Pakistan A320 Crash - 1 in 3 Pakistani Pilots do not have a licence

[kgwilson]

The CVR shows the pilots were having a discussion about corona virus. Sterile cockpit, who needs that?

And the story goes that members of the pilots(s) families had it. Just another reason that they should not have been flying then.

[M61A1]

I couldn't care less whether someone has a licence or not as long as he/she is a competent pilot. Same for driving where presumably most actually have valid licences but you can't tell from the way they drive. Much of the apparatus of the almighty State is just theater.

 

Have a think - would your personal aviation operation change much if all aviation regulation except "rules of the air" was abolished? It would certainly be cheaper.

I agree about state bullsh1t, but, the concept is that a licence is a document that means that you have been shown to meet a minimum standard of competence. I don't have a problem with this for RPT

Some of the problem is that in some of these countries, you can purchase the document rather than earn it by demonstrating your competence, and I get the impression here in Oz that in many industries your are demonstrating compliance rather than competence.

[onetrack]

Don't be too complacent, we have our share of people in control of equipment here, who have demonstrated their competence to incompetent instructors - and got their licence regardless.

[facthunter]

In this case, there is no suggestion the crew didn't hold the appropriate ratings or had failed any checks. ..They never were, at any time "in the slot". or even close.. Rate of descent, airspeed, configuration, awareness, appropriate responses, CHECKLIST ? Nev

[Flightrite]

In this case, there is no suggestion the crew didn't hold the appropriate ratings or had failed any checks. ..They never were, at any time "in the slot". or even close.. Rate of descent, airspeed, configuration, awareness, appropriate responses, CHECKLIST ? Nev

 

Holding the appropriate ratings or not failing any checks means zip! Corruption is in ALL industries! It's clear these Neanderthals where going along for the ride! They where criminal in their behavoir!!

[facthunter]

. No one does such things deliberately, unless they are on a suicide mission.. How they got themselves into this situation has me tossed.. Perfectly good aeroplane as far as I can see. I've actually been through Karachi in a PIA ? Airbus in the 80's and the only thing that scared the $#1t out of me was the 5 or so characters with machine guns that came aboard and walked up and down the aisle menacingly. No one got off so it must have been diverted there, for some reason. I was on my way to France via the ME. Fun trip Not! Paid for by the "firm" at lowest price possible, as usual. Nev

[Jerry_Atrick]

EASA bans Pakistan International Airlines from European airspace

[spacesailor]

Mike,

My life would be a dream, without that Beaurocracy.

Big, Big grin from ear to ear, flying my Hummel, without Rego., And Me unlicensed.

BUTI would be TRAINED, to the best I could reach.

I faild my basic, what causes " icing ",

My answer was what I read in MY books.

WRONG

spacesailor

[Yenn]

I am not the least surprised. I have heard many tales from Aussie pilots about working for Asian airlines. The problem is not restricted to third world countries. There have been cases of incompetence with US and also Air France airlines.

I have flown with Thai several times and will never do so again after experiencing poor pilotage going into Madrid.

As far as small Asian airlines go, least said soonest mended.

[IBob]

In the '70s I was in Athens. Most Olympic Airways pilots were Greeks, while most Flight Engineers (a far less sexy position) were ex USAF. The pilots...mostly young men from well to do families...were trained by TWA, and the story was that if they failed, they just kept training them until they passed. But this may have been an ugly lie spread by the Flight Engineers...

I flew every month to Crete on their DC6s, and I do know we sometimes spent very long periods doing mag checks or something else associated with a great deal of engine activity, before finally taking to the skies. And I can report that immediately after takeoff, a hostess always struggled up the length of the fuselage to the cockpit with paper cups: word had it they held ouzo, though whether this was to calm the nerves for the coming flight, or to celebrate another successful takeoff, I don't know.

[derekliston]

Cathay Pacific May be Asian but they have been our favourite choice for long haul for a long time. Who will I not fly with again? Air India tops the list followed by Sri Lankan. Sri Lankan might be okay if you are 5’5” but 10 hrs jammed in one of their seats is an experience I don’t want to repeat (Actually 20hrs because we had to come back!)

[NT5224]

Mi

I work with quite a few from who come from India and Pakistan. Some of them say that the corruption is so bad back home that they are terrified of flying in their home lands. Much the same in many African countries apparently. I have also heard the medical profession has similar problems.

The missus and I flew from Sabiha Gokcen to Cairo in 2013 on Egypt Air. The aircraft was 3 hrs late and the driver drove it like it was a Greek taxi. Seatbelt use was apparently optional for most pax of local descent.

Thought we were glad to hit the ground in one piece in Cairo, but the fun then started, when we landed on dusk at Ramadan, and we missed our connecting flight with Qatar to Doha.

 

I didn't do my homework on Cairo Airport terminals, and didn't realise there were three terminals up to three kms apart. The shuttle bus wouldn't stop to pick us up - but then, when one did, the driver promptly pulled into the bus depot after a km, shut the bus off, and went home, because he hadn't eaten all day!

 

Then a taxi driver with the greatest POS of a taxi I've ever ridden in, charged us US$20 to take us a bit over a kilometre to the terminal where Qatar left from.

Spending a night stuck in the Cairo airport, with no help from anyone, and all airport offices closed while everyone went home to eat and sleep, wasn't an experience we would want to endure again.

 

Airport Security was non-existent and people wandered back and forth through the "Secure" and "Non-secure"areas, like sheep in a paddock.

Then a bloke was wheeled in on a makeshift trolley, suffering numerous wounds from local factional fighting, bandaged and bleeding, and moaning and groaning.

He was wheeled off through some distant doors to some waiting aircraft somewhere, obviously to get decent treatment for his wounds.

 

The Qatar office didn't open again until 3:30AM - then Middle Easterners waving "baksheesh" in large rolls of notes, got served first, over Westerners.

Finally, when we did get served, it was pay another $325 Eygptian Pounds (each) for a ticket re-issue, because we missed the flight. So, we thought we were set, when we got our 1st class tickets issued again, and we took the lift to the VIP lounge.

 

But the VIP lounge was merely an open-to the-air rooftop setting! - complete with hordes of flies! Made us feel like we were 4WD camping in the Outback of Australia!

Add in the waiters who brought the prepared food in for the bain maries - and then placed the full food trays on the floor, while they removed the old trays from the bain marie!

 

Cairo (and Egypt) is well down my list of places to revisit, and I reckon Pakistan is probably well behind Cairo.

 

 

Loved that story! I spent 11 years on and off in Egypt and it made me chuckle. So true. I remember those Cairo Airport shenanigans like they were yesterday.

 

I recall once hearing an airport announcement in English and Arabic at Cairo airport that went

 

" Ladies and Gents we regret to inform you that flight 603 from Baghdad will not be arriving on time". PAUSE....

 

"We hope they are alright"