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From the In-Box | by schwing1 | 2006-11-19 12:55:59 |
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"Hello, this is the pilot, | by Winsmith | 2005-05-16 14:10:08 |
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You know, pilots aren't always the guys | by watsondog | 2005-05-16 14:18:27 |
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They have a very strict training and vetting | by DesertRat66 | 2005-05-16 14:23:40 |
| Um, I was a pilot. |
by watsondog |
2005-05-16 16:15:28 |
So I do know a bit about it, although Twin Otters, Cessna 172s, and DC3s aren't exactly the state of the art!
My point is however that ATP certificated pilots might be the best of the best, but they already have so much responsibility, even not counting terrorism, that they are already stressing themselves to death (the average age at death of ATP certificated pilots is already 10 years less than the national average!). I don't see how adding additional duties to their workload, even voluntarily, could be a good thing.
It's well known in the industry that mental health issues are seriously under-reported, in part because the aviation physical is really only meant to pick up physical problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and the like (and even then some guys fall through the cracks e.g. Stanley Key, the captain of Papa India, the Trident that crashed at Staines). However, there's also the problem that pilots have a far greater need than the average person to be in control.
This doesn't just mean that pilots are more likely to discount their own mental illnesses, if any; it also means that they're more likely to want to take responsibility for more and more areas of flight operations. But there's only so much one person can handle; no matter how competent or how in control he thinks he may be, he cannot do it all himself. He will put himself at greater risk of suffering psychological problems, and that is not safe.
If you read some of the accident reports found on the ntsb.gov website and on other countries' safety board's websites, you'll notice that one major link in the chain of errors that cause an accident is quite frequently the pilot's unwillingness or inability to properly manage his crew. It happens so often that the captain takes on all the responsibility, all the duties, and all the work, ruling his cockpit with an iron hand, brooking no dissent, or even worse ignoring dissent. That is NOT a safe or effective way to manage. Yes, the captain is responsible for the flight, but it is also his duty to listen to his crew, to accept corrections, and to delegate. I believe that as the captain delegates emergency evacuations and other safety concerns to the flight attendants, so should he delegate security to armed, uniformed air marshals, who should be on every flight.
Moreover, the pilots' main job is to fly the plane. You can't fly the plane and defend it at the same time. It only takes a few seconds to put a jet airliner into an irrecoverable dive or spin.
Yes, some pilots are comfortable with carrying on board, and some may not find it stressful, but it's still an added duty that should be delegated to a professional whose first duty is to security, not to flying.
Sorry if this is a bit disjointed; what I'm trying to say is, I'm not against airline crew members being armed and able to protect the flight, but I am against *pilots* being *expected*, even if only by themselves, to be the first line of defence against terror. That's not their job, and they shouldn't volunteer for it. |
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