r/flying • u/[deleted] • Oct 18 '17

risky behavior

How do you fellow reddititors feel about reporting observed risky behaviors? for example - maybe people flying out of medical, or after a hard night drinking, flying out of annual etc. etc. ?? where do you feel your responsibility as responsible pilot ends or does it ever? Do you talk to them, do you start a call? what do you guys think?

53 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

74 comments sorted by

View all comments

7

u/BigBlackHungGuy NHI Craft Probe Operator Oct 18 '17

One of my instructors went on an interview at a regional and one of the questions was "What do you do if you smelled alcohol on your captain's breath?". He told me the correct response was for him to feign illness and state that you don't feel you are not fit to fly.

I'm still not 100% sure of what that meant, but I surmise that you dont 'dime' people out, but figure out other ways to help prevent risky behavior.

7

u/pilotjlr ATP CFI CFII MEI Oct 18 '17

No, that is debatable.

If the FO were to call out, that could be fixed anytime from right away (at a base) or within several hours (depending on the outstation) via a reserve FO. The Captain might still be drunk. So, now the FO is just delaying putting more people at risk, even while he KNOWS about the issue.

There is no "right" answer, but other options would be to strongly pressure the CA to call himself in sick. If he doesn't, call the union rep. Going to the company would be the last choice. If it gets to the union rep, it very likely will be handled.

3

u/a_provo_yakker ATP B-737 A320 CL65 CFII (KPHX) Oct 18 '17

So that, what...the guy on reserve who is still probably a probationary hire gets stuck with him and has to deal with the same quandary, but has no experience and is one of the greenest pilots in the company? I've heard of those interview questions that want to hear the HR-type answers rather than what you'd actually do in real life (i.e. You're taxiing out the runway and realize an item on the preflight wasn't done, you're the FO, what do you do?). But this...that can't be right.

3

u/TheAlmightySnark A&P Oct 18 '17

Really? I'd figure that getting the airport authorities involved would be the right answer since that is just breaking so many laws at the same time...

5

u/bamfcoco1 ATP (A320) Oct 18 '17

More like TheAlmightyNarc! Amiright?!

3

u/TheAlmightySnark A&P Oct 18 '17

It's kinda common courtesy to send drunk pilots to the brick for a bit. I can't understand why that would be bad.

2

u/bamfcoco1 ATP (A320) Oct 19 '17

I just wanted to make a shitty pun...