Originally Posted by
OffRoad5150
Whatever dude, I don't think the F/O was relying on the Captain to save his arse - I think he got behind the jet and was never able to catch up - thus demonstrating poor
ability/proficiency on his part. The UAL 747 Captain probably lost situational awareness and failed to recognize his F/O was doing an unsat job flying.
The more I drink, the more I edit!
The only one who was truly 'proficient' was the actual scheduled FO on the trip who was actually the RFO for that leg because the RFO needed a landing. The scheduled RFO was an ex-PAL guy who had been on the ropestart at both companies but mostly as an IRP, who was transitioning to the -400 at the time. I believe, the Capt. had just returned from a medical LOA. They misdiagnosed a compressor stall as a blown tire, which is why they didn't fly the EOSID or have the airplane properly coordinated. The Capt. did take over ultimately, but it was said that the RFO(scheduled FO for the trip) was the first one to realize what was going on.