Sully to the rescue again!

[Abernathy]

Sorry but don't agree w/ the 'great' Sully! At ASA We have a damn good safety record, and safety is stressed. We do have our problems once in while, like ALL airlines do, including the majors. Could some things be improved? Of course they can, and they're being addressed.

safety is "stressed" everywhere. even mcdonalds..

 

[Microclimates]

Yup I am sick and tired of everyone assuming flying regionals is signing your life away.

first off, statistically speaking the highest threat to a flight is in the terminal environment. A regional pilot spends 70% of their flight time in the terminal environment. A unical pilot does blasts off to read the paper at 370 and lands once 8 hours later... yet nobody adjusts the accidents stats for this very basic factor. I would bet that if they did, it might even turn out that regional pilots are safer :0 . They are most likely more proficient/ current... how many approaches does a mainline pilot fly in a month?

Secondly. I was dumbseating on UAL LAX-JFK and snoozing happily until I felt a missed approach. turned out we had a flaps disagree that needed to be addressed. I was very surprised by how quickly that flight deck came apart procedure-wise, it was truly asses and elbows. not what I was expecting from the mighty legacy pilots/training/procedures...

just sayin.

Thirdly, the past 5 or 6 years have seen quite a few close calls by the legacies: the fact that nobody died was dumb luck: AA in Puerto Rico running off the end of the runway, AA in ORD running off the end of the runway and onto 32L, Co in DEN...

 

[IBNAV8R]

I guess that's why there's a separate FAR 121 subpart just for regionals. Separate FAA too.

 

[HA25]

Yup I am sick and tired of everyone assuming flying regionals is signing your life away.

first off, statistically speaking the highest threat to a flight is in the terminal environment. A regional pilot spends 70% of their flight time in the terminal environment. A unical pilot does blasts off to read the paper at 370 and lands once 8 hours later... yet nobody adjusts the accidents stats for this very basic factor. I would bet that if they did, it might even turn out that regional pilots are safer :0 . They are most likely more proficient/ current... how many approaches does a mainline pilot fly in a month?

Secondly. I was dumbseating on UAL LAX-JFK and snoozing happily until I felt a missed approach. turned out we had a flaps disagree that needed to be addressed. I was very surprised by how quickly that flight deck came apart procedure-wise, it was truly asses and elbows. not what I was expecting from the mighty legacy pilots/training/procedures...

just sayin.

Thirdly, the past 5 or 6 years have seen quite a few close calls by the legacies: the fact that nobody died was dumb luck: AA in Puerto Rico running off the end of the runway, AA in ORD running off the end of the runway and onto 32L, Co in DEN...

as often as you're flying approaches, you should me MORE proficient and not less... therefore safer.

Most international pilots (myself included) get maybe 2-3 landings a months and maybe a true instrument approach once at a month at most.. how many wide body jets do you see crashing all over the world?

 

[temcgrew]

The way I see it, Airline Pilots are tradespeople. Much like welders, carpenters, computer programmers, etc.- we seek the maximum amount of compensation we can for the skill provided. As a result, the airlines that pay the most get the choice applicants, or as I call it, the "cream of the crop". As wages decrease towards the lower regionals, the resume' pile shortens. Thusly, the airlines that pay the least end up with the leftovers, or as I term it, the "cream of the CRAP". That's where the similation between safety and pay comes in.

I can't disagree more. As a third generation airline pilot, you should know that majors don't hire the "best of the best". They hire by internal recommendations. The majors have more applicants because they pay better but that doesn't mean they get the cream of the crop of those applicants. When I worked for a regional, I saw plenty of pilots get on with the majors who were horrible pilots with crappy work ethics while the respected pilots got shot down time and time again. I also saw guys with connections get hired with bare bones minimums while guys with 10,000 hours couldn't even get an interview! It's who you know, and nothing else. If you want to stroke your own ego then keep believing.

 

[HA25]

I can't disagree more. As a third generation airline pilot, you should know that majors don't hire the "best of the best". They hire by internal recommendations. The majors have more applicants because they pay better but that doesn't mean they get the cream of the crop of those applicants. When I worked for a regional, I saw plenty of pilots get on with the majors who were horrible pilots with crappy work ethics while the respected pilots got shot down time and time again. I also saw guys with connections get hired with bare bones minimums while guys with 10,000 hours couldn't even get an interview! It's who you know, and nothing else. If you want to stroke your own ego then keep believing.

sadly, this is very true. I really wish this wasn't the case.

 

[inline]

so if it was on Fox, it would have been more true? eh?

Here we go again......another leftwinger with Foxphobia. Of course you and your ilk never ever admit that Fox,talk radio and the Internet is the only outlet for a contrary opinion. The Barry Hussein worshiping press is alive and well at CBS,NBC,Abc,PBS,NPR,and virtually every major newspaper in the U.S.

 

[HA25]

Here we go again......another leftwinger with Foxphobia. Of course you and your ilk never ever admit that Fox,talk radio and the Internet is the only outlet for a contrary opinion. The Barry Hussein worshiping press is alive and well at CBS,NBC,Abc,PBS,NPR,and virtually every major newspaper in the U.S.

not left or right... just smart. I get my news from all sources and take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Dan Roman]

not left or right... just smart. I get my news from all sources and take it with a grain of salt.

FMS.....1
Inline...0

Funny how people think a station that comes up with an "alternate" version of the news is a good thing. Wouldn't you have to twist the truth if you want to come up with an "alternate" version of the news?
I remember when the news was just that and there wasn't so many people out there trying to spin it 24 hours a day.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

There are a lot of very experienced, professional and dedicated pilots at the regional level as well, I think it is a disservice to cover all pilots working at the regionals (not by choice in many cases, mind you) with the same blanket.

 

[HA25]

There are a lot of very experienced, professional and dedicated pilots at the regional level as well, I think it is a disservice to cover all pilots working at the regionals (not by choice in many cases, mind you) with the same blanket.

It's not so much the pilots as it is the system that they work under. The corporate culture, the resources, the budget of the major airline training machine can't be matched by the commuter airline.

 

[Dan Roman]

What Dumb and FMS said. Obviously the Regional pilots are highly skilled. They operate in and out of the smallest, worst equipped airports and in and out of the largest terminal areas in all kinds of weather 365 days a year.
I think what Sully is saying, is the Regional airlines don't operate at the same level of safety because of the constant need to undercut each other to bid on flying. The don't have the same level of training as the larger carriers, their pilots don't get the same level of crew rest (Mesa pilot's sleeping on the airplane? wtf) and it is an entry level flying job so they do get a lot of very low time pilot's sitting in the right seat.

 

[waveflyer]

What Dumb and FMS said. Obviously the Regional pilots are highly skilled. They operate in and out of the smallest, worst equipped airports and in and out of the largest terminal areas in all kinds of weather 365 days a year.
I think what Sully is saying, is the Regional airlines don't operate at the same level of safety because of the constant need to undercut each other to bid on flying. The don't have the same level of training as the larger carriers, their pilots don't get the same level of crew rest (Mesa pilot's sleeping on the airplane? wtf) and it is an entry level flying job so they do get a lot of very low time pilot's sitting in the right seat.

Dan, just wanted to take this opportunity to agree with you. as an ex commuter and regional pilot, well said- though some of the real large regionals have excellent training, many don't and any money they spend on it is a liability come the next contract- so safety on the training end is debatable- the schedules are not- they were ridiculously unsustainable at every commuter or regional I've flown for

 

[Freebrd]

There are a lot of very experienced, professional and dedicated pilots at the regional level as well, I think it is a disservice to cover all pilots working at the regionals (not by choice in many cases, mind you) with the same blanket.

This! That's what I meant when I stated I disagreed w/ Sully. ASA has excellent training, but I understand not all regionals have excellent training also.

 

[Full of LUV]

This! That's what I meant when I stated I disagreed w/ Sully. ASA has excellent training, but I understand not all regionals have excellent training also.

Got it, ASA rocks.....now how do I schedule my flights to ONLY fly ASA as my Delta subcontractor in the future?