Deregulation ?

[Freewheel]

Money and greed vs safety. It can work! But hold on!

 

The advocates for the SMS system believe in a perfect world where business will accept operating losses in the face of long term safety improvements ." Good maintenance is good for business" -business with piles of money put in to fix problems preventively may work only when there is an infrastructure in place in and the CEO or president is not the SMS guy too.

 

SMS guy working in a small feet operation reports a problem goes to his boss for cash to fix it and guess what- no money!! He cannot force his safety beliefs on the boss of the small business.

 

SMS does work under situations of just business culture and a large enough corporation with the means.

 

SMS does not work for the majority of small operators. The bottom line -short term or the means out balances the process.

 

Miss guided willfull blindness if one believes that human nature and greed wont push the limits.

 

Seen it happen over and over! Saw one company years ago run a set of MR blades down to the last hour, miracle they didn't come apart- just to squeeze the last drop of rev out of the deal .. Why because bell said they would go 5000 hrs. The chief engineer left over the issue and would have no part of it. So another chief engineer was hired.

 

 

 

P5

 

Are you implying these very same problems didn't exist prior to the introduction of SMS? It is true that TC views SMS as a means of reducing oversight, cutting costs to their organization and requiring less inspectors, but this has nothing to do with the principles of SMS in aviation, or industr (internationally). Not all aviation authorities have taken the same approach as TC. For some reason TC always portrays themselves as global leaders in aviation safety and find ways to differ from the international standards for safety. Less oversight by the regulator is not a principe of SMS as per ICAO, it's purely a Canadian spin on SMS. SMS is meant to be an Additional layer of safety, to be used alongside traditional oversight. The reduction in oversight is as a result of cutbacks and the culture that exists at TC...where diies this culture come from? The politicians and executives at the top of the organization(just as an AE sets a culture at an aviation company, these individuals have a huge influence on the industry wide culture that you are discussing.) The structure if the organization is also flawed. To me these issues you discuss have nothing to do with SMS, but stem from TC and their organization. Until this changes, SMS implementation will be difficult; the cultures that exist will also never change....

[pilot5]

Free wheel. I agree with the points you make however I still concede that SMS is a useful tool for larger companies but it won't work for the smaller ones. A reversion to the hiring of more inspectors is the only way to assure greater over site of the small operators and assure compliance.

 

P5

 

[lineworker]

I love that African analogy!!

 

Good story I can hear Samuel L. Jackson narrating....

 

Why does everyone say, 'are you implying' then further a theoretical argument?

 

I don't know, but it's what keeps me coming back here, time after time.

[Freewheel]

By the way I have a set of 206 L blades with 6 hours left in storage. They are perfectly serviceable but I guess I should throw them away??? What about the next time a pilot has an "oops"? I would have no issue with using these blades to get him back to the base (as opposed to leaving the aircraft in the bush) until I can get my hands on new blades (which are in short supply).

 

Also what about the fact bell extended the life on certain serial number blades by 400 hours last year? I guess this was an unsafe practice?

 

Many operators would have been grounded for months because of the short supply. This was due to the fact that a certain batch of serial numbers were found to have voids and were literally blowing apart (despite being at half life with regards in hours in service).

 

You are right just cause the book says its a tiger doesn't mean that it is. SMS isn't just about safety it's also about business. Specifically how we manage risk without completely shutting down operations and laying off pilots like you...

 

 

[helicopterjim]

By the way I have a set of 206 L blades with 6 hours left in storage. They are perfectly serviceable but I guess I should throw them away??? What about the next time a pilot has an "oops"? I would have no issue with using these blades to get him back to the base (as opposed to leaving the aircraft in the bush) until I can get my hands on new blades (which are in short supply).

 

Also what about the fact bell extended the life on certain serial number blades by 400 hours last year? I guess this was an unsafe practice?

 

Many operators would have been grounded for months because of the short supply. This was due to the fact that a certain batch of serial numbers were found to have voids and were literally blowing apart (despite being at half life with regards in hours in service).

 

You are right just cause the book says its a tiger doesn't mean that it is. SMS isn't just about safety it's also about business. Specifically how we manage risk without completely shutting down operations and laying off pilots like you...

 

 

After all the stupid stuff I said ... someone comes along and says it right!

 

Thank you!

[Bizzo]

Since the introduction of SMS and all the safety seminars the accident rate in the helicopter industry is going up. Where did common sense go? I started my career in aviation in 1964 first fixed wing then helicopter and have managed 48 years without incident and not because of SMS. The road that aviation is going down has become tiring and extremely stressful and most of us older pilots finding very hard to deal with. Lets go back to basics A-N-C

 

Transport Canada needs an overhaul and maybe they should pull there head out of there *** and bring in some people from our industry and not the military. Paper work and SMS isn't what keeps the rotors out of the trees COMMON SENSE DOES

 

Nail on the head!!!

[pilot5]

There you have it the truth comes out in the end. You'd think that in the 21 st century we could do away with the politically correct crap and just say it like it is. Perhaps the reason for my personal un popularity. Sorry not changing!!! Live with it! I do!

 

p5