Man refuses to fly with female pilot

[Guest scott fletcher]

A FLIGHT was delayed for around 40 minutes while a passenger complained about the fact that the pilot was a female.

 

 

 

http://www.perthnow.com.au/travel/news/man-refuses-to-fly-with-female-pilot/story-fn30173u-1226013368608

 

 

[TAA Student Pilot]

Headlines always sound good, this one is linked to the mentioned incident

 

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/pilot-who-landed-plane-nosefirst-faked-licence-documents-20110228-1bakq.html

 

So it might sound sexist but from reading other information the passenger who objected knew the pilot that's why he refused to fly. Turns out he might have had good reason.

 

Mostly press are only interested in headlines not accuracy.

 

 

[willedoo]

Sounds like she might have been watching Caribous doing the wheelbarrow.

 

 

[willedoo]

Suspended lady pilot held for forgery

 

New Delhi: A woman pilot, suspended following hard landing of a flight, has been arrested for allegedly using a forged marksheet to get a pilot’s licence, police said today.

 

Indigo Airline captain Parminder Kaur Gulati, 38, was held by Delhi police from her Kirti Nagar residence yesterday following a complaint filed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

 

She had obtained the mandatory airlines transport pilot licence (ATPL) after allegedly producing forged documents, deputy commissioner of police Ashok Chand said.

 

Gulati was grounded on January 11 following hard landing of an Indigo flight in Goa.

 

“The DGCA director of training and licencing, D.C. Sharma, had filed a complaint that Gulati had obtained an ATPL using forged documents,” he said.

 

During initial inquiry by the DGCA, it was found she had allegedly submitted a forged marksheet of the pilot licence examination of January 2009 for obtaining an ATPL.

 

“It emerged that the result card of the pilot licence examination submitted by Gulati as proof of passing air navigation and radio aids and instruments subjects in January 2009 session for obtaining ATPL licence was forged,” Chand said.

 

09/03/11 PTI/The Telegraph

 

 

[willedoo]

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

 

Two more pilots land in trouble for fake licences

 

New Delhi: Investigations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), initiated after a woman pilot was found repeatedly landing wrongly on the nosewheel of the plane, have thrown up two more pilots who forged their qualifying papers. Fake captains are fast emerging as the biggest threat to safe flying in India.

 

The duo was commanding aircraft after allegedly forging papers that showed they had cleared the tests to graduate from co-pilot to the captain's seat. One of the allegedly fake commanders, Meenakshi Sehgal, was flying with IndiGo, which has since grounded her. The other, Swaran Singh Talwar, was a commander with MDLR, an airline that has not been operational for months now.

 

What's worrying the aviation industry is that the new cases have tumbled out within a week of DGCA chief Bharat Bhushan ordering an unprecedented drive to verify pilot licences.

 

The action was sparked by suspicions about a woman commander of IndiGo who often landed the aircraft with the nosewheels touching down before the belly tyres.

 

The pilot, Parminder Kaur, was grounded for refresher training as per rules, but alongside a regulatory probe of her papers revealed that she had allegedly become a commander by giving fake marksheets of the airline transport pilot licence (ATPL) exam, which is mandatory for co-pilots to clear to become commanders. The DGCA issues this licence only after co-pilots complete 1,500 hours of flying, irrespective of when they clear it. And airlines consider even those who clear ATPL for command only after they fly for 2,000-3,000 hours as co-pilots.

 

The discovery of fake ATPL commanders has left the aviation ministry deeply worried due to its immense safety implications. "We are examining pilot licences and have found two more cases (of fake ATPL papers). While the licences have been revoked, these cases have also been referred to the police for further action," Bharat Bhushan said, adding that there would be no compromise on safety.

 

09/03/11 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India.com

 

 

[willedoo]

and another one:

 

 

 

Growing list: Another AI pilot caught faking marks

 

New Delhi: Air travellers' biggest fear of being flown by a fake commander is getting even bigger by the day. On Saturday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) detected yet another pilot, Captain J K Verma working with national carrier Air India, who had became commander by allegedly faking mark sheets of the airline transport pilot licence (ATPL) exam. According to sources, he has been handed over to the police.

 

This is the third such discovery in four days and the fourth fake commander detected since February-end — two with IndiGo and one each with AI and MDLR. The DGCA has now changed its strategy after the last discovery. The two allegedly fake commander detected four days back – Meenakshi Sehgal of IndiGo and Swaran Singh Talwar of MDLR — are learnt to have gone missing, possibly to evade being arrested.

 

"On Saturday afternoon we detected that J K Verma had also reportedly faked mark sheets to become commander and informed the police first thing. The pilot, belonging to erstwhile Indian Airlines that's now Air India, has been picked up by the cops," said highly placed sources.

 

The new strategy of informing police first so that the accused are nabbed has been devised with a purpose. "We want these people to be caught and know how they got fake mark sheets of ATPL exam (that co-pilots need to pass to become commander) made. Is someone inside DGCA or coaching institute part of this racket?" said senior officials.

 

13/03/11 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India