Or:: As the man with a wooden leg said.
“It's a matter of a pinion”. Everyone has this impediment; and, every fatal event generates reams of it. The latest at Parafield is no exception, and in a free country at any aerodrome watering hole, you can get a bucket load of it. However, the cold, hard fact is, no one (at the moment) has a definitive 'answer' to 'Why”. For that, we must await the ATSB report. However, it is normal and most human to discuss and speculate on the 'how and the why' of a fatal. Being curious myself, I did some light research into Diamond accidents at flight schools– HERE - which presents an insight to the aircraft itself and detail of the event noted (FWIW)...
“It’s a thing of no great difficulty to raise objections against another man’s oration, it is a very easy matter; but to produce a better in its place is a work extremely troublesome.”
Pprune - “Back in the Publication 45 days, instructing was built around simplicity and practicality. It wasn't buried in layers of frameworks and paperwork it was about flying the aeroplane, recognising student errors early, and fixing them properly. Instructor skill, judgment, and timing were everything. You developed real stick and rudder skills and you taught them the same way directly, clearly, and effectively. That standard of hands-on instructing was on another level.”
Aye; there's merit within the notion above – however: back then, jobs were scarce and multi engine jobs even more so. Airlines were 'fussy' about new hires; had to be as the cost of training to a 'failure' was a dead loss. 'Qualification and experience mattered, but there was a little more to it than that. The little bit 'more' was a 'tribal' thing, but 'nuff said' there. No matter the decade, two elements were essential even to getting into a cadet scheme; a 'Senior' commercial ticket (ATPL to follow) and a bonus mark for MEIR. Many, in one form or another, had 'paid there own freight' for CPL and an instructor rating. Many of those became 'cadets' waiting on their letter to attend ground school at the airline. A MER was much rarer back then, MEIR even rarer. Those fortunate enough to hold (afford) a MEIR had only a small advantage – it was not an automatic 'tick' to 'airline' acceptance.
“There are as many opinions as there are experts.”
Today, 'things' seem different. There is, on an industrial scale, schools turning out pilots with all the boxes ticked, in short order. The ATPL, IR and MEIR all in order. Which is great, except there is rarely any substantive 'experience' supporting and, should airline acceptance not be forthcoming – what then? Those accepted into airline are, essentially, bullet proof, ground school, Sim, jump seat and never put in harms way. Working with multiple 'experienced ' Fo's and seasoned Skippers, the 'education' continues until retirement. But what of those outside the 'airline' environment? Qualification out the ying-yang; experience zero; scrambling about for jobs out of the bright city lights. First day 'on the job' 0500 o'clock, big trolley loaded with boxes to load, fuel to load, weather to manage, four or six landings to sort out in 30c heat and rain, muddy strips, awful wages, far from the comforts of home. Many, many excellent pilots have fought their way through this period, gone on to multi engine work and won through to airlines; Bravo. Conversely, all things being equal, (which they rarely are) one of the serious considerations for airline acceptance is 'too much' independent command time when the 'notions' formed clash. One of my pet dislikes is a bloke who constantly refers to 'the way we did it'. Airlines have their own iron clad ways of doing things; and it is their way or the highway.
“After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own opinion, as to reject any offer, proposed by wise men, which shall be found equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual.”
An airline 'sponsored' training course, with a 'number' and schedule for induction is a fine (wonderful) thing; ATPL (tick) Multi Engine Rating (tick) Instrument rating (tick) – next stop ground school, sim and lots of jump seat time; producing a company pilot. Excellent, first class and quite the 'right way' to fill the roster. Bravo. But what of those without 'a number' and debts to pay? Those who have been trained to a qualification level based on airline minimum entry standards, but can't find a gig? Or worse, continue on as instructors to the unshriven, far away from the easy, carefree life of a cadet? Training someone to initial ME rating is not a tick-a-box matter; tick and flick. It is a serious, complex matter and potentially, as recently demonstrated, lethal.
“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.”
Just my two bob's worth; an opinion of neither intrinsic or practical value; with a small but heartfelt 'thank you' to the crew who attended the event at Parafield; their blood (definitely) worth the bottling. But, enough; the fool's ramblings will make no differ, but given the number of fatal ME training events and incidents; maybe someone, somewhere could shift the statistics in the right direction.
Selah.
“It's a matter of a pinion”. Everyone has this impediment; and, every fatal event generates reams of it. The latest at Parafield is no exception, and in a free country at any aerodrome watering hole, you can get a bucket load of it. However, the cold, hard fact is, no one (at the moment) has a definitive 'answer' to 'Why”. For that, we must await the ATSB report. However, it is normal and most human to discuss and speculate on the 'how and the why' of a fatal. Being curious myself, I did some light research into Diamond accidents at flight schools– HERE - which presents an insight to the aircraft itself and detail of the event noted (FWIW)...
“It’s a thing of no great difficulty to raise objections against another man’s oration, it is a very easy matter; but to produce a better in its place is a work extremely troublesome.”
Pprune - “Back in the Publication 45 days, instructing was built around simplicity and practicality. It wasn't buried in layers of frameworks and paperwork it was about flying the aeroplane, recognising student errors early, and fixing them properly. Instructor skill, judgment, and timing were everything. You developed real stick and rudder skills and you taught them the same way directly, clearly, and effectively. That standard of hands-on instructing was on another level.”
Aye; there's merit within the notion above – however: back then, jobs were scarce and multi engine jobs even more so. Airlines were 'fussy' about new hires; had to be as the cost of training to a 'failure' was a dead loss. 'Qualification and experience mattered, but there was a little more to it than that. The little bit 'more' was a 'tribal' thing, but 'nuff said' there. No matter the decade, two elements were essential even to getting into a cadet scheme; a 'Senior' commercial ticket (ATPL to follow) and a bonus mark for MEIR. Many, in one form or another, had 'paid there own freight' for CPL and an instructor rating. Many of those became 'cadets' waiting on their letter to attend ground school at the airline. A MER was much rarer back then, MEIR even rarer. Those fortunate enough to hold (afford) a MEIR had only a small advantage – it was not an automatic 'tick' to 'airline' acceptance.
“There are as many opinions as there are experts.”
Today, 'things' seem different. There is, on an industrial scale, schools turning out pilots with all the boxes ticked, in short order. The ATPL, IR and MEIR all in order. Which is great, except there is rarely any substantive 'experience' supporting and, should airline acceptance not be forthcoming – what then? Those accepted into airline are, essentially, bullet proof, ground school, Sim, jump seat and never put in harms way. Working with multiple 'experienced ' Fo's and seasoned Skippers, the 'education' continues until retirement. But what of those outside the 'airline' environment? Qualification out the ying-yang; experience zero; scrambling about for jobs out of the bright city lights. First day 'on the job' 0500 o'clock, big trolley loaded with boxes to load, fuel to load, weather to manage, four or six landings to sort out in 30c heat and rain, muddy strips, awful wages, far from the comforts of home. Many, many excellent pilots have fought their way through this period, gone on to multi engine work and won through to airlines; Bravo. Conversely, all things being equal, (which they rarely are) one of the serious considerations for airline acceptance is 'too much' independent command time when the 'notions' formed clash. One of my pet dislikes is a bloke who constantly refers to 'the way we did it'. Airlines have their own iron clad ways of doing things; and it is their way or the highway.
“After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own opinion, as to reject any offer, proposed by wise men, which shall be found equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual.”
An airline 'sponsored' training course, with a 'number' and schedule for induction is a fine (wonderful) thing; ATPL (tick) Multi Engine Rating (tick) Instrument rating (tick) – next stop ground school, sim and lots of jump seat time; producing a company pilot. Excellent, first class and quite the 'right way' to fill the roster. Bravo. But what of those without 'a number' and debts to pay? Those who have been trained to a qualification level based on airline minimum entry standards, but can't find a gig? Or worse, continue on as instructors to the unshriven, far away from the easy, carefree life of a cadet? Training someone to initial ME rating is not a tick-a-box matter; tick and flick. It is a serious, complex matter and potentially, as recently demonstrated, lethal.
“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.”
Just my two bob's worth; an opinion of neither intrinsic or practical value; with a small but heartfelt 'thank you' to the crew who attended the event at Parafield; their blood (definitely) worth the bottling. But, enough; the fool's ramblings will make no differ, but given the number of fatal ME training events and incidents; maybe someone, somewhere could shift the statistics in the right direction.
Selah.