Originally Posted by
Probe
I could tell right away the videos are a complete fake. If they were real, all the windows would be covered by red HNA blankets from the cabin. And some newspapers if there were not enough blankets.
No self respecting Chinese airline pilot would allow himself the browning effects of the sun.
I even had a few FO's try to put newspapers on the side windows while taxiing. No kidding.
Ha, yeah, indeed. I saw plenty of great, anti-professional behavior when I was over there and raised a stink about it. Memos went out and the vent stuffing with napkins stopped, newspapers in the windows stopped, reading and smoking on my flight deck stopped. All it takes is a few writeups in the aircraft log regarding clogged vents and... You can see why I was so popular? Many of the expats there during my tenure followed suit.
However, bear in mind that the pilots in these videos are
not FO's. These are mostly videos from line checks and checkrides with a chief pilot; one of them is a regular captain. I need to check back with the expat who sent them to find out who is who exactly.
Of course, these may seem 'no big whoopty' to the layman or casual clickbait. When you realize the professional hazard and lengths the person took to make them, they start to make more sense. If you have operated 'in theatre' they really make sense without explanation.
What you are seeing here are snippets of the hand-me-down behaviors from instructors and authorities that lead to stuffing vents with napkins, keeping newspapers in the windows until 500' on approach, claiming the WX radar will make you go sterile, etc. You can see on one video the 3rd man on deck (the 'student')... I think he is sleeping, but when he IS awake, he's taking note of what passes as acceptable behavior on deck.
When you go to China to fly, you WILL have to fight back against this continental drift of behavior. It is not safe, it is not pleasurable, it is not conducive to smooth operating. You end up with resentful little snots who think they own the world because 'this is how the chief pilot does it' and now you have another hazard of broken CRM on your hands.
Chinese flying is NOT like Western flying. 2 wings and 3 landing gear is where the similarities end. And this is why we wrote F.U.D., why we started this thread, and why we caution pilots who are dazzled by the dollar signs. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. We have made the material available to you, take advantage of it.
C.S.