The hearing hasn't addressed the fact that the CVR was never conceptualized to be a monitoring or enforcement tool. And, it
(mark my words here), if this rule goes thru as some of these
people would like it to see. WE WILL have an accident in the
future related to the LACK of communication in the cockpit in
a critical phase of flight. Colgan 3407 IS NOT a landmark
accident, and the mistakes made by the crew seem remarkable.
Indeed there was a serious failing within the cockpit, but were
these failings any greater than NUMEROUS accidents in recent
history at legacy carriers. I think that this is political grandstanding,
and Colgan is being used as leverage to correct problems within
the industry that have NOTHING to do with preventing a similar
accident. Too many people with an agenda outside the realm of
safety are involved to the point where the NTSB findings will be
anti-climatic and almost a moot point. Hell, everything has already
been out in the open as it is...People have already prejudged the
accident, and setting a trend where the NTSB is replaced as the
"investigating arm by the "experts" in Congress.
Be very, very careful what you ask for people, because you just
might get it...And, it isn't going to be the changes you want to see.
The system is broke...The system is dysfunctional. There is NO single
level of safety. This is not going to change in the space of even a few
years. This is our reality. "Taking it back"? Good luck with that, and I
support ALPA. I am a proud member, but we are the ones under the
scrutiny, and as always pilots need to stand together, because these
friggin Senators could care less about us...