bertramcheeks22

Im doing a report on 135 ops and the pressures placed on pilots to make their destinations, even thru the hairiest of weather. If ANYONE can list some company policies or examples of times they second guessed their decisions i would GREATLY appreciate it. PS, if you do respond, would you be able to list your first and last name for the purpose of in-text citations?
THANKS ALL!

-Mike

Lanesuzza

Skagway Air Service in Alaska. A quote from my chief on the first day.

"No Skagway Air pilot has ever been terminated for turning around due to weather"

One of the best things a pilot could hear from his company.

Pilotpip

Look up "Grand Aire Express" in the NTSB database. There's lots of reference material there regarding the darker side of 135 ops.

bertramcheeks22

thanks guys

GauleyPilot

The places I have flown 135 (passenger ops) gave the pilot in command full authority to deal with weather. I have found myself doing more talking to passengers about the weather than the chief pilot. I guess I have been fortunate.

Ziggy

As a student pilot I remember hearing these horror stories told by CFI's and other's about 135 ops. I'm finding that these stories are more of an exception than the norm.

wildcat1

The situations you are talking about no longer exist in great numbers. To the FAA's credit, the majority of operators that didn't follow the rules have been eliminated. Now, passengers on the other hand can be quite a different story.

Ewfflyer

A lot of this is because of the grand stories that the "Freight Dogs" tell. Honestly, being a freight dog means you have the authority to do what it takes to get the job done. We are given regulations in which we must comply, but there are ways to make them work for you, or in most cases, you have to just work. It's not that it's unsafe or extremely dangerous to fly in most weather, but as most freight pilots, we're flying tons more hours, usually at night, in all weather. So we are more aclimated(sp) to any given situation, which in my mind gives us a greater sense of what is going on. This all helps us determine what is the safest, and most practical route through any given situation. In my opinion, this does imply some pressure that you should be able to handle it one way or another, but on the same note, it's also implied that you are PIC, and your decision is final, not anyone elses. Now there are people out there that don't know how to say NO, but that's just as with any industry.

For the record, I have turned down a few trips, and but I have always made my intended destination. The key here is not leaving before you know you can make it in. I've had to hold a few times, but very minimal in the grand scheme of things(pop-up snow storms usually the culprit over Lake Erie). Something my company has is a Van located at a different airport than ours, because when the weather gets low, we can't get in on our GPS approach, so you go to the other one and drive home, we'll get the plane another day. I also have the option of going to another airport closer to my home if need be. Not really a policy, but it's an option for safety.

ppilot

Same story for me here. I've worked for many pt. 135 companies, and I've never been questioned about a weather decision.

Surprisingly (to me at least) I've also never had a passenger argue a point. People would rather miss a meeting than be flying in a thunderstorm, etc. I always give them the option of 'We can go later in the day/We can stay overnight and leave early in the morning/We can not go at all' and so far at least no one's ever given me a hard time.

msh168

Although I hear a lot of stories from people in the charter business about being "forced" or pressured to do stuff, I definitely think they are in the minority.

I am lucky enough to work somewhere where I have never even heard of one of our guys being pressured to go. Even if fuel is $10 a gallon, we get it and don't ask for permission from anyone. If the weather is bad we do try to come up with alternatives (wait it out, go another day, another more suitable airport, etc.) but we are never forced to do anything.

Most pax are cool with it, but if they're not, we tell them safety comes first, and we are just not comfortable doing this. On a lifeguard once the weather was questionable at home, and the nurse said "But we have to get back the heart has a limited time.... My captain turned to her and said, 'I don't have to be anywhere!'" That was the last time they questioned us.