Originally Posted by
Kilgore Trout
Experimental AB,
Short version,
If I ever ran my own outfit I'd really, really try to only hire pilots who could be counted on to do what is right, safe, and legal to the best of their abilities, regardless of external pressures or desires to prove anything.
Your are a 135 guy, I understand that. 135 and 121 are worlds apart, I have done both, in Alaska for over 5000 hours. In a 135 enviroment the ball is in your court much more often then 121. Decisions are in the "gray" area daily, when operating 135. In fact I love 121, I really don't need to think. Now 121 is black and white, it's that way so we don't need to think(we don't even have the option of decision making in most situations) The problem is that the rules said he could go.....end of story. If ALPA(in this case) and the FAA did not agree that this situation was safe, more operational stipulations could have been placed on the said MEL. In a 121 enviroment this is simply the case.
My point.........Always be able to defend your actions, but in my opinion the captian is in a corner.