MD11Fr8Dog

I agree, I also wonder if all these "little" things are adding up and accumulating over time! And couple that with the low morale of all of this plus 4a2b and the other issues at home that these things affect (overall down economy, we have guys losing their homes, gov't taking over more of our lives, etc.), I'm not surprised!

The good news though is that the GWOE is arriving just in time to fix this!

Dadof6

It hasn't been mentioned on this thread yet, but if--heaven forbid--you make an honest mistake, blow an altitude, clearance limit, etc., file a NASA report (ASRS) immediately. Can do it electronically ASRS - Aviation Safety Reporting System or mail it in. 10 day expiration date, I think. This is over and above filing a FDX Flight Safety Report. You'll sleep better at night, trust me!

Also, I've had to ask ATC controllers to repeat things more often lately, especially in the busy aispace/airport environments. Rapid-fire, multiple clearances (turn, descend, contact, etc.) combined with slurred speech/failure to enunciate make that communication thingy a true challenge sometimes. Always, always, ESPECIALLY NOW, verify that clearance. Faster is not always faster--smoother is usually faster, at least in quick-draw situations.

KnightFlyer

Agree, but even more coming down the pike "to fix us"

OffRoad5150

If Crew Scheduling calls during your rest period you need to reset your "clock" 8 hrs. - unless they're alerting you prior to show, leaves a "flashing red light" message on your phone or slips a note under your door. Did I leave anything out?

Knots2you

Well, thinking back to the "good old days", i.e. 20 to 25 years ago, when a Captain, or, any crewmember, for that matter, made a decision, wether it be calling in fatigued, or diverting, or refusing a flight for weather, mechanical reasons, or whatever, it was never questioned. Ever. And as a result, pilots never had to bring into their decision process, the possibility of being 'investigated', for that decision. The Captain's word and decision was final, and unquestioned. So for 99.9% of the pilots, it was a valid call with no intention of trying to 'get over', or screw the company, or anything like that. If someone did try to abuse that policy, well, I guess the company probably figured that having .1% abuse, was better for the overall safety and performance of the system.

Also, back then, I think it was damn near impossible to get fired. Crews could concentrate on their work, without thinking in the back of their mind, gee, i hope I don't make a human error, or a bad decision, cause they will fire me at the drop of a hat. "Shoot, squeeze, aim", and I'll have to fight my way back onto the payroll after proving my innocence.

And, surprisingly, back then, Fedex had the best safety record in the industry. Not just the cargo industry. In the entire industry. We never bent metal. We used to make jokes about Korean Air and their record, and refused to deadhead on them.

Then something happened. So what changed? The pilots? Nope. Same group, same pool of resources. So if it's not at the bottom, you have to look at the top. It funny, but just about every line pilot you talk to, will tell you that fatigue is a huge problem. But the people at the top, absolutely refuse to look at that, or even accept the possibility that fatigue is a factor, along with the culture here at Fedex.
Very sad. And until they do, we all know that the safety record here is not going to improve.

You get what you pay for, and there is price to be paid, for everything.

On my next rant, I'll comment on the flip flop policies of hand fly/full automation, etc. (i.e. you can stay sharp by practicing on your time at work, and take away the features that were designed to help relieve the workload on the pilot). God forbid we add more training time to sharpen your skills, practice procedures, etc. That would cost money, and we certainly can't do that!

AFW_MD11

Just make sure you also understand that filing a NASA report is NOT a "get out of jail free" card - it seems like a lot of folks here at FX think that it is.

UNDERSTANDING THE ?NASA? FORM

Aviation Law: F.A.A. - Have You Filed Your NASA Report? article by Richard T. Miller, Aviation Law Attorney

FLMD11CAPT

As I mentioned on another thread, there is one overiding reason for the "uptick" in mis-cues, and one reason only.....Fatigue. The only way this will get fixed is by Us, We, The crew force making the proper call of calling fatigued when you are so. The pairings will never change unless this happens. I for one would much rather be "investigated" for a proper fatigue call than "prosecuted" by the FAA for a mis-cue cause I was tired.

Blackbeard

Without a doubt, the #1 cause for chronic fatigue are multiple and sequential 24-hour layovers. Day-night-day-night. It stinks and needs fixing fast. Be very careful out there folks when you see more than two 24-hour layovers in a row on your pairing. And LOSA won't fix it either.

KnightFlyer

Had 5 in a row on a revised 10-day Intl trip. Didn't set off a GPE for that but did get one for no 34-in-168. We were draggin' by the time our last KIX leg came around. Sick for a week after getting home.

AFW_MD11

but gutted it out using the technique from your avatar?

1-800-IM-TYRD