Caveman
Grandpa
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2001
- Posts
- 1,580
I'm not a CA these days, but when I was my brief went something like this:
"My intention is to do it by the book. If I'm not doing it by the book it's an unintentional error on my part. Please point it out so I can make a correction. I'll give you the same courtesy."
The guy writing the checks is paying me to do it a certain way. As long as the checks don't bounce I'll attempt to do it the way they want. It's their airline. Not mine. If I feel a procedure is so badly flawed that I'm compelled to substitute my own I'll bring it to someone's attention and let them reevaluate it it. The truth is companies have been flying airliners since before I was born. Most of them know what they are doing. I could nit pick a few minor things but for the most part my 121 experience has been that there really wasn't anything that didn't make sense.
What ever happened to the idea of simply doing your job like your boss wants it done? When I say "boss" I mean the company and the CA. A CA can be standard and still like certain things done a certain way. Why not just show him/her a little bit of respect and accomodate them?
It's an old adage, but it's still accurate. If you want to be a good leader you have to know how to follow. CA's should diligently attempt to be standard and they should require their crew to do so as well. I've never met a pain in the ass follower that suddenly morphed into a great leader. You may be the exception, but I doubt it.
Now I'm going to make a controversial statement. It has been my experience that pilots at the traditional major/legacy airlines are collectively more professional and more disciplined than their regional counterparts. That isn't to say regional pilots aren't professional. For the most part they are every bit as professional as their major counterparts. However, I've seen more unprofessional behavior at the regionals than I have at the majors. I say this as someone who has flown at both and who JS frequently on both. I don't know if the difference is a function of age (maturity), experience, corporate culture or the greater influence of pilots with a military back ground. It's a subtle difference, but it's still there. I know that will be an unpopular sentiment, but I stand by it. Flame suit on....
"My intention is to do it by the book. If I'm not doing it by the book it's an unintentional error on my part. Please point it out so I can make a correction. I'll give you the same courtesy."
The guy writing the checks is paying me to do it a certain way. As long as the checks don't bounce I'll attempt to do it the way they want. It's their airline. Not mine. If I feel a procedure is so badly flawed that I'm compelled to substitute my own I'll bring it to someone's attention and let them reevaluate it it. The truth is companies have been flying airliners since before I was born. Most of them know what they are doing. I could nit pick a few minor things but for the most part my 121 experience has been that there really wasn't anything that didn't make sense.
What ever happened to the idea of simply doing your job like your boss wants it done? When I say "boss" I mean the company and the CA. A CA can be standard and still like certain things done a certain way. Why not just show him/her a little bit of respect and accomodate them?
It's an old adage, but it's still accurate. If you want to be a good leader you have to know how to follow. CA's should diligently attempt to be standard and they should require their crew to do so as well. I've never met a pain in the ass follower that suddenly morphed into a great leader. You may be the exception, but I doubt it.
Now I'm going to make a controversial statement. It has been my experience that pilots at the traditional major/legacy airlines are collectively more professional and more disciplined than their regional counterparts. That isn't to say regional pilots aren't professional. For the most part they are every bit as professional as their major counterparts. However, I've seen more unprofessional behavior at the regionals than I have at the majors. I say this as someone who has flown at both and who JS frequently on both. I don't know if the difference is a function of age (maturity), experience, corporate culture or the greater influence of pilots with a military back ground. It's a subtle difference, but it's still there. I know that will be an unpopular sentiment, but I stand by it. Flame suit on....
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