aonfocaleile
Registered User
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A relation of mine is an aircraft mechanic at Dublin Airport and he says that the IAA are known as 'a nod and a wink'.If there were genuine safety concerns about any Irish airline or indeed foreign owned airlines operating in Ireland I think the IAA might have something to say about it . .
Agreed, tripe.I thought the programme was tripe of the highest order . .
If these Pilots are so scared about safety, let them come out and show their faces.
There's an article in the examiner today where Ryanair describes the whole thing as a sham and the IAA is reported as saying that its offer of taking part in the live programme was rejected by RTE. I smell a rat...
My mates in Ryanair tell me there is a culture of fear and intimidation in Ryanair, and anyone who opens his mouth to protest is just chopped. You just have to do whatever you're told. Tired or not.
I thought that being a [pilot] captain implicitly meant that you already had a certain level of experience? Age shouldn't come into this in my opinion.The downside is you get very young and inexperienced Captains!
Have to agree with ronan_d_john's general gist. If it's that bad for some people then perhaps a change of career is called for. We all make mistakes in life - choosing the wrong job or even career may be one of them for some people.So what are the options for those guys? They are stuck with it.
Ummm....well, you have to be 18! How young would you accept?I thought that being a [pilot] captain implicitly meant that you already had a certain level of experience? Age shouldn't come into this in my opinion.
The difficulty is that it costs a pilot over 100K nowadays to pay for the training and obtain the licence. Many of them can't just rip it up and walk away. Certainly though, many people have a silly over romanticised concept of the job. Its hard graft as far as I can see. No doubt there are plenty of youngsters who come down to earth with a crash (metaphorically speaking) after they've experienced the reality.Have to agree with ronan_d_john's general gist. If it's that bad for some people then perhaps a change of career is called for. We all make mistakes in life - choosing the wrong job or even career may be one of them for some people.
If there were genuine safety concerns about any Irish airline or indeed foreign owned airlines operating in Ireland I think the IAA might have something to say about it ! Read about their audit checks in [broken link removed]. Any programme about airline safety issue without participation by these guys is meaningless imo. I thought the programme was tripe of the highest order and I'm not Michael O' Leary.
Whatever the relevant authorities lay down I suppose.Ummm....well, you have to be 18! How young would you accept?
Sounds fine to me.To become a Captain in Ryanair you need to have built up 1,500 hours. That will take less than 2 years.
So you can walk into a flying school today and do 200 hours (which takes at least 6 months), and if you get a job in Ryanair you could be in sole charge of a high performance jet less than two years later - at the age of 20.
So what?In some countries you can't even buy a drink at 20!
Irrelevant.On finishing his degree a junior doctor has the legal minimum experience to practice basic medicine - but he's no brain surgeon.
Like the 1500 flying hours mentioned above?Paper qualifications are academic. Experience comes through time.
Yes - cheap flights on planes controlled by suitably qualified pilots.Still, when you fly Ryanair - as O'Leary would say - you get what you pay for!
I spend a fair bit of my spare time around airports, and hanging out with aviation-minded people. I have more than enough flight hours to hold a Commercial Licence myself. So I'm speaking from firsthand experience, not hearsay.I didn't see the programme, but I was talking to a guy who is currently aiming to fly commercially who did watch it. He reckoned it was hogwash, and from knowing several ryanair pilots he says he will jump at the chance to fly for them as soon as he completes his commercial flying course (or whatever). The thing is, the job's not exactly taxing, 15 mins work at both ends (so I'm informed, and even this isn't really necessary), so if pilots are getting too tired to fly those massive flights (what, roughly 3.5hrs is about the longest) one would have to worry about their health, although, admittedly, i get a little tired myself after lunch too!!
Meccano, i don't really understand your point about flying straight after getting your commercial licence, what is the problem with that? You have completed 200hrs, your superior has completed at least 1700 hrs, is that not sufficient in your opinion. As for comparing brain surgeons and pilots, well, see my point on job difficulty (which may be misinformed).
I spend a fair bit of my spare time around airports, and hanging out with aviation-minded people. I have more than enough flight hours to hold a Commercial Licence myself. So I'm speaking from firsthand experience, not hearsay.
A few of your innacurate points would indicate to me that your young 'friend' has that 'romanticised idea' of the job I mentioned earlier? He's certainly given you a few bum steers I'm afraid.
If he told you the job entails '15 minutes' work 'at each end' then he is misinformed. That would mean you are too.
You mentioned 3.5 hour flights? Ryanair doesn't fly anywhere over 2 hours away (at present) and the VAST majority of their flights are 1 hour in length.
Clubman: The 200 hours minimum for a licence allows you to get a job and sit on the flight deck - which is then meant to be an APPRETICESHIP toward a Command.
It DOES NOT mean that you are a fully fledged pilot.
These licencing rules were drafted 60 years ago when it took decades to get a Command. They've never been brought up to date to reflect the low Command times in modern low cost airlines.
The fact that your 200 hour co-pilot has a very low experienced Captain (1500 hours) sitting beside him is a worry. The Captain isn't there to teach him to fly, he's there to do the job of getting the aircraft safely from A to B. The new guy hopefully learns over time - by observation. In other words, over time - he gains experience.
Usually things work out with this arrangement, as long as the flight is routine.
It's when an emergency situation arises that the cracks will show.
Regarding the 'brain surgeon' comment. It was an analogy. You interpret it to mean all pilots are brain surgeons. Funny!
What I was actually getting at was - I would prefer to have a 40 year old brain surgeon with 20 years experience poking inside my head than an 18 year old straight out of med school.
But yeah, I guess there IS a big difference between piloting a jet and being a brain surgeon.....if the surgeon screws up the brain surgery he'll still go home to the wife and kids for tea.
But if a pilot hits a mountain in an aircraft doing 600mph...he ain't going home for tea, nor are the other 120 odd souls on board.
So, come to think of it....I WANT my pilot to be even BETTER than a brain surgeon when I step on his plane with my family. The bugger could wipe us ALL out in a second.
I certainly don't want him to be exhausted and error prone.
Why would YOU?
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