Originally Posted by
effsharp
I am unclear on the changes sought in this 'new movement'. It seems fatigue is being addressed. Being that, I am missing it. The movement is full of emotion but seemingly little else. Yes, the purpose of running an airline business is to make a profit. And to put Colgan's name on this movement is confusing at best. There is no clearer case of pilot error bringing down an airplane that what happened in Buffalo that night. Pilots want to rush now to deflect attention to aircrews due to hearings. But best thing a professional aircrew can do is take this pill and accept responsiblity.
I agree with you that we must be careful and clearly define our goals in this effort. That is why I am more disappointed right now in ALPA and what should be huge opportunity to address long standing issues of substandard pay, fatigue, unrealistic scheduling, and the fraud that the mainline carriers conduct through their proxy regionals. These should be carefully addressed and planned, but ALPA so far has been silent. We only have a week or so for this to be news before the public and the politicians move on to something else. Ir it is not accelerated and marketed now, we will miss the opportunity.
However, I strongly disagree with you on simply calling this pilot error. Why must we assume that every pilot that bends an airplane is an incompetent, and fool. It is clear to me that their were some other serious mitigating conditions here, specifically fatigue. Are you Newark based, or at any of the New York airports? Do you have any idea what that operation is like, and how it can break one down physically and mentally? Look at the slow response in the animation, I beleive that these two were seriously fatigued. And as far as converation below 10,000 feet... there have been times that I've conducted conversations on late flights, just to keep alert. There are some serious structural problems in this industry. What I absolutely hate, is there are lot of people who use these situations to fan their own egos!
Onfinal