[Gobbledock]

Tom;

I get so very tired (old age grumpiness) of people degrading the ‘skills’ that make a first class pilot. Many, have much to answer for:-

Gotta say Tom I really enjoyed your post. It connected with me perfectly for some reason. Pilots do indeed fly using myriads of procedures and processes, but more than one pilot has saved the day care of 'gut instinct'. You can't rely 100% on it, but it comes with time, age and experience. And it is an important skill in a pilots toolkit.

I once saw first hand a 35 year veteran Qantas Gingerbeer headsetting an aircraft during pushback. The Gingerbeer stopped the push and told the PIC he 'heard something that wasn't right'. Captain responded 'nothing has lit up on the panel mate'. As the PIC was saying that a master caution lit up on engine 2. From memory it was a generator. Point is - by all rights the Gingerbeer should have known second, the flight deck should have had an indicator and horn first, then the Gingerbeer informed. How did the Gingerbeer know? Gut instinct and a finely tuned ear. Only 35 years of experience and probably 25 of those on 737's and General Electrics had honed his skill and instinct. To this day I enjoy this story over an ale....

'Safety before schedule'