Andy said:
1. I wouldnt put much stock in anything that is stated as wisdom on this board, so what you consider safe and what I consider safe may be two different things based on experience, ability, and perspective. All you have is what is in that report, and as I said, I was there that night, and it isnt at all in the report. You needed to hear the tower reports, what other pilots were saying on the radio, and what was or wasnt being relayed from dispatch. Inflection, intent, and cockpit discussion isnt public yet, so keep your pants on in judging these guys.
2. Most of us could give a rats behind what some guy in a terminal in a suit and tie said about us. Is it a general reflection on how we operate? Hardly. That would be as assinine as anyone who says United only hires 1000 hour females and minorities. Is it true? In some cases, but not many. Ive heard my share about every airline out there in the terminal, so lets keep scope on what civilians are saying. As you know most rumor is generated by those who dont have a clue about what they speak of. I hear alot of great things about SWA in the terminal also. Had an ATC guy tap me on the shoulder the other night on a deadhead to say how much he liked working with our guys. Had a TSA guy thank me for treating him like a human being in PIT the other day too, how much he appreciated how SWA folks treated him. Hear kudos in the jet as we say thank you to the folks all the time, some chides, but mostly "thanks for a nice ride". Do you care what Ive heard about United in the terminal Andy? Didnt think so, so save it, the 1%Cowboys that do exist at SWA wont hear it any more than the 1% of clowns you have on your almighty list.
3. Do you honestly think that SWA mgmt or Union goons just sit around after something like this happens and pray that it doesnt happen again? Do you think that BUR didnt get anyones attention? There is not one thing in our operation that tells me to press the field, land on a marginal runway, taxi at mach 2. There is one common thread, and that is to be safe, efficient, and effective. In that order. Individual interpretations of that point are policed by we, the crew members, in conjunction with our Professional Standards, and Chief pilots. There may be and old school element left here, but the vast majority of us got here in the past 7 years, and have a bit of a different mindset. There is no "culture issue" here, just because we dont do things the way you do doesnt make us wrong or unsafe. We all have a vested interest in our bottom line, and we are very much in touch with the operation of our jets. It has served us well financially and safety-related for a long time. A few blips on the screen that we have had pale in comparison to some(most) other airlines safety records.
The fact at hand Andy is that yes a few of us have taken personally your inference that two of our pilots made an unsafe decision, and that somehow reflects on SWA operations as a whole. Thats flamebait. I say you dont have all the facts, you may never have all the facts, all you have is what the NTSB releases. Should we pass judgement on all the reports that they have regarding fatalities at UAL? Who the heck are we to judge anyway? We should know better. Take what you think you need from this to be a better pilot, and remember, to opine in here is opening yourself up to the anti's and the pro somebody elses.
