Totally agree...
Our POI at Kitty Hawk was the former VP of Flight Ops at AA. Coming from an AA pilot family, I knew him from when I was 5. When Kitty Hawk got the ASAP program, he candidly said “Son, with the ASAP program, we (the FAA) treat pilots like Doctors treat other Doctors... You guys are officially airline pilots now and the FAA will treat you like professionals”. Initially, KH was against the ASAP program, but ended up loving it with the trove of data that they got through the ASAP program. It truly made for a safer airline. Of course, the pilots and the FSDO loved it too.
I don’t think that our DO is AGAINST the ASAP program at all... We have an excellent relationship with the GSO FSDO and our POI and I have heard talk that it is in our plans. I believe that we currently have set up an informal version with our FSDO now, with the intent of getting one sometime in the future. It’s just that we are not even 4 years old yet, but have gone from 3 planes in 2015, to 36 planes now: Setting up an ASAP program is a pretty big undertaking and takes time. You are correct that an ASAP program takes time, and dedicated commitments from the Company, the Pilots, and the FSDO. So, I don’t think that it will happen over night, but I definitely think that it will happen, even if only for our size and stratospheric growth.
I just spoke with our new Director of Safety on Tuesday, and he felt that we would have an ASAP program in the near future. As we are growing, I have no doubt that we will have one in place. I have heard that the FAA is considering mandating it for carriers over a certain size anyway.
Hey Fred, how long ago did you leave and where did you head off to? If you or any of your friends are looking, we are hiring like mad! And our DO and CP are great in that they have established a Company culture that if you were a good employee and gave adequate and respectful notice when you left, then they will welcome you back with open arms if your other pastures weren’t greener. Come back to us, Fred!!!! Come baaaaaaaaack!!! LOL..
