Pilots Fired!

For Just Cause! 

And Guess what they did to deserve this...

 June 24, 2015

Watch the Video:  

Pilots Thinking with the Wrong Head! 

Enjoy the Journey
XO Karlene 

N61FC

Fact of Fiction... 

"A CFI tried to register a flying carpet with the FAA. They called him and said "a carpet can't fly!", so he responded "Not until it's registered it can't!" So the FAA, showing a sense of humor (since surgically removed) allowed the registration to go ahead as "experimental, home-built", and N61FC is now in a hangar in California with it's "N" number stitched in the side in accordance with the FAA regulations.

 

No word yet on whether it's made it's maiden flight or the identity of the test pilot, but its registration was renewed recently..."

 

So this story was sent to me, stating it was presented as a joke. But of course I had to search out the registration number and this is what I found:  N61FC

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene

Richard Westgate

Respects to British Airways pilot.

Richard Westgate 

passed 2012

My friend Mark shared the following story with me. Mark was set to be today's Friday Flyer, but we shall meet him next week. Today is to honor the life of a pilot.

"We all have all have a dream a vision, that moment, is from the moment we fly solo for first time and, the rush the smile the laugh we have after. I remember mine, and, thoughts of Earl Restorick and his thoughts at time, forever in thoughts."  

Mark Restorik

In memory of... a pilot.

"Richard was born in 1969, one of twins and grew up on a strawberry farm in a small village in Dorset. The farm and country upbringing gave Richard the ability to explore and appreciate nature. Perhaps it was no coincidence that his first interest was ornithology?

From the village school he went to Shaftesbury Grammar school with his twin brother and the competition and rivalry between them propelled them to both excel. Some rather ambitious schoolteachers lead a party out parachute jumping in the last week of term at the end of O-levels, and this was to be Richard’s first taste of flight.

After A-Levels, he went to Sheffield University to read astronomy and astrophysics, but dropped out in the first week as he realised he was the only normal person in the lecture Hall and fell back to zoology, botany and geology, by his own admission a ‘colouring in’ degree but full of regular people. More importantly for Richard, Sheffield was near the Peak District, and he joined the University Hang-gliding club. That soon gave him the chance to try paragliding and he found his calling – free flight

Work wise, he had a list of temporary jobs that didn’t suit him. He tried selling encyclopaedia Britannica, but his only order was cancelled. He trained to be a financial adviser, but was too compassionate for his clients, and didn’t make enough for himself.

In the mean time, he was getting rather good at paragliding, and bought one of the first generation of tandem wings and had started taking a few local, then National and European distance records. His first world record attempt was in 1995 in the South African wilderness, and he achieved 2 World Records for tandem paragliding, for a 200km distance flight and a climb reaching almost 20,000ft.

Despite his farming background, flight was just in his blood, and he knew he had to fly as his career. His Family supported his ambition to obtain his Commercial licence and after 18 months of training, he started with Manx Airlines in 1998. Manx then became Citi Express and was later bought by British Airways to become BA Connect. Richard flew from Manchester, Birmingham and Southampton and gained his command on the Embraer in 2005 before joining Mainline British Airways in 2007, flying the Airbus A320 from London Heathrow. With BA he had stability and was able to purchase his first house in Marlborough, an hours drive from work, but surrounded by stunning paragliding sites.

Time as an airline captain gave him many benefits, enough spending money and time off to follow his real passion, free flight. His 1995 World Record for paragliding distance was soon broken, so he organised expeditions to get it back, and succeeded not once, but twice, in 2000 in Brazil (220km) and 2006 in South Africa (356km). Richard also gained 2 more distance World Records, for flights to a defined goal in 2000, to make 5 FAI records in total. His records for height gain and free distance still stand today.

Richard believed that success could not be bought, but came from hard work, his paraglider success was largely a function of his tireless enthusiasm to lead from the front and push the boundaries of what was possible. He believed that every task had a critical mass and those who flew with him made his own goals easier to achieve." (The details of Richard's story and photos were pulled from his RIP facebook page)
 

"May you, Richard be fl 000 and a heaven we aviators dream, and respect for those that still show their path in contrails and in looking up, for my thoughts also very with you and those that still, my head raised in salute to all, bon chance."

"After a medical examination Richard westgate's symptoms showed "he were of an individual who has latter stages of multiple sclerosis based on, nerve numbness, limb and mental function."

Toxic fumes in the Airplane

 

"In, the topical news magazine "tonight: itv, the parents along with scientific/ specialists, the parents openly spoke of, their son Richard aged 43.  The Queens coroner for oxfordshire, sheriff Stanhope - payne presiding, opened, and adjourned, the case pending investigations, and release/ allow burial cremation...

To date, sheriff Stanhope - payne, has based on testimony from former and current aircrew, and passengers, has sent warrants to the c.a.a. and British Airways. The warrants for, evidence, are based on alarming / dangerous episodes that, have, or, likely to cause, death or emergency, on this case both c.a.a. and B.A. refused to reply" 

Fume evens are extremely rare?

The coroner sheriff Stanhope- Payne, has not completed, his investigation, and that, investigations are on going through scientific research....

Looking for Stories

As you can see the litigation is still underway as to why Richard passed. But today we shall remember how he lived... with love and passion.  And the family is looking for stories to share with his Godchildren and nephews. If you knew Richard and have something to contribute... you can contact the family HERE.

 Rest In Peace Richard!

Enjoy the Journey, 

You never know if it will be cut short!

XO Karlene

Go Around!

Pilots, If it doesn't look good...

Go Around and Try Again!

As pilots we are trained to do the best we can, make the best decisions possible, and if it doesn't look good get out of there! Meaning go around and do it again. 

Do not react from Fear.

Do not react to immediate gratification 

by forcing something that does not work!

If you are high, fast, off course, and destabilized, it's time to abort this attempt, miss the approach, and go around. Professional pilots do NOT Force a bad approach!

If a fellow crewmember was screaming at you to land in unsafe conditions, how would you respond? 

For me, I would say "NO"

Go-around and do it again. 

And do not allow anyone to coerce you into flying sick!

 

 
Enjoy the Journey!
XO Karlene

Immediate Gratification and Contract Negotiations

 Would you rather have $1 million dollars today or a penny compounded daily for a month?

If you choose that million, you will be leaving $4,368,709.12 on the table.  

 (To see the compounding table click HERE)

Many airlines are in the middle of contract negotiations, and with that they will use the tactic to throw up front money your way and demand an immediate answer. They will then create fear of what might happen if you don't take it. 

Caveat emptor ~ Let the Buyer beware. 

If someone is anxious, 

and demanding to sell you something great...

You might want to take a closer look 

at what you are buying. 

Don't Fly Sick!
Don't react due to Fear!

Fly Safe and make good decisions! 

VOTE 
NO 
"TODAY!"  

I did! Did you?

 Enjoy the Journey!
XO Karlene

Coercion to Fly Sick

Contract negotiations are underway at many airlines. One of the greatest issues found in many contracts is the sick-leave policy. 

There will always be a certain percentage of people everywhere who will abuse policies. However, when negotiating contracts for everyone, the majority of employees should not be penalized for the misdirection of the minority.

There are ways to fix a sick-leave problem without harming the majority. 

• Instead of aligning sick-leave renewal for everyone during the same month, align during date of hire. This will absorb the impact of the minority abuses.  

• Allow sick leave to accumulate, in the event of a long-term crisis. Pilots are responsible and will bank this security.

• Provide financial incentive for not using sick-leave. There is a value there to both you and the company.  

• If  sick-leave allows a pilot to "double-dip" to fly on days being paid on sick-leave... fix that. Do not change the entire process and punish everyone forcing them to work ill.

The most important thing to remember is 

do not fly sick!

When pilots are not healthy, they cannot make the best decisions. They may think they can manage; but the reality is, unintentional errors are made when pilots are not physically or mentally 100%.

Nobody is mentally 100% when they are ill!

If there is any chance 

that the structure of a pilot contract 

Could force anyone 

to fly sick 

It's your responsibility to say 

"NO!"
 

Enjoy the Journey!
XO Karlene

Contract Negotiations and FEAR

"Fear is like fire. It can cook for you. 

It can heat your house. 

Or it can burn you down."

Cus C'Amato (Flight To Success)

With contract negotiations underway at many airlines, management and misdirected union reps will attempt to coerce decisions based on fear of what "might" happen. 

There are a few rules of the road about dealing with fear and the decision-making process, be it for aircraft safety or contract negotiations. 

NEVER make a decision based on fear.

Make your decisions based on what is right!

Need versus Want: 

The difference between need and want during negotiating and any decision-making process:

We all want to fly the plane to destination. But we do not need to. If the weather is down, the plane is broken, it's unsafe, or the conditions are not right... you would not go. That is a decision based on the correct response for the condition...Not Fear. 

You do not fear your job, the pressure from passengers, or what might happen if you make the right decision to cancel a flight. Fear should not factor into this decision-making process. Professional pilots know this and make the appropriate decisions.

The same decision-making process should exist with contract negotiations!

Do not fear what might happen... 

Make the right decision

based on the conditions...

The BEST results will prevail!

Far too often negotiations result in fear based decision-making. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what might happen. Fear of coercion from others. Management counts on your fear to push you into making the wrong decision during negotiations to what they think is their benefit. There was a time they did this in the airplane, until the FAA came to our side in the interest of safety. 

Negotiations are different. You have nobody to help support you in making the right decision, and nobody stopping others from instilling fear. You have to be strong and do the right thing for the right reasons.

Be strong. Fly Safe. 

Make the right decision!

And if the conditions are not in your favor for the best results... 

Say "NO!"

This is a pilots' responsibility.

VOTE 
NO 
"On the 24th!" 

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene