FedEx chief pilot rant

[RP 04]

let's not finger-point accident statistics, it can/may/will happen to any company out there.

Yeah, just look at Korean, China Airlines, and Fedex...

 

[Phaedrus]

Al Weiner: chirp, chirp

 

[~~~^~~~]

Talking about the TLH crash

http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2004/AAR0402.pdf

The Fed Ex pilots work in a challenging environment. After reading their schedules, it would require real management of a person's rest to be completely alert, particularly while on reserve. Add in visual approaches to non radar, non controlled, "black hole" airports like TLH and the situation begins to become ripe for an accident.

E-GPWS would have made a huge difference (which FedEx now has, right?). Proper monitoring of the VASI would have made a difference, but who knows where the few clouds at 100 feet were? The better choice would have been the Captain's first pick, runway 27, which had a Glideslope to provide guidance.

Unfortunately for FedEx, their accident history has made it more difficult and expensive to purchase insurance in the global marketplace. If they don't stop the trend it could become a problem for FedEx.

A good read of the NTSB report provides lessons for all of us.

 

[AlbieF15]

Ref the mil verses civil crack...

We all have our own house to clean. Its a work in progress. However--a close look at the people involved in the mishaps will make that argument moot. You are showing your ignorance of who was involved...

 

[sandman2122]

Yeah, just look at Korean, China Airlines, and Fedex...

And SWA, DAL, AA, UAL, Comair, and the list goes on, and on and on..............even to include your company kitty/RP04 (if you actually fly for a living).

 

[TheGuat]

UPS hasn't been flying airplanes nearly as long either.

Since 1988 When UPS started it's own airline, there has been 10 NTSB incidents/accidents vs. 46 for FedEx during the same time period.

 

[sandman2122]

Sure, with UPS flying fewer airplanes.

 

[TheGuat]

Sure, with UPS flying fewer airplanes.

Not 4-5 times fewer.

 

[TheGuat]

Face it, whatever the cause/causes, FedEx has an unusually high number of incidents/accidents compared to their contemporaries.

 

[WorldOnTime]

Face it, whatever the cause/causes, FedEx has an unusually high number of incidents/accidents compared to their contemporaries.

Face it, whatever the cause/causes, TheGuat has an unusually high number of annoying qualities compared to it's contemporaries.

 

[propjob27]

Oh let it go Hagar. That thread was months ago. We all hashed it out there and you were proven wrong and then when you had your tail between your legs you told everyone you were just kidding. Let's reiterate one more time... the guy posted a link to a PUBLIC website. He did not generate said public website (which would be a violation of privilege).

It kinda takes away from the nice post you made at the end of that thread in which you set the record straight and polished up your image. I guess you are back to playing the role of hall monitor.

Yup. There's nothing illegal about Google...

Here's another one for you Hagar:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/221930/c5_animated_crash/

 

[sandman2122]

Poser

Face it, whatever the cause/causes, FedEx has an unusually high number of incidents/accidents compared to their contemporaries.

FYI, "theguat" is a poser typing on his computer at his mom and dad's house.

Put him/her on your unsubscribe list.

 

[satpak77]

FYI, "theguat" is a poser typing on his computer at his mom and dad's house.

Put him/her on your unsubscribe list.

Concur

Mom or Dad could be a FedEx pilot. Wonder where he got that email from? Dad's MS Outlook program?

FYI

 

[JAM-BRO]

I've said it before, I'll say it again, as long as you treat a companies hiring practices like a frat and a good ol boys club, you won't really get the "best of the best"

I second that...

 

[cjdriver]

Re: TLH. Weren't the PAPI's blamed for the accident due to some type of refractive issue with moisture on the lense?

 

[satpak77]

Re: TLH. Weren't the PAPI's blamed for the accident due to some type of refractive issue with moisture on the lense?

uh, no. The opposite was concluded.

SEE

http://www.ntsb.gov/Events/2004/FedEx1478/PAPI.pdf

 

[cjdriver]

Wow, I guess that responsibility avoidance tactic didn't work too well. Too bad they had the PAPI's Notam'd out for quite a while after that accident.

 

[satpak77]

read the full NTSB report

it is what it is

 

[active_herk]

I've said it before, I'll say it again, as long as you treat a companies hiring practices like a frat and a good ol boys club, you won't really get the "best of the best"

I second that...

So what (or who) determines what the "best of the best" is? I'm guessing in your eyes, you guys are it!!! Please forward your names and SSNs to me so I can be sure to put in a recommendation for you, I want to get credit for getting the "best of the best" on property. Thanks!

 

[Phaedrus]

The best of the best is only one, and redundant at that; "best" being superlative and all. Grammatically speaking of course. Maybe it is big al or JAM-BRO, but it can't be both. Which one will you recommend?

 

[active_herk]

The best of the best is only one, and redundant at that; "best" being superlative and all. Grammatically speaking of course. Maybe it is big al or JAM-BRO, but it can't be both. Which one will you recommend?

I don't know, maybe we should have a competition to see which one is really the best. I know... we could have a landing competition, and put a quarter 1500' down a runway, and whichever ones main tires come closest could be determined as "the best". I would imagine though, that in their case a quarter is much too big a target, maybe we should use a dime, or the head of a pin....we will probably need to measure the difference in millimeters.

 

[Huck]

We ought to put each interviewee in the MD-10 sim, fully configured and at the marker, day VFR, and tell them to land it. Maybe they get three warm ups or something, then a test one. Throw in a crosswind, and tell them to put the boot in at 300'.

I would also turn off the auto-throttles, but that's blasphemy.....

 

[Phaedrus]

ATS OFF?! Are you mad, man?

 

[JAM-BRO]

So what (or who) determines what the "best of the best" is? I'm guessing in your eyes, you guys are it!!! Please forward your names and SSNs to me so I can be sure to put in a recommendation for you, I want to get credit for getting the "best of the best" on property. Thanks!

I am not saying I am the best... I only commented on the hiring practices at FeDex. You can't deny the fact that it is a good ole boys club. When a FeDex CP emails their pilots not to reccommend anyone that ACTIVELY works at any other major but will take NON-ACTIVE furloghees shows to me poor judgement. I've got nothing against furloghed guys. It's that some have not flown in some time versus someone who is current.

I know someone that went thru MD11 training at Fedex and his sim buddy was a Navy guy who could not land with a required 25kt crosswind. The aircraft carrier was always sailed into the wind... Learning to land with a crosswind at FeDex is a little too late in the game.

Hiring should be done by your resume and then thru your interview. Not solely by someone going to their chief pilot and reccommending their bunk buddy. Active_herk is proof of that. "Please forward your names and SSNs to me so I can be sure to put in a recommendation for you, I want to get credit for getting the "best of the best" on property."

Believe me, I would love to work for FeDex. This is not a shot at you guys but at the hiring process. I think it should be more transparent and fair to everyone who does not have the insider ladder

 

[Phaedrus]

I think it should be more transparent and fair to everyone who does not have the insider ladder

While, in essence, I agree, I also think that we should have eternal peace, no hungry or homeless people, and it shouldn't rain on the days I want to play golf. Bruce Hornsby sang eloquently about it, but it really is just the way it is. I think when we weed out all the humans we'll have what we want. Except then I won't be able to play golf. Not saying it's right; it just is.

 

[PurpleInMEM]

I think it should be more transparent and fair to everyone who does not have the insider ladder

Transparency in hiring? At a US corporation? Are you really serious?

A company is free to use any process to weed through applicants as long as it doesn't discriminate against people in protected categories (race, religion, etc.). Outside of that, if you don't get hired because you were off-key during your rendition of the FedEx fight song during the mandated 'a capella' part of the interview, you're pretty much SOL.

Pie-in-the-skyers will always find the process unfair. Kiss some butt, get your buds to make the right phone calls and key strokes, and within a few years you'll find yourself on the property. It's not rocket science.

Hell I'm still waiting for United to send me my Scantron so I can update with them again. Sure hope I can get Arnautical to get me into the Frasca before my sim check.

Hoops are hoops, just jump through 'em!

 

[fr8doggie]

I am not saying I am the best... I only commented on the hiring practices at FeDex. When a FeDex CP emails their pilots not to reccommend anyone that ACTIVELY works at any other major but will take NON-ACTIVE furloghees shows to me poor judgement. I know someone that went thru MD11 training at Fedex and his sim buddy was a Navy guy who could not land with a required 25kt crosswind.
Believe me, I would love to work for FeDex.

Actually, It's FedEx, not FeDex. Perhaps if you spelled it that way on your cover letter you might have a shot at an interview.

 

[Whistlin' Dan]

This is not a shot at you guys but at the hiring process. I think it should be more transparent and fair to everyone who does not have the insider ladder

Anytime you have 100 applicants for every position, the process is going to seem arbitrary and/or unfair to 99 of them. Look at it from an employers perspective..they have perhaps an hour or 2 and a background check to ascertain what kind of employee you'll be for the next 30 years. It doesn't hurt to have somebody say on your behalf, "Yea, I know that guy. He doesn't seem like one to pick his nose in the cockpit or f*art before a pack is online, stiff a van driver, trashe hotel room, or spend an entire trip trying to get other crewmembers to buy into his multi-level marketing schemes. And most of all, he seems like the kind of guy who, even when he thinks nobody's looking or cares, would still fly pretty much by the book"

The alternative to personal recommendations for pilots would be for the company to administer a United-style stanine test. Believe me, that has it's own shortcomings.

If you feel you've been overlooked in the hiring process, the only thing I can tell you is to relocate to Memphis and involve yourself in every cultural, civic, and social activity you can think of, paying special attention to those things that appeal to pilot-types in particular. In time, you'll connect with one or more people who will make the necessary introductions to HR.

As for this CP's "rant," I haven't seen it (yet), but if the company has had to cover $170,000,000 worth of broken airplanes and equipment because of complacency on the part of some pilots, he would be remiss in his job NOT to raise he11 about it. FedEx, for the most part, has a pretty good core-group of pilots. Maybe it's time to "cull the herd" a little bit...

 

[sluggo]

I don't know, maybe we should have a competition to see which one is really the best. I know... we could have a landing competition, and put a quarter 1500' down a runway, and whichever ones main tires come closest could be determined as "the best". I would imagine though, that in their case a quarter is much too big a target, maybe we should use a dime, or the head of a pin....we will probably need to measure the difference in millimeters.

Maybe a competition of who knows more people...that's the way it is and we all know it. Your post is funny, really, HaHa. I read it a second time and laughed even harder than the first. Getting on at fx is not about being a super pilot. It's about who you blow.

 

[satpak77]

ahhh the tone of this discussion is "pilot applicant profile" at Delta Airlines circa mid-90's