Seasoning – not flight hours.
“A preliminary report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has revealed Par Avion pilot Nikita Walker had fewer than 100 flying hours on the Pilatus Britten-Norman Islander.”
“Walker, 30, started working as a commercial pilot for Par Avion in 2016, and had accumulated 82.5 hours on the Islander, out of a total 540-flying hours.”
It has been a long held tenet of mine that pilots need to be ‘seasoned’. A total of 540 hours is about eight months worth work for a busy operator. A collective of ‘seasoned’ pilots all agree; no matter what your ‘experience’ level – if you have not operated an aircraft over the route across a ‘season’ then your ‘total experience’ counts for little – except as a back stop. Personally; if I had to fly the ‘job’ - as scheduled, I’d have been down the coast in anything less than CAVOK – it would make little difference to anyone – not even an operator. But, unfamiliar with the type, unfamiliar with the ‘local’ vagaries of weather etc. I’d have opted for the line of least resistance and best chance of completion. Bear in mind I’ve never, not once, flown the route or landed at the nominated port, which IMO, despite experience levels would have placed me at an increased risk level – just through a lack of familiarity.
It is a ‘problem’ with arbitrary ‘experience’ levels. Qualified? Absolutely. Legal? Most certainly. “Safe”? Highly subjective. ‘Seasoned’? Not – no way.
Operators need to be free of the ‘compliance’ impost to concentrate on real 'operational practicality' .
“The aircraft departed the aerodrome at 0748 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT),[] and was scheduled to arrive at Bathurst Harbour about 0845 to pick up five passengers for the return flight to Cambridge Aerodrome.”
Five passengers; nine seats – Visual Flight Rules? On a not quite ‘gin clear’ day. Why not send a seasoned pilot along? – One who had flown the route, under the VFR many times. Not a ‘check flight - just a helping hand to provide, if nothing else, the benefit of past experience, route and weather knowledge and; the escape routes should it all go South. Too busy amending manuals or preparing for audit perhaps.
On paper ‘compliance’ is all well and good for the ‘legal’ watchdog. But for a kid, with SDA in the way of ‘seasoning’ to be turned loose without a ‘grown-up’ to hold the hand of someone who has never, in 540 hours, been boxed in; trapped, or, known early enough that it’s time for Plan B is directly related to the damn silly arbitrary ‘numbers’ set by CASA and the profligate demands of a ‘compliance’ at any cost regulator. Legal – sure as the gods made little green apples Safe? Clearly not. Someone has a child to bury and mourn in this clearly above board, all legal tragedy.
Time for a re-think perhaps about what, exactly, is important?
Time on type – insignificant. Number of sectors to and from – Vital. Written route briefing – essential. Written en route SOP essential. Port SOP – essential. Required by CASA ? Audited by CASA? Approved by CASA?
Dream on old fool; dream on. Practical Safety? Easy question – one more; and, then a Taxi home. Fill it up Kid - I'm safe as houses - legally. Isn't that all that matters?
P2 comment - Somewhat related I note that the FAA have just published the following safety enhance brief...
https://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing..._17_04.pdf
“A preliminary report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has revealed Par Avion pilot Nikita Walker had fewer than 100 flying hours on the Pilatus Britten-Norman Islander.”
“Walker, 30, started working as a commercial pilot for Par Avion in 2016, and had accumulated 82.5 hours on the Islander, out of a total 540-flying hours.”
It has been a long held tenet of mine that pilots need to be ‘seasoned’. A total of 540 hours is about eight months worth work for a busy operator. A collective of ‘seasoned’ pilots all agree; no matter what your ‘experience’ level – if you have not operated an aircraft over the route across a ‘season’ then your ‘total experience’ counts for little – except as a back stop. Personally; if I had to fly the ‘job’ - as scheduled, I’d have been down the coast in anything less than CAVOK – it would make little difference to anyone – not even an operator. But, unfamiliar with the type, unfamiliar with the ‘local’ vagaries of weather etc. I’d have opted for the line of least resistance and best chance of completion. Bear in mind I’ve never, not once, flown the route or landed at the nominated port, which IMO, despite experience levels would have placed me at an increased risk level – just through a lack of familiarity.
It is a ‘problem’ with arbitrary ‘experience’ levels. Qualified? Absolutely. Legal? Most certainly. “Safe”? Highly subjective. ‘Seasoned’? Not – no way.
Operators need to be free of the ‘compliance’ impost to concentrate on real 'operational practicality' .
“The aircraft departed the aerodrome at 0748 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT),[] and was scheduled to arrive at Bathurst Harbour about 0845 to pick up five passengers for the return flight to Cambridge Aerodrome.”
Five passengers; nine seats – Visual Flight Rules? On a not quite ‘gin clear’ day. Why not send a seasoned pilot along? – One who had flown the route, under the VFR many times. Not a ‘check flight - just a helping hand to provide, if nothing else, the benefit of past experience, route and weather knowledge and; the escape routes should it all go South. Too busy amending manuals or preparing for audit perhaps.
On paper ‘compliance’ is all well and good for the ‘legal’ watchdog. But for a kid, with SDA in the way of ‘seasoning’ to be turned loose without a ‘grown-up’ to hold the hand of someone who has never, in 540 hours, been boxed in; trapped, or, known early enough that it’s time for Plan B is directly related to the damn silly arbitrary ‘numbers’ set by CASA and the profligate demands of a ‘compliance’ at any cost regulator. Legal – sure as the gods made little green apples Safe? Clearly not. Someone has a child to bury and mourn in this clearly above board, all legal tragedy.
Time for a re-think perhaps about what, exactly, is important?
Time on type – insignificant. Number of sectors to and from – Vital. Written route briefing – essential. Written en route SOP essential. Port SOP – essential. Required by CASA ? Audited by CASA? Approved by CASA?
Dream on old fool; dream on. Practical Safety? Easy question – one more; and, then a Taxi home. Fill it up Kid - I'm safe as houses - legally. Isn't that all that matters?
P2 comment - Somewhat related I note that the FAA have just published the following safety enhance brief...
https://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing..._17_04.pdf