When I worked for FAA I used to kid the managers that when they became superviors they seemed to begin swallowing “stupid” pills before they made serious decisions (probably why I’m not there any longer!!).

Kind of like FAA banning portable radios at control towers here in the states and then being surprised that controllers don’t hear the latest severe weather alerts, which of course, they used to hear on the portablke radios in the tower cabs.

Of course, when I attended FAA management school myself, I started to see and feel some of the brainwashing myself. They said I made some dumb decisions, but I certainly didn’t realize it at the time.

On the pilot side, I’ve seldom watched many people succeeed in management because the things that seem to make us astounding aviators make us really awful managers.

Seems as if we too often try to manage people the way we manage the resources during a flight and that simply doesn’t work well.

I’m talking more about line pilots who ‘ascend’ to management really. It is this particular group who we are starting to direct our contempt at. Our Director of Flight Operations who is very close to retirement just cashed in his share options as there has been a peak in our share price - he took home $1.9M+
Good luck to him in one sense-but he earned it by having his team trash our conditions of service and attacking our pensions.

Our BALPA are not bad on the regional airline score because they focus on membership expansion. Getting BALPA recognition from the various companies is their goal and beyond that improving the pilots lot comes a healthy second.

Blogs - same deal for me, just started and wondering (in quite moments) if it is all worth it? Is it vanity publishing or is there really some point to it? I haven’t decided yet but it is quite enjoyable.

Good luck.

I remember trying to plead our regional pilot case to the then ALPA president 15 years ago and he wouldn’t give any of us the time of day.

I’m convinced the only reason they seem to care now about the Mesabas and the Comairs here is that regional pilots represent a larger percentage of ALPA members than in years past. I still don’t honestly believe ALPA management cares two scoots about regional pilots.

Of course, the fact that so many pilots - I can say this because I am one - are rather arrogant and condescending at times doesn’t help anyone.

But I thought this was pretty much a U.S. problem. It seems that is not the case. What is your experience in this realm?

Thanks for the thoughts on the blog too. Still getting my feet wet with it.

What is hardening pilots hearts over here, is that the very people who have enjoyed exceptional careers and stellar retirement packages, are those that are doing their very best to screw those they will shortly leave behind… for share options and bonuses.

Does this ring true in the US?

Somerset, UK

PS: Great Blog!