Thanks for your support and ideas, ranging from costructive simulator
sessions to matching with a strong CRM Captain, to dismissal.
Some of you wanted some more detail:
His last major incident related to an approach into an island airport where
he was hot and high, but persisted with the approach despite all the crew
telling him to go around. The skid marks on the runway finish feet from the end.
The incident prior to that related to an approach into an airport with fog.
The first approach was unsuccessful and despite the crew telling him he
should divert due to a low fuel state, he made another approach to another
runway, which he missed. On the divert he had to land downwind, as he had
insufficient fuel to make an approach into wind.
Both these are well documented and he received considerable re-training
after each event. On the last one it was made clear to him and this is
documented that another incident it would be "Don't come Monday"
However the most recent incident is one where he took off without a cabin
clearance, when the canin crew were still in the middle of the emergency
brief. He broke rules and injured one FA, but in the subsequent inquiry he
maitains that the call from the Cabin Manager was the cabin clearance, and
so in his mind he has done nothing wrong. Some of the facts are clouded as
well, so one can see that it is not quite as clear cut a decision for Flight
Ops Management to send him home for good.
His union (we have 3 unions for a 600 pilot group) are supportive of the
company in trying to rectify his "problems", but he is twisting the facts
and fits very clearly into the summary that Tony Kern made last year in our
discussion.
He is not a friend of the management, as some have suggested, but the way
our mangement structure is, Line Operations make decisions relating to Line
Pilots, and the Training deptartment, of which I am a member, just train to
the specs that Line make. We have little control over the issue of firing.
Some have asked whether he thinks he is a rogue, but as I mentioned denial
is very high on his emotions list, in his mind he has done nothing wrong, in
his mind and he tells all who will listen that the incident a few yeas ago,
would have been much bigger if it hadn't have been for his great "pair of
hands"!!!!
Greg Deen said "A member of this group, Patricia Anderjsen (I'm sorry for
the spelling), of KLM, has the only program I've seen that has a process
with which to
succeed."
Does anyone know how to make contact with Patricia please?
Thanks for your help, I'll keep you all informed as to the outcome. Someone
has to make a stand at some stage I feel, or we will have another Bud
Holland I feel.
Cheers,
Chris K