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Disgruntled furloughed Midwest pilot accuses "regional pilots" being inferior airmen

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erikgigem

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 4, 2006
Posts
101
Disgruntled furloughed Midwest pilot accuses "regional pilots" being inferior airmen

SOURCE: Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/39999982.html

Lessons to be learned about flying experience

An examination of recent events in the aviation industry begs the question "why?" Let's examine the two most recent airline disasters that had entirely different outcomes, US1549 and CO3407. It might be a prudent consideration before the Milwaukee traveling public books its next airline ticket.

One of the nasty little secrets that the airline companies don't want the traveling public to know is that although the ticket was sold as a Continental Airlines flight, the actual company doing the flying was Colgan Airways of Manassas, Va. Airline companies really hate paying experienced airline pilot salaries and would rather subcontract flying out to the lowest bidder - as opposed to paying their own employees - as a cost-savings measure.

Of course, the results are quite predictable when the combined flying experience aboard most mainline air carriers is greater than the combined ages of those flying at regional air carriers. US 1549 piloted by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger that ditched into the Hudson River had a much different outcome than did Continental 3407, where it would appear that pilot error might be to blame.

Experienced airline crews don't get paid because of the days when it's sunny and everything is going well. We get paid to ensure everyone entrusted to our care during flight goes home alive at the end of the day, regardless of the circumstances.

As a furloughed airline pilot from Midwest Airlines with nearly 25 years and 15,000 hours of flying experience, I expect history to repeat itself until the traveling public stops falling for the bait-and-switch tactics the airline industry employs in the name of cost savings.

Capt. Scott B. Kaley

Hilton Head, S.C.
 
SOURCE: Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/39999982.html

Lessons to be learned about flying experience

An examination of recent events in the aviation industry begs the question "why?" Let's examine the two most recent airline disasters that had entirely different outcomes, US1549 and CO3407. It might be a prudent consideration before the Milwaukee traveling public books its next airline ticket.

One of the nasty little secrets that the airline companies don't want the traveling public to know is that although the ticket was sold as a Continental Airlines flight, the actual company doing the flying was Colgan Airways of Manassas, Va. Airline companies really hate paying experienced airline pilot salaries and would rather subcontract flying out to the lowest bidder - as opposed to paying their own employees - as a cost-savings measure.

Of course, the results are quite predictable when the combined flying experience aboard most mainline air carriers is greater than the combined ages of those flying at regional air carriers. US 1549 piloted by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger that ditched into the Hudson River had a much different outcome than did Continental 3407, where it would appear that pilot error might be to blame.

Experienced airline crews don't get paid because of the days when it's sunny and everything is going well. We get paid to ensure everyone entrusted to our care during flight goes home alive at the end of the day, regardless of the circumstances.

As a furloughed airline pilot from Midwest Airlines with nearly 25 years and 15,000 hours of flying experience, I expect history to repeat itself until the traveling public stops falling for the bait-and-switch tactics the airline industry employs in the name of cost savings.

Capt. Scott B. Kaley

Hilton Head, S.C.

this is sick. What are you implying CAptain? Because there is no proof, just rambling. Are you saying that the pilot crashed that Colgan plane?
 
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I guess if the pinnacle of my career was being furloughed from flying a DC-9 I'd be pretty disgruntled too. I remember reading lots of outlandish letters and articles after the Comair crash a few years ago as well. What can you do really.
 
By that standard, guess this proves Midwest is unsafe:

Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 a Douglas DC-9-14 crashed just after takeoff on September 6, 1985 from General Mitchell Airport, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, en route to Hartsfield International in Atlanta. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire. The pilot, the first officer, both flight attendants, and all 27 passengers were fatally injured.
The Safety Board evaluated the performance characteristics of the DC-9-14 airplane following an abrupt loss of power from the right engine in the takeoff phase of flight and found the airplane to be docile, easily controllable, and requiring no unusual pilot skills or strength. Therefore, the Safety Board examined those factors which might have caused the pilots to lose control, including the possibility that fragments of the right engine separated with sufficient energy and trajectory to cause critical damage to the airplane's flight control system; the possibility of control system malfunction, which could have rendered the airplane uncontrollable; and the possibility of inappropriate flightcrew response to the emergency.
The cause was determined to be a pilot error in handling the aircraft after the right engine suffered a catastrophic failure. The introduction of incorrect rudder pedal forces about 4 to 5 seconds after the right engine failure, followed by aft control column forces, allowed the airplane to stall at a high airspeed, which led to loss of control of the aircraft and its subsequent crash.

http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/1987/AAR8701.htm
 
This piece would have been more appropriate if he wrote it after the NTSB concluded that pilot error and lack of experience in the Dash was the cause of 3407.

If that was the case - which it may or may not be (none of us know) then he would have a soapbox to stand on.
 
To me as horrible as it may be to say, he has a point.
 
So should we all head down to Hilton Head and tea bag this summa of a bich?
 
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I am not offended either and if he waited another year for the ntsb report, it would be out of the public's mind. Plus the way I read the article he is not disrespecting the colgan pilots just airline management tactics in general.
 

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