Be nice or be safe?

[onemorepilot]

Thanks for the support everyone.

"Courageous self leader" and "Execute to standard" are words that ring true with me.

 

 

[2007]

Be both!

Courageous Self Leader, executing to standard, safety first.....all great catch phrases.

Be a professional pilot.

[Blackmac]

20 hours ago, RDM 1 said:

Wow how we get old. I remember when this site started many years ago. I believe I was member 29 or close to it and a moderator. Lost the login, old email address and password so here I go again RDM 1. 

Old members like Blackmac, CTD, Winnie, DJ61 and even Bladestike were all here. Fun days with a lot of jousting. Forum has somewhat changed since then and slowed down. 

I still visit occasionally but a search of my old login (RDM) has shown my last post in 2009?!

Regardles, this topic struck a cord with me. 

The original poster commented that 

I believe after 30+  years in the business some things you must FIGHT FOR, as a PIC / Capt you will be challenged on many many aspects of the job. Weather, Customer, maintenance the list can go on. But your job is to challenge that if you feel safety is at risk for any reason. That is why you have the license and privilege to do so. 

In my career of 18k I had to many safety challenges to remeber. But from day one my old and I mean old instructor and mentor said.... "Ask or you fail for not asking". I lived by that and sit thinking I had the right to challenge and it saved my behind so many times. Also, remember that at times you may make a challenge and it may be proven wrong. I had to be educated more then once on - maintenance, duty times, regs, limits etc etc. But, yet I asked. A good operator will just clarify your point with no predigust and you both move on.

But if I may, if the point is really strong and you disagree (your right) be sure to catalogue it. 

Short story....

I joined company xxx coming from a totally VFR company. I was a  helmet user from day one. The owner then president of the new organization  was a stand up man the best. But his marketing twit (ex pilot) was about image. In my first week after a spray job I was tasked to do a VIP trip. Customers arrived I greeted them and moved to the AC, as I was walking to the AC twit approached me and said you can not fly with a helmet as it will make them feel (VIPs) unsafe. No problem, I handed him my brain dome and walked toward the hanger (lmao right now as I will never forget his expression) twit says:  "were are you going" me: "be right back, have to make a call". And I did... called wife at work "darling, make a call. Inform our legal counsel that at this moment I am refusing a flight for personal safety readons and if I am wrongfully dismissed we have it documented" 

Proceeded back to hangar floor, twit is now in a spin. "Where were you?" Me" on phone with my lawyer" him: "why?" Me "you figure it out!"

The look was worth it.  By this time the owner was down.... the story was told in seclusion of the client. 

Moral of story  I challenged what I thought I should fight for... the  "twit" who needed to be educated on safety.  The owner backed me 100+ percent and i still and he will always be a man I respect. The "twit" had to move one shortly after because he never could he educated.  

Well, I can still rant.

 

RDM, good to hear from you and joining the ranting club or what's left of it.

My personal RANT is with Transport Aviation Canada and their total outlook on Aviation. His Majesty still applies the same regulations to the whole industry for whatever reason, only he knows. Being a little long in the tooth I can remember when Transport and the aviation industry could communicate and negotiate. For some unknown reason Transport seem to think that H-A-C is a representative for the whole Helicopter Industry. H-A-C only  represents the owners of the individual companies.

H-A-C does not represent the Pilots and Aircraft Maintenance Engineers or Apprentices.

H-A-C only worries about the "Owners Club".

The recent spate of accidents can only be blamed and laid at the door of TCA's incompetence.

Get rid of the Inspection Department and go to ISO Standards. Then hopefully we can get rid of the Dictatorship. 

ADVISE YOUR FEDERAL MP, it is long overdue that Transport Canada be audited by PARLIAMENT.   

[putz]

One more pilot,

what has worked for me in these types of STANDARD FOR TYPE, ITS FINE,DONT WORRY ABOUT IT RESPONSES.

Just tell the DOM okay perfect,let’s go back the nut off and WE will go flying like that.

It is amazing how quickly you will find out if it really is an issue when buddy has to strap his *** into the seat

worked with an engineer once who refused to do maintenance flights after he was involved with whatever was done to heli.

Guess how many maintenance flights I did for him........

[GrayHorizons]

What was his history? Had he been involved in an accident? Scared of heights? I think theres more to it than him just refusing for no reason.

How did the aircraft get past the maintenance flight? Was a satisfactory one not a requirement for the maintenance release? How did that get signed out? 

 

[old]

2 hours ago, putz said:

One more pilot,

what has worked for me in these types of STANDARD FOR TYPE, ITS FINE,DONT WORRY ABOUT IT RESPONSES.

Just tell the DOM okay perfect,let’s go back the nut off and WE will go flying like that.

It is amazing how quickly you will find out if it really is an issue when buddy has to strap his *** into the seat

worked with an engineer once who refused to do maintenance flights after he was involved with whatever was done to heli.

Guess how many maintenance flights I did for him........

It’s actually not a maintenance flight. It’s a test flight that requires a pilot only. Maybe he has 4 more aircraft to work on. 

[Phil Croucher]

Hey Ronnie - how are you! Long time no hear!

With regard to the original post, a short cut eventually becomes a violation and difficult to support in court, always remembering that one definition of a jury is 12 people not smart enough to get out of it.... Who assume that, because you are in aviation, you are a) rich and b) insured.

Having had some good sport with stand up arguments in the offices of Northern Mountain, I can report that there are times when you have to say STOP! In the case of NM it was to do with front passengers flying without shoulder straps. Neither would I leave the seat of a running helicopter* to refuel when there was a perfectly good first aid guy sitting in his truck who could give me a running refuel.

*There are times when you might do that in the Arctic, but not for the convenience of a customer.....

In my role as a CRM Instructor over in Europe (for which I use a great deal of my Canadian experiences), I have to point out that we are here for money, for which safety is a very close second (if we wanted absolute safety, we wouldn't take off at all), so an element of risk management is required, and captain's decisions, as opposed to pilot decisions, because it's often safer to take what a jury would consider to be the "wrong" way (for example, downwind with clear access, or into wind where the fire trucks can't get to you?) .

As an example of what I would call a captain's decision, we had a 206L whose N1 gauge was sticky in cold weather, in that it didn't run until the engine was warm, so how do you start it? The answer is that you open the throttle when the blades start turning just on battery power, after which everything was fine. That, to me is on the margin of being acceptable to getting a job done in a remote place without endangering safety.

Cheers and hi to everyone who knows me (RIP Cap!)

Phil