I believe that 3 very guilty parties are attempting to deflect the blame upon each other. So much for honour amongst thieves. Tw@ts the trio of you.

JE Attended The Brunei High Court Yesterday
 

No doubt this Affidavit will be doing the rounds shortly. I got to know that there is still more evidence to be presented later.

RBA has still not presented ANY documents to support their defence.

Leave it out!
 

Personally I am sick of the constant reference to the chronic lack of experience and dropping of standards........blah blah could not get jobs with other airlines due lack of relevant experience blah blah.
You people writing such things should remember that there are a lot of us here in the capital with half a brain and more than an ounce of professionalism.Stop venting your frustration at DFO's,DFM's and whoever else upset you into leaving or even worse, made you turn into a bitter individual without the cojones to leave.Your posts are doing nothing for a flagging morale.
Sure there has been alot of promotions of late, due to guys leaving for a variety of reasons (we are all leaving Brunei lets not forget...) but I am soooo sick of the posts that make it sound like it is a left seat free for all.Plenty of guys have not been able to make the transition.

It must of been nice to of started flying with 10,000 hours.

By the way, an open question to all you hairy chested steely eyed clutch cargo jawed legends...what is your definiton of an experienced pilot? Someone with less hours than yourself? Do tell.... 14U and Fat Albert...