CAL--This can't be real...

[AA717driver]

Got this off another website. Come on, CAL guys, this has to be a hoax:

--------------------------

*CAL** Safety Update*

February 23, 2007

On Feb. 9, 2007, the EWR Chief Pilot’s Office distributed the following
B-737 Update:

I woke up Wednesday morning and departed for work. I found my car under
an unexpected covering of loose powdery snow. I brushed it off the
windshield, and departed. As I accelerated up the street, the snow
readily blew off my car as I expected it would. When I arrived in EWR
that morning, it was apparent to me that we were in the midst of a
full-blown de-icing operation with our morning bank of planes, for
exactly the same conditions as I found with my car that morning: Loose
powdery snow covering the surfaces of the aircraft. Outside temperature
was well below freezing. Was de-icing warranted that morning? It’s my
opinion it was NOT. Flight Manual Sec 3, page 349 states, “The check to
determine the need for de-icing is an examination of critical aircraft
surfaces to ensure they are free of any ADHERING ice, snow, slush, or
frost. It was more than my opinion that morning that the loose powdery
snow would have departed almost immediately during the takeoff roll; I
actually did an inspection of an aircraft parked at the gate, to
determine actual conditions. Flight Ops Manual Sec 9, cites FAR 121.629,
which says the same about adhering contamination. Yet there was a
line-up of at least 25-30 aircraft waiting to be de-iced, and more to
follow. It was my opinion (and it appears that I am full of opinions
today) that this was a herd mentality. One aircraft asks to be de-iced,
and everyone else follows suit. In light of my continued message
regarding safety, this may seem contradictory. Believe me, I am in no
way suggesting that you compromise safety. Instead, I am suggesting that
we understand the conditions, and exercise common sense. This was an
opportunity to not only be safe, but to be efficient as well. Remember
that Professional statement I mentioned above. It was suggested by
someone that he would not take the chance that a lawyer may be seated in
row 13, as he was approaching the runway for takeoff with snow on his
wings. My answer to that is to make an announcement to the passengers
stating your intentions. Again, Safety and Common Sense prevails, but
knowledge is power.

-----------------------

And I thought all the Icahn-era TWA management pukes had retired... TC

 

[Indapool]

So the Clean Aircraft Concept is no longer mandatory

Alrighty then.

 

[Quimby]

Is this for real?

 

[Jonny Sacko]

Yes and no, I believe he recanted, and moved on. It was an opinion, ALPA was quick to oppose and stated such. Dropped.

The guy has to write something every week, I bet he's run out of things to say, and is just shooting from the hip at times. He's a good guy.

 

[Beechnut]

.....

 

[densoo]

Assistant Chief Pilot, not the Chief Pilot.

The full recant:

Good morning, and welcome to this week’s update. Two weeks ago, I issued an article concerning decisions to be made regarding the de-icing of your aircraft. I have been speaking on this website for several years now, and never have I received as much feedback as this article has generated. So I feel it’s only appropriate to respond to each of your concerns, and I’ll use this forum to do so. Some of you understood my intent, others appear confused. Let me first say, “Never did I intend to suggest that you violate FAR mandates, Flight Ops Manual and/or Flight Manual guidance, concerning the de-icing of your aircraft”. If you cannot assess whether or not contaminants are adhering to your aircraft, you must remove them prior to takeoff. My intent was solely to stimulate a thought process by you the Pilot for your own situation. I don’t expect you to be lined up for the de-ice pad only because everyone else is. I don’t want you to allow the media, a passenger, or Flight Attendant to influence how you fly your aircraft, and why you make decisions. You are all highly trained professionals; I expect that you use that training and expertise to make good decisions in the best interest of safety. That day, as I left my home, my thought process for what I would have encountered had I been flying, had already began. The observation I made concerning my vehicle, and the loose powdery snow blowing off as I began to accelerate, was the beginning of assessments I was making for my day. That analogy was not meant to insinuate that conditions concerning my vehicle would be the same as you would encounter with your aircraft. It was meant to say, that the wheels of thought were in motion. I was observing the environment and formulating thoughts for what I may encounter when I arrived at the aircraft. The snow had stopped; the temperatures were well below freezing. In an attempt to help you better assess the environment; I went to a parked aircraft to see if snow, ice or frost were adhering. I drove in the Snowflake vehicle to the ballpark, where I observed many of you waiting for de-ice, in what appeared to be perfectly clean planes from my perspective. I advised over the frequency of my assessment and observations; some took my lead, broke out of line and safely went flying; others remained steadfast in their conviction to de-ice. I was not out there directing, only providing information to help you make decisions. The bottom line to all this is simple. I want thinking Pilots flying our planes. I want you to be able to assess the conditions, and make decisions in the best interest of safety.

 

[luckytohaveajob]

Lincoln Alert!

A long time ago I worked at a small GA operation at a small airport. The owner of the operation drove a Lincoln. He would drive his old gangsters style Lincoln onto the taxiways of this uncontrolled field and with his hand held transceiver play air traffic controller and deck landing officer evaluator.

His intent was to get everyone on the ground a minute sooner so he could save a few bucks in costs. He would instruct us to land into the wind and others to break off and land on the crosswind runway. While all the time judging your landings and getting info for your next butt chewing because he would have done something slightly different.

So if someone came in and saw the Lincoln that pilot would call,"Lincoln Alert!," on another frequency. It gave us all a heads up on that the remote checkride was in progress and every decision we made was going to be second guessed. The owner/Chief Pilot was interfering with the flying pilots cockpits, directly and indirectly. It was not appreciated then and I don't think anyone appreciates it now.

 

[snow-back]

A long time ago I worked at a small GA operation at a small airport. The owner of the operation drove a Lincoln. He would drive his old gangsters style Lincoln onto the taxiways of this uncontrolled field and with his hand held transceiver play air traffic controller and deck landing officer evaluator.

His intent was to get everyone on the ground a minute sooner so he could save a few bucks in costs. He would instruct us to land into the wind and others to break off and land on the crosswind runway. While all the time judging your landings and getting info for your next butt chewing because he would have done something slightly different.

So if someone came in and saw the Lincoln that pilot would call,"Lincoln Alert!," on another frequency. It gave us all a heads up on that the remote checkride was in progress and every decision we made was going to be second guessed. The owner/Chief Pilot was interfering with the flying pilots cockpits, directly and indirectly. It was not appreciated then and I don't think anyone appreciates it now.

That's gotta be Earl. Did anyone else fly out of the OLD Boulder City airport? Yikes!

"G** D*** You suck! There should have been 6 body bags after that landing! You're flying the Skyhawk for the next week."

 

[tico]

Sounds like a reasonable thing for a chief to remind everyone of....Political de-icing which goes on all the time is a complete waste of time and money....As the guy said....adhering is the key word and if it is well below freezing and the wing is also well below freezing the stuff is not adhering than go.....

 

[Dizel8]

As the guy said....adhering is the key word and if it is well below freezing and the wing is also well below freezing the stuff is not adhering than go.....

True perhaps, but how about if the fuel uplifted was at a higher temperature, then it just might have heated the wing enough, that the snow above would have melted and refrozen, now adhering to the wing . Now what, and how would you detect it, if it was still cover by a light dusting of snow?