majority of pilots pencil whip??

[Timebuilder]

If by "honest" mistake, you mean an unintentional error that was not designed to mislead, and was overlooked by yourself and someone else while both of you were making a good faith effort to be correct?

Probably nothing.

 

[bigD]

The best defense against a negative generalization is to prevent the formation of the factual basis upon which it is built. The best defense is a good offense.

That's all very true, but I'd also hope that people would do their best to see through a stereotype and make the call on an individual basis. I can't stop people from cheating at other universities - all I can do is hold myself to a specific standard and hope that others don't undermine that via generalizations. Fortunately, I've found that most other pilots don't share in your feeling of justification in doing so.

Sorry everyone if this is slightly off topic - I'm just a sucker for a good discussion!

 

[avbug]

This kid that's accepting the WIA funds while falsifying his qualifications to get them...anybody point out to him that it's grand larceny and a federal offense?

Those are my tax dollars the little bastard is spending. He's taking my dollars to go earn a type to compete against me, and he's not even qualified for the job. I say hang him.

 

[Timebuilder]

all I can do is hold myself to a specific standard and hope that others don't undermine that via generalizations.

Actually, you can actively discourage such activity when it comes up in discussion. Say someone wants to sell you some test answers, or a term paper that you could submit as your own. The way you and your friends react can determine if the seller will continue this activity. If his contemporaries will express disdain, he may find the motivation to stop this behavior. The problem is that there is a culture of acceptance, and everyone in a peer group shares responsibility when something becomes acceptable which shouldn't be.

Stigma and shame are powerful motivators, and before it became politically unpopular to "judge" the behavior of others, these reactions were some of the best glue to ever keep a society together. Unfortunately, the post modern culture would rather we all make "our own" judgements about what is right and wrong, according to our situation. In the end, though, situational ethics are no ethics at all.

 

[bigD]

I agree with what you're saying. I guess I just never seem to find myself in a position to discourage cheating. Our professors encourage collaboration on assignments, although we're of course required to do our own work. It's a situation that's conducive to cheating, but it never happens. Or least it doesn't happen in a detectable manner. Physics majors tend to study physics because they want to learn physics - obviously nobody goes into it for the money and chicks! Looking at someone else's assignment for answers defeats the learning process.

Also, in the context of flying, I think career pilots tend to be more like physics majors. Most are doing it for reasons beyond the certificates alone. I know a lot of pilots in "my generation", and I can't think of one that would ever consider pencil whipping their logbook. Many of these may very well be willing to cheat on a college exam they don't care about. But I don't know - and I'm not going to assume they would merely because of their age.

 

[English]

My logbooks are my diaries and journals. They keep the memories of my time as a pilot. Comments when I was a student pilot mentioned crosswind landings, who I flew with, mechanical problems and the like. Proud comments about landing on the green dot at Oshkosh, my first flight to Mexico, and flying my parents for the first time. My first seaplane flight and my first and only flight in an airship. In my first two weeks as a pilot at a regional, flying to Montreal Canada, Freeport Bahamas, Marathon Florida and landing at LAX for the first time. And, flying for the first time with the person I was to eventually marry. It's my little personal history while a pilot, so to speak.

How can one pencil-whip something so personal? They'd never get the joy of looking back through the logbook and saying, "oh, I remember that flight!", with fond memories of the actual event. Instead, they'd always be wondering if that was an actual flight, or one they had made up.

It's not about the destination, but rather the journey.

 

[bobbysamd]

Pencil-whip it out

How can one pencil-whip something so personal? They'd never get the joy of looking back through the logbook and saying, "oh, I remember that flight!", with fond memories of the actual event. Instead, they'd always be wondering if that was an actual flight, or one they had made up.

It's not about the destination, but rather the journey.

But for some people, it's the destination, not the journey, that matters (P-F-T discussion, anyone? ).

A couple of elementary school memories:

Playing ball and the other team yell, "Cheaters, cheaters."

Or the old adage, "Cheaters never prosper, so don't cheat."

I believe there is a lot of truth in the antidote to anti-authority in the Five Hazardous Thought Processes in ADM. Follow the rules, they're usually right. Not following the rules catches up with you in the end, one way or the other.

 

[J41 Pilot]

I lost my job because I was 300 hours shy of meeting the total time requirements for a particular corporate management company. Some people had suggested that I just go ahead and pencil whip the time in order to be approved. I didn't feel comfortable doing it for many of the reasons stated in previous posts. Now, three and a half months later still looking for a flying job, I feel that I made the right decision.

 

[TXCAP4228]

I always like to hear avbug's thoughts. This time it was no different. I am still laughing - even though I know its not a laughing matter.

English, I was thinking exactly what you said. My logbook may not have thousands of hours in it but each one is mine. Every once in a while a non-pilot friend will pick up my log book and flip through it.... I tell them that its more than just numbers and letter on a page. Some of the greatest memories in my life are in there.

Integrity matters. But it really matters when it costs you something.

 

[52vincent]

When it comes down to it, it should'nt be a matter of whipping out a pencil and fabricating hours to qualify for a particular job. Morality alone should be reason enough not to lie in one's logbook.
I could'nt do it if I wanted to!!
However all that said, unfortunatly GREED does get the better part of some people even if does involve possibly endangering the lives of thousand of unsuspecting people.
Would you want to be a passenger on a flight of someone who just shipped up a few hundred hours in their logbook simply to land that dream job. Sure he or she may have made it through the interview and sim rides and whatever else is involved to land that job (ignorance is now showing cause I do not know what is involved have not had the opportunity ). However as mentioned before IT will all catch up with them sooner or later, and it may involve the lives of innocent people.

Don't do it, it is'nt worth it!!