Just because one can draw a system, doesn’t mean they understand it.

Just because one understands the concepts of flight, doesn’t mean they can fly an airplane either.

Yes, back in the day things were held to a higher standard in regards to aircraft knowledge, but we must remember we have checklists and memory items from some of the scenarios listed. It also makes things easier in regards to pilot workload as well.

For any person that listed a scenario above, we don’t just do. We either read and do, or we do because it’s a memory item.

I love flying, I live airplanes. Do I know every nook and cranny? Certainly not.

Do I continue to expand my knowledge? Certainly.

I’d like to think we should always persue in regards to knowing more and growing.


We’ve all been trained here to proficiency (I hope) and I’d like to believe we get and understand the basic concepts of our systems of this aircraft.

There’s people on the ground that know this aircraft way better than us and they’re not pilots 🤪

 

It has changed from FM1 to FOM now. Part of Envoy’s “alignment with American.”

 

Imagine that, somebody from a contractor outfit sticking their noses into Regional issues that have nothing to do with them. You wouldn't know anybody like that would you?

 

That blatantly isn’t true. This is an example of what is easy about bad instruction masquerading as the right stuff.

 

I think the root of this discussion comes down to instructional theory. It’s ok that things have changed from the old ways because it was obvious to someone that there was a better way.

I think back in the day, the mentality was you should know how many rivets the wing has or at what speed some random motor spun at. I’m sure the thought was if a pilot knew something so obscure they would know all the systems around it.

Advancing up to modern day there are better ways to learn and more important things to know. AQP offers many benefits to both the airline, FAA and the pilots. I don’t have the data in front of me, but I would say as a whole the industry is just as safe, if not safer than in the days of old.

I will say the comment about not being paid enough or whatever from a few pages back turned my stomach. Regardless of the system, pay should never be a motivator or demotivating to a safety culture. We owe it to ourselves, our fellow pilots and the flying public to always try and hold to the highest standards, regardless of our pay, contract, company we work for or current success or failure of the airline economy.

 

Not that I don’t disagree with knowing the systems well. But that’s not everything. In the scenario you mentioned there should be handling factors that are a dead giveaway like your airspeed/attitude for thrust setting. No hear you would be going considerably faster than normal.

Sometimes there’s other methods to come to the right answer.

 

systems knowledge isn't the problem

 

But do you tip van drivers?

 

Yup. I give them handfuls candy corn from Halloween.

 

I was under the impression, the company paid gratuity. They’re responsible for the transportation to and from the airport.