Airlines' Most Valuable Assets

Are the Passengers... 

Not the Slides.. 

Allegiant was in the news again. This time 60 Minutes addressing safety issues and numerous aircraft malfunctions and unscheduled malfunctions. 

The greatest safety issue is a safety culture 

that prevents pilots from coming forward 

and speaking out. 

These pilots fear for their jobs because the airline fired a captain for making a decision to evacuate. Allegiant's mistake... beyond firing this captain for doing his job... was also the thought process that deploying slides were more important than passengers. 

Engine Failures! 

Hydraulic Leaks! 

Rapid Depressurization! 

Smoke and Fire!

This is not initial training...

But real life!

One thing I can say for an airline with such an "aggressive business model" and maintenance issues such as Allegiant, is that these pilots are more than likely to be some of the best in the industry. The rest of of us only see these malfunctions during initial training (once in a lifetime), or recurrent... and that's in a simulator! 

While the startle effect is extremely difficult to train, Allegiant pilots are always on guard because they never know what to expect, and they must always be ready for something. What this means is an Allegiant pilot operates with an abnormal amount of stress, but this also would make them extremely alert. 

With all this said, on behalf of Captain Kinzer's decision to evacuate, he made the best decision possible, especially based upon the maintenance history of the airline. Captain Kinzer knew the history of maintenance at his airline, and the numbers of issues that prevailed daily. Based on this knowledge, his doing anything less would have been criminal. Safety first. 

Congratulations to Teamsters 

and Captain Daniel Wells 

for standing up to safety! 

Allegiant is not the only carrier that lacks a safety culture. Fear is rampant among many pilots, as speaking out results in many retaliatory tactics beyond being fired, and there are unions who look the other way. Safety Management Systems (SMS) are now mandated by the FAA. However, without a positive safety culture... And that means a reporting culture... SMS will be worthless. 

Anyone who has been fired,

 ordered to a mental health evaluation,

or simply harassed by line checks 

for reporting safety... 

Reach out. You are not alone. 

Help is within reach. 

If you See Something. Say Something! 

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene 

What In the World Is...

The World Airline Historical Society

EAL Radio Show Broadcast

Episode 361

April 16, 2018

Breaking NEWS: 

"The World's Busiest Airport Revealed" 

"New train System for LAX International Airport" 

"RAU Crash Investigation Focused On Wing Spar"

And then learn everything 

you ever wanted to know about the 

World Airline Historical Society! 

Call-in number is 

213-816-1611

at 7:00 P. M. EDT 

or listen in by clicking the hyperlink:

www.blogtalkradio.com/capteddie.

Enjoy the Journey!

XOX Karlene 

When Sex was Safe, but Aviation Dangerous

Maverick Boeing 707 operations

This week I connected with a Tower Pilot---Rusty! He's got an incredible story (actually many storiess) which was highlighted by his good fortune of being unemployed by Tower. But... more on Rusty this Friday. 

He sent me a link to a story on the Maverick Boeing 707 that was authored by his son, Toby.  An interesting and fun read....

Bombing Moscow

By Toby Aimer

Before the fundamentalist Muslim Iranian revolution in 1979, the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was looking to beef up ranching in his kingdom and willing to pay top dollar to anyone who would deliver quality livestock. This was a business opportunity not to miss.

In 1977, Santa Barbara pilot, a Canadian and an American businessman came up with the idea to specialize in transporting inseminated cows to Iran. The pitot had a burning ambition to own an airline and the Canadian businessman had the contacts to procure the livestock. They found a Californian rancher and land owner to invest in their company named Maverick International Airlines and financing to lease Boeing 707 jets from a broker..... 

To Read More 

Click Here

To Read More About Rusty
Return on Friday

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene 

Dirty Socks in the Flight Deck?

WARNING! 

Accident: Spirit A319 at Boston on Jul 17th 2015, 

fumes on board, captain died 50 days later

By Simon Hradecky, created Wednesday, Apr 4th 2018 10:14Z, last updated Wednesday, Apr 4th 2018 10:14Z

"A Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N519NK performing flight NK-708 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Boston,MA (USA), reached the top of descent into Boston when a strong odour of dirty socks occurred, both flight crew became aware of the odour. When ATC called to hand them off to the next frequency, both flight crew were unable to interprete the frequency and unable to select the new frequency until they finally managed to write it down after several repeats by air traffic control and process it from there. Operating increasingly erratically the first officer finally donned his oxygen mask, recovered a bit and recognized that the captain had sunk into his seat and was incapacitated. The first officer put the oxygen mask on the captain, too, who subsequently began to recover as well. The flight crew managed to land the aircraft without further incident, however, did not recall how they managed to land or taxi the aircraft.

Both flight crew continued two more sectors the next day after a night's rest at a hotel, then both pilots went to see doctors. The captain was diagnosed with internal bleeding and abnormal blood values consistent with ToCP poisoning. Both flight crew were sick with diarrhea, vomiting, tremors, body shakes and feeling of tiredness that began to subside only after a couple of days. 

The first officer returned to duty about a week later, the captain returned to duty a couple of days after the first officer, however, was described as unconcentrated and erratic throughout the following flights developing eye-hand coordination issues and increasingly unusual behaviour. 

On Sep 5th 2015, 50 days after the occurrence, the captain died. According to the captain's family the official cause of his passing was a heart attack.

Dr. Michel Mulder, a former airline pilot for KLM and Aviation Medical Examiner for the FAA, has spent the last 10 years on fundamental research regarding long term effects of exposure to contaminated air in jet aircraft. During this time he and a team of scientists, performed 6 post mortem studies of prematurely deceased cockpit and cabin personnel. Strangely enough all six candidates show similar neuro-degenerative damage to the brain, heart and peripheral nervous system. The heart showed a normally rare disease called a catecholamine mediated Lymphocytic Myocarditis (Taka Tsubo). This may give rise to heart rhythm disturbances or sudden heart failure (see the paper on "Autoantibody markers of neural degeneration are associated with post-mortem histopathological alterations of a neurologically injured pilot" by M.B. Abou-Donia, F.R.W. van de Goot and M.F.A. Mulder). 

Dr. Mulder thus stated:

"it is well known, that neurotoxic events produce myocarditis, and for that matter, myocarditis produces pulmonary embolism and sudden infarct/death."" 

To Read the full report Click Here

If you want to read the SAFO 
(Safety Alert For Operators)
Click Here. 

Enjoy the Journey 

And don't forget your Oxygen Mask!

XO Karlene 

OLD Pilots

Designing Old Cars...

The Results are amazing! 

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene

Fun and Flying....

Join Eastern Airlines Monday Radio Show

Join your Eastern Airlines Crew 

on the EAL Radio Show 

Episode 359 

TV shows, Songs, Commercials 

and memories of those who made us smile... 

Preview to what to expect...

ON TURNING 70

'I still chase women, but only downhill.'

ON TURNING 80

'That's the time of your life when even your birthday suit needs pressing.'

ON TURNING 90

'You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.'

ON TURNING 100

'I don't feel old. In fact, I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap.'

ON GIVING UP HIS EARLY CAREER, BOXING

'I ruined my hands in the ring. The referee kept stepping on them.'

ON NEVER WINNING AN OSCAR

'Welcome to the Academy Awards, or as it's called at my home, 'Passover.'

ON GOLF

'Golf is my profession. Show business is just to pay the green fees.'

ON PRESIDENTS

'I have performed for 12 presidents but entertained only six.'

ON WHY HE CHOSE SHOWBIZ FOR HIS CAREER

'When I was born, the doctor said to my mother, Congratulations, you have an eight pound ham.'

ON RECEIVING THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL

'I feel very humble, but I think I have the strength of character to fight it.'

ON HIS FAMILY'S EARLY POVERTY

'Four of us slept in the one bed. When it got cold, mother threw on another brother.'

ON HIS SIX BROTHERS

'That's how I learned to dance. Waiting for the bathroom.'

ON HIS EARLY FAILURES

'I would not have had anything to eat if it wasn't for the stuff the audience threw at me.'

ON GOING TO HEAVEN

'I've done benefits for ALL religions.

I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality.'

Join the Fun!

7 pm EDT

Call 213-816-1611

Where you can either listen or talk.

Or log on to listen at

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/capteddie

 Captain Neal Holland  ♦ Jim Hart 

*Captain Steve Thompson *Chuck Allbright * Linda Fuller

*Captain George Jehn*Dorothy Gagnon*Don Gagnon

Will be your hosts!

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene 

Happy Easter

I hope your is Easter Happy

 And Filled with Love

"Be Hoppy and Love Some Bunny!"