The problem I have with all of this lies with the FAA and insurance companines. How any insurance company can think that FAA minimums is "enough" is beyond me. What they fail to inform people is that while accidents with death is down, the potential of accidents with death is up. How can we qualify that, simply ask those of us that have to do this day in and day out.

There needs to be hard numbers in both experience and pay for all pilots coming into the industry. Simply restating that Colgan, "is among the industry standard" is not praise, nor impressive. It's the same as Taco Bell saying, hey, we get more market share because we sell a .79 cent taco, aren't we great?!?

 

Funny you mention that because the little bits i watched yesturday had somthing about this. One of the guys on the board was talking to the hr lady and asked her.

board member: "you said your company tries to hire the best of the best to work there and that you are very proud of the people you bring on."

hr lady: "yes sir"

board member: "Then if you are trying to bring the best of the best why would all of your answers about pay, experience, etc etc be they are in line with industry average"

hr lady: "well...."

and sick calls

board member: "So they only accrue half a sick day a month after the three month probationary period"

chief pilot: "Yes sir, that is how our sick policy works"

board member: "So let me get this straight. A pilot would have to work at colgan air for 9 months to accrue enough sick time to be able to drop a 3 day trip"

chief pilot: "yes sir"

board member: "So what are they pilots supposed to do till then, not get sick?"

I almost felt bad for the two of them yesturday. They were trying so hard to defend pilot pay, lower hiring mins, sick and fatigue calls that NO ONE on the board was believing it.

 

What would you expect from spineless party members following the company's party line... especially in this economy. You can bet there is a long line of protozoans waiting to take the C/P's and H/R's seat.

 

I agree with you, but WN manages to do it and pay their pilots the most of all the legacies...

 

You right they do, but I don't agree with alot of things that WN does. Nothing personal against people work there, but I personally believe that just because a company compensates their pilots well, that doesn't automatically make it a good company.

I'll leave it at that, not trying to trash WN by any means.

 

like the NTSB isnt playing the role of the concerned and responsible adult. They know and have known what goes on in this industry for the past 30 years--- yet they do nothing to change it only make "recommendations that the FAA doesnt adopt?

why hasnt the duty day been lessened? b/c it costs airlines money
why havent the rest requirements been increased ? see above answer
why arent their 4 required pilots on ULF's? see above, above answer.

I still cannot believe the way this accident transpired and all the links in the chain that were broken--- from the commute, to the cvr, to the training- or lack thereof?


i mean seriously if all the money thrown at studies/surveys by freaking MD's and phd's say we need these items, then one must ask oneself-- why havent things changed-- and if you think things will change now, you're dreaming.


SKIPPY

 

Because recommendations are the limit of the NTSB's scope...they are not a regulatory board. The FAA should listen to them, but doesn't.

 

I know everyone on here views this a little different, but in my opinion, getting hired at an airline with 600 hours means that you are lacking a certain type of experience. Yes he had 4000 hours, but almost all of it was in the very structured, controlled environment of the airlines. Those of us that flight instructed and or flew freight, charters, corporate ect, have had more chances to make bad decisions and scare ourselves, thus getting a deeper understanding of our own limitations and also how to recognize when the situation we're in may be evolving into an unsafe one.
That's not to say that very experienced pilots don't screw up all the time, but I don't think you can argue that his experience wasn't a possible factor in this particular accident.

 

One thing we could do is use the accident to try to get the ball rolling on getting the RLA changed. It will help unions get some bargaining leverage back.

 

Did you see that new salary survey? Dishwashers make $17,000 a year.

So where's the UNION on this?