Originally Posted by
Carl Spackler
It's always being threatened by some management geek. They can threaten all they want, but if they're not in the left seat - they have no say. If you have the facts to backup your decision, any court attempt to sanction you will fail. If a pilot doesn't have any facts on his side, then he/she doesn't have the temperament to be in the left seat yet.
Hear hear!
When I was Captain, I made decisions that were unpopular back at the home office. Shoot, I was so unpopular with MX control (because I wouldn't fly broken planes) that one mechanic on the plane even said, "hey, you're not as bad as MX control said!" .
However, I never once was questioned or called into the office. Why? Because I had listened to the situation, researched the problem using the manuals we have carry (MEL, FOM, Aircraft manual) and made an educated decision.
"Exercising Captain's Authority" is about being rational and making what might be an unpopular decision, but is the correct one.