About Good Pilots and Bad Pilots

"Jim Macklin" wrote in message
The 121 pilots have a full support staff to help with flight
planning and a crew to bring and serve the coffee. The 135
charter pilot has the best and worst job, gets paid to fly
pretty good airplanes but has to carry the luggage, do all
the flight planning, brew and serve the coffee, and clean
the potty.

Essentially accurate, although you've selected the grandest of 121 for
comparison against the worst of 135 (Pt 121 freighters don't have anyone to
prepare your meals or coffee, and I've flown for excellent Pt 135 airlines
that used canned flight plans and had people to load the luggage, even on
planes so small they had no coffeemaker or head). Having done both, I can
see this, but others may be misled. The overarching point is that your
earlier comments were unconnected. In my earlier post, I acknowledged that
my good dose of good luck had a lot to do with "...professional airline
maintenance staff and required routine maintenance...", to which you replied
with cautions about owners not allowing mechanics to fix things due to
expense, etc., etc. These things can and do occur among the amateurs and
the lower order of commercial operators, but I think my post was pretty
clear in that I was referring to the airline environment.

Truth is, whether government or airlines, or just the repair
station on the field, maintenance depends on budget and
ethics. Some people won't spend the money and have no
ethics.
Scheduled 121 and 135 are one type of operation, on-demand
135 is another. Part 91 owner flown and part 91
professionally flown is also another. A owner with
knowledge, perhaps a pilot perhaps not is one thing, an
owner with only money and a cheap shop without ethics may be
very happy with his airplane [ for a while] but the cost of
an airplane and the quality of a mechanic, pilot or other,
depends on everybody really doing their job at the highest
possible standard.

Just to tell you about one incident I was personally
involved with years ago... a part 135 mail/freight operator
with a Beech 58 Baron put his airplane in our heated hanger
to remove about 2 inches of ice from the storm that had gone
through over night. I saw the airplane in the hanger and a
quick external check showed these conditions...
The rubber on the tail deice boots was gone, just fabric
left, both sides.
The deice boots on the wings had many large holes and tears
The left engine cowling was burned and warped from the heat
of the fire, there was oil dripping from the cowling and it
appeared to have been on burned.
The anti-ice elements on the props were partially detached.
Tires were flat spotted with cord showing.

The plane left that night even though the FAA did see it,
but the FAA went home at 4:30.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"John Gaquin" wrote in message
. ..
|
| "Jim Macklin" wrote
in message
| The 121 pilots have a full support staff to help with
flight
| planning and a crew to bring and serve the coffee. The
135
| charter pilot has the best and worst job, gets paid to
fly
| pretty good airplanes but has to carry the luggage, do
all
| the flight planning, brew and serve the coffee, and
clean
| the potty.
|
| Essentially accurate, although you've selected the
grandest of 121 for
| comparison against the worst of 135 (Pt 121 freighters
don't have anyone to
| prepare your meals or coffee, and I've flown for excellent
Pt 135 airlines
| that used canned flight plans and had people to load the
luggage, even on
| planes so small they had no coffeemaker or head). Having
done both, I can
| see this, but others may be misled. The overarching point
is that your
| earlier comments were unconnected. In my earlier post, I
acknowledged that
| my good dose of good luck had a lot to do with
"...professional airline
| maintenance staff and required routine maintenance...", to
which you replied
| with cautions about owners not allowing mechanics to fix
things due to
| expense, etc., etc. These things can and do occur among
the amateurs and
| the lower order of commercial operators, but I think my
post was pretty
| clear in that I was referring to the airline environment.
|
|

"Jim Macklin" wrote in message
news:K8nKf.101008$4l5.24143@dukeread05...

Did I miss something somewhere, Jim? Why do you continue to belabor this
unrelated point? I offered kudos to the airline maintenance people that
contributed to my overall career safety, and you responded by commenting
that unscrupulous amateurs often scrimp on maintenance. Not only does this
have no bearing on my original comment, but it is a fact well known to all
that needs no further demonstration. What am I missing here?

The people I was talking about were professional, at FAA
certified repair stations and the airplanes were most often
professionally flown. The owner flown airplanes were often
flown by people who wanted the best maintenance but those
professional shops cut corners to "get the work out the
door."

I think it is related, but since you seem to be upset, I
won't mention it again for a few days.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"John Gaquin" wrote in message
...
|
| "Jim Macklin" wrote
in message
| news:K8nKf.101008$4l5.24143@dukeread05...
|
| Did I miss something somewhere, Jim? Why do you continue
to belabor this
| unrelated point? I offered kudos to the airline
maintenance people that
| contributed to my overall career safety, and you responded
by commenting
| that unscrupulous amateurs often scrimp on maintenance.
Not only does this
| have no bearing on my original comment, but it is a fact
well known to all
| that needs no further demonstration. What am I missing
here?
|
|

"Jim Macklin" wrote in message

The people I was talking about were professional,.....

Anyone who requests or provides shoddy maintenance in the manner you've
described is an amateur, regardless of whether or not they are paid for
their activities.

I think it is related, but since you seem to be upset,

Not upset, just trying to sense where your remarks fit with my comments
regarding airline (121) maintenance.

"John Gaquin" wrote in message
...

"Jim Macklin" wrote in message

The people I was talking about were professional,.....

Anyone who requests or provides shoddy maintenance in the manner you've
described is an amateur, regardless of whether or not they are paid for
their activities.

Wasn't aware that 'amateur' or 'professional' indicated quality. Hadn't
noticed that in my 56 years.

I think it is related, but since you seem to be upset,

Not upset, just trying to sense where your remarks fit with my comments
regarding airline (121) maintenance.

"Dave Stadt" wrote in message

Wasn't aware that 'amateur' or 'professional' indicated quality. Hadn't
noticed that in my 56 years.

Oh, Absolutely! There are many very professional pilots flying a variety
of SELs on weekends, while there are also some very amateur people driving
Boeings for large salaries. And I chose the word 'driving' carefully.

If they are paid, they are professional, if they do
intentionally shoddy work they are unethical and criminal.



"John Gaquin" wrote in message
...
|
| "Jim Macklin" wrote
in message
|
| The people I was talking about were professional,.....
|
| Anyone who requests or provides shoddy maintenance in the
manner you've
| described is an amateur, regardless of whether or not they
are paid for
| their activities.
|
| I think it is related, but since you seem to be upset,
|
| Not upset, just trying to sense where your remarks fit
with my comments
| regarding airline (121) maintenance.
|
|

"Jim Macklin" wrote in

If they are paid, they are professional,

No. If they are paid, they are paid, that's all. Professionalism comes
from within. If their interest and concern with job performance corresponds
only to the number of dollars they're paid, they're whores.