Concorde Fleet Rebellion
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Concorde Fleet Rebellion
A little bird has told me that British Airways plans for a spectacular send-off for Concorde in September and October look likely to be in tatters, and the guys flying the aircraft may just down tools.
BA Management, with their usual sensitivity, have decreed that all the final flights (LHR-JFK-LHR and LHR-BGI-LHR) will be flown by Management pilots. My mate tells me that an internal memo states that only the Management pilots can be trusted not to do something silly and spectacular on those flights. The same goes for all the Celebration flights in October, when Concorde is planned to visit many airfields, both in the UK and abroad, as well as the final delivery flights.
The regular line guys are pretty cut up about it all, and have sent a letter to Rod Eddington. The word is that nothing will be done, and that "Porky" Bannister will end up doing most of the flights, and, coincidentally, appearing in most of the newspapers and history books.
The final nail in the coffin is the the 20 or so Flight Engineers on the Concorde Fleet are the last within BA. When Concorde goes, so do they. So far, all the company has offered this group of highly-regarded professionals with about 600 years in aviation between them is early retirement (with just a pension), or, in a latest and in my view insulting twist offering them the position of Cabin Crew on a temporary basis.
Morale is pretty low, and the line pilots (Captains as well as First Officers) are just about as mutinous as the Flight Engineers.
Has anyone else heard anything?
Watch this space next month.
PiC 744 LHR
BA Management, with their usual sensitivity, have decreed that all the final flights (LHR-JFK-LHR and LHR-BGI-LHR) will be flown by Management pilots. My mate tells me that an internal memo states that only the Management pilots can be trusted not to do something silly and spectacular on those flights. The same goes for all the Celebration flights in October, when Concorde is planned to visit many airfields, both in the UK and abroad, as well as the final delivery flights.
The regular line guys are pretty cut up about it all, and have sent a letter to Rod Eddington. The word is that nothing will be done, and that "Porky" Bannister will end up doing most of the flights, and, coincidentally, appearing in most of the newspapers and history books.
The final nail in the coffin is the the 20 or so Flight Engineers on the Concorde Fleet are the last within BA. When Concorde goes, so do they. So far, all the company has offered this group of highly-regarded professionals with about 600 years in aviation between them is early retirement (with just a pension), or, in a latest and in my view insulting twist offering them the position of Cabin Crew on a temporary basis.
Morale is pretty low, and the line pilots (Captains as well as First Officers) are just about as mutinous as the Flight Engineers.
Has anyone else heard anything?
Watch this space next month.
PiC 744 LHR
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As for the Flight Engineers, out the door as no longer required, on 'modern' types'...big mistake IMO but nevertheless, a fact.
As for the Concorde pilots, it is NOT their decision, the management pilots call the shots, like it or not....and most won't.
Tough beans.
IF they 'walk out', sack 'em immediately, period.
If these turkeys had wanted to be the big shots...they should have applied when the position was offered.
As for the Concorde pilots, it is NOT their decision, the management pilots call the shots, like it or not....and most won't.
Tough beans.
IF they 'walk out', sack 'em immediately, period.
If these turkeys had wanted to be the big shots...they should have applied when the position was offered.
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<< If these turkeys had wanted to be the big shots...they should have applied when the position was offered >>
They did, but there was a problem, and they found out that they weren't eligible to be managers.
Their parents were married you see...
They did, but there was a problem, and they found out that they weren't eligible to be managers.
Their parents were married you see...
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I suggested on another thread that this workforce were on another planet.
The "spitting out the dummy" scenario described above does'nt do anything to change my mind.
"I wanna have MY photo taken."
"No, I want MY photo taken."
"Well I'm not playing then."
"You're porky."
"Well, you're.....smelly"
......and I'd love to compare the F/E pension, no doubt inflation proofed, to my Capts. salary with an independent airline.
....or maybe you'd better not tell me.
Such are the penalties for getting into aviation at too late an age.
The "spitting out the dummy" scenario described above does'nt do anything to change my mind.
"I wanna have MY photo taken."
"No, I want MY photo taken."
"Well I'm not playing then."
"You're porky."
"Well, you're.....smelly"
......and I'd love to compare the F/E pension, no doubt inflation proofed, to my Capts. salary with an independent airline.
....or maybe you'd better not tell me.
Such are the penalties for getting into aviation at too late an age.
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Greetings to everyone,
Sounds a little unfair, especially for those guys who have flown Concord for all these years, they should have had a draw or something to see who would get the final flights.. For example every pilot gets 1 ballot for every year experience he has flying on Concord.
Also, those pilots, what will they do after? Is BA going to put them on the 777 or 747 ?
Cheers!
Sounds a little unfair, especially for those guys who have flown Concord for all these years, they should have had a draw or something to see who would get the final flights.. For example every pilot gets 1 ballot for every year experience he has flying on Concord.
Also, those pilots, what will they do after? Is BA going to put them on the 777 or 747 ?
Cheers!
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We all knew who would extract the final trips, but surely "Porky" cannot fly them all.
How many other managers are left? Is "Les" still there?
"only the Management pilots can be trusted not to do something silly and spectacular on those flights"
I still remember the manager on the BAC111 who tried to take centre stage when they opened a new taxyway at Manchester. He arranged to have a red ribbon streached between two poles across said taxyway through which he planned to taxi! Alas he did not chexk the wingspan of the BAC111 and clattered into the poles with the leading edges.
How many other managers are left? Is "Les" still there?
"only the Management pilots can be trusted not to do something silly and spectacular on those flights"
I still remember the manager on the BAC111 who tried to take centre stage when they opened a new taxyway at Manchester. He arranged to have a red ribbon streached between two poles across said taxyway through which he planned to taxi! Alas he did not chexk the wingspan of the BAC111 and clattered into the poles with the leading edges.
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"only the Management pilots can be trusted not to do something silly"
- Just like the Concorde management pilot who ran out of fuel just after landing at LHR all those years ago...... (allegedly)
- Just like the Concorde management pilot who ran out of fuel just after landing at LHR all those years ago...... (allegedly)
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Euro ATC,
The pilots on the fleet (like any other fleet getting run down) can put in a bid for any of the fleets within BA. Most, if not all of the FO's will have the seniority for Commands on certainly shorthaul, and possibly longhaul.
Hope this helps.
The pilots on the fleet (like any other fleet getting run down) can put in a bid for any of the fleets within BA. Most, if not all of the FO's will have the seniority for Commands on certainly shorthaul, and possibly longhaul.
Hope this helps.
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Concorde Flight engineers as Cabin Crew?
£70,000+ PA as cabin crew ! should raise a few eyebrows down the back of the early 757 to paris.
JH ( the head of cabin crew), really has lost the plot this time
£70,000+ PA as cabin crew ! should raise a few eyebrows down the back of the early 757 to paris.
JH ( the head of cabin crew), really has lost the plot this time
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411A
You really take the prize for the biggest pr!ck left on this forum. Opinionated, ignorant and what sprouts from your keyboard gives idiots a bad name. Do us all a favour and disappear up your own a**e.
You really take the prize for the biggest pr!ck left on this forum. Opinionated, ignorant and what sprouts from your keyboard gives idiots a bad name. Do us all a favour and disappear up your own a**e.
Evertonian
Re the FE's
Perhaps this is Rod's way of getting back at the ridiculous situation he inherited at Ansett, where the 767 FE's were contracted on full pay & didn't have to fly AT ALL! Alas, prior management had done the deed & guaranteed the jobs for life.
Alas, prior management had done the deed & guaranteed the jobs for life.
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"2 captains together is a recipe for disaster "
I would not even think of a rhyme for 2 managers together...
P.S : EuroATC, it is ConcordE, lots of history in that "e "....
I would not even think of a rhyme for 2 managers together...
P.S : EuroATC, it is ConcordE, lots of history in that "e "....
Last edited by ATC Watcher; 26th Aug 2003 at 02:32.
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411a you pathetic little soul: with your management skills your airline would last perhaps three months, and would deserve less.
This is the twenty first century, not the nineteenth. No doubt in the walter mitty world where you seem to live you can strut around like a mill-owner and lash out at the poor proletarians who work for you. The real world is a different place. Everyone has their pride and believe me, before you come up with some sad observation like "you cant eat pride", people can be pushed so far and then the point is reached where rationality no longer matters. Bullying and or crass insensitivity usually does it. But, hey, everyone who is so blatantly stupid as to work in professional aviation is so cringingly-needy to be there in the first place that they deserve to be treated like stupid little kids at school, dont they?
All of your posts seem designed to be gratuitously offensive to anyone who works in the industry. I wonder who you really are or what your motives might be? Either way, you render pprune a sadder place to visit.
This is the twenty first century, not the nineteenth. No doubt in the walter mitty world where you seem to live you can strut around like a mill-owner and lash out at the poor proletarians who work for you. The real world is a different place. Everyone has their pride and believe me, before you come up with some sad observation like "you cant eat pride", people can be pushed so far and then the point is reached where rationality no longer matters. Bullying and or crass insensitivity usually does it. But, hey, everyone who is so blatantly stupid as to work in professional aviation is so cringingly-needy to be there in the first place that they deserve to be treated like stupid little kids at school, dont they?
All of your posts seem designed to be gratuitously offensive to anyone who works in the industry. I wonder who you really are or what your motives might be? Either way, you render pprune a sadder place to visit.