III Corp: >>> prancers and dancers<<

What does this mean?

Most Companies have a set of codes and ethics. Seems to me surprising Pilots with a politically motivated line check thwarts many of the codes and ethics the company has.

I don't have a problem with a LC. What I do have a problem with is how, and under what conditions, the LC is assigned. I also have a problem with the LC being a surprise. I hardly see how giving no notice helps to make one a more safer and proficient pilot. This is why I am curious if other Airlines do or don't assign surprise Line Checks?

As I said earlier I did very well on the LC. This was the opinion of the Check Airman stated to myself and others.

marsea

 

Marsea-

I think most would agree it really doesn't matter if it is a 'surprise' LC or not. I've never studied or prepared for a LC. Just do what you do hunreds of times already. If your companies procedures taught at the schoolhouse are really what people do on the line it really shouldn't matter.

With that said, I can understand the politics concern. Not sure what outfit you are with but I honestly never worried about that at the majors.

KC

 

Prancers and dancers are the guys/gals who long ago vanished into the sims and come out only in day VFR to fly a trip. They can fly the sim with one eye closed counting the number of trim 'dits' needed to fly a perfect 45deg steep turn. Sorry.. probably an old term.

and yes, companies do have a published set of ethics but some check airmen spend more time telling you what you did wrong than pointing out what you did right, how errors were caught and mitigated, etc. I liked to ask the crew to debrief me on what went right, wrong and what could be improved. More often than not more learning took. After all, most guys/gals know what happened. Why play games?

 

I guess the consensus is that most Airline DO NOT do SURPRISE Line Checks. That most inform you some way or another with some sort of notice.

(Surprise, as I define it, is you arrive at the Plane to pre-flight and the Check Airman is there.)

marsea

 

Aren't all line checks supposed to be surprise?

I've been flying in the 121 world now for almost 11 years and have never had more than 15-30 minutes of advance notice of an upcoming line check. I thought that was the whole point of the evaluation. To see how someone performs on a day to day basis. Like others have said, if you fly the book (SOP) there really is nothing to worry about. It has always been a very low stress event for me. The only people I've seen get wound up about the event are those that are cowboys out on the line and, in truth, those are the folks that the LCs were put in place for.

Marsea, I don't know what 'politics' were involved in your situation, but I think it's safe to say that as long as you follow(ed) your company manuals you have nothing to worry about.

 

Marsea...I flew the line at a major for 30 years. For about 5 years I was a line check airman on the MD 82`s, 88`s 757`s and 767. On occasions I would be assigned to check on someone who possibly had a training problem or possibly reported as doing some "non standard" stuff. Other times just told that Pilot "A" needed a line check. All I would look for was to see that proper proceedures were being carried out. It`s no big deal. We are all big boys and know what is expected of us. Just do the job that you were trained to do and stop trying to analize the "why" you are getting a check. Here`s a good piece of advice...when the flight is over, and you are packing up your black bag, ask the check airman, FAA inspector, or who ever just checked you if they have any comments. Put them on the spot to make any comments they might have. Here`s another piece of advice. Never, ever deviate from the correct proceedures if you have a jump seat rider of any type. I know of a guy that got turned in by a controller who was just "riding along". Lighten up and forget about it.