First of all it has always been my belief that Aviation is Aviators
Aviating - not airlines, nor manufacturers nor for the most part, magazines.
Aviation is simply pilots flying. Any other reference to the term is merely
parasitic - making money on the shoulders of others.
Now to the point:
I suggest you dial in "Flying Cheap" on PBS - I watched an article
on typing "PBS Buffalo - flying cheap" into Google. Perhaps there are better
ways unknown to me. The title is typically bad grammar, but the content is
revealing.
We all know that many professions (and I call flying several hundred
people through the air - professional - as it is professed publicly) in fact
sqweeze the regulations, fight to relieve the regulations, lie to regulators
- or manage to pervert proper behaviour without any regulations. I don't
need to suggest which. Most of the time we can't act on the knowledge of
these transgressions; sometimes there are penalties, legal threats, etc.
After 60-odd years in the air, I am compelled to draw attention to
the squalid conditions under which new flyers are forced to work. I am
ashamed of the industry - commercial aviation - which granted me such
freedom and responsibility while continuing to grant less and less to those
who follow.
Love of flying is probably one of the most common qualities drawing
people to the craft. That fact is not lost on present-day executives and
they continue to lie, cheat and steal the very standards, gnawing away at
one principle or another until the calling is a trash-heap.
Your review of the above topic I hope will I hope convince you of my
beliefs. With two sons, ex-military, now flying several hundred passengers a
day I am thankful that most of the practices outlined in the series have not
touched them.
In my case, and in one son's event with a now-extinct carrier, we
came into conflict on the principles of a government regulation on time on
duty and at the controls. In both cases, the disruption in service delayed
some of my passengers - simply because a low-level minion winked at the law
and then attempted to blame us. In my airline (a major) the flight
supervisor made a swift defence of my actions although the miscreant didn't
pay for his deeds. In my son's case the British-owned subsidiary attempted
to demand a seventeen-hour day on a fifteen hour limit. He was downgraded
but never left the captain's seat (at the hands of his immediate
supervisors. he sued for the pay and an apology. They settled out of court
but never admitted the sin. They folded and he had a Captain's job the
following morning with a better line.
Se what "Flying Cheap" does for your thoughts. - My apologies for
this.
Ferg
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