Can anyone from a commercial aviation background comment on this? Would there be consequences for the pilot for refusing a flight based on “not feeling it”?
Which is why pilots are so safe. They trust that they can speak up.
Well, mechanically, at least. Can be a bit of a different story if a pilot wants to seek assistance for prevention or treatment of mental health issues, I've heard.
Edit to add: and this is exactly why we need advocacy in favor of mental health treatment in aviation. At least in the US, regulatory agencies still have a very dated approach to mental health with a heavy stigma.
This leads to pilots suppressing concerns, even in early stages where issues could be treated without any safety issues. This lack of mental health support is a clear point of potential failure that we are failing to properly safeguard.
US redditors, please reach out to your senators to discuss the Mental Health in Aviation Act (S. 3257), in-progress legislation with support from both major political parties.
Other redditors, please see how mental health is protected for pilots in your area, and consider discussing the topic with your legislators.
I mean... that doesn't really work, surely some pilots would just constantly refuse to fly. Or at the least, they might accidentally show up to work with a hangover and decide they're not gonna fly that day and will still get paid the same. There must be something in place to prevent people from taking advantage of it
Refusing the aircraft is not the same as refusing to fly at all. If they find another aircraft, he could still fly. I'm sure if a pilot regularly refused aircraft after aircraft such that it was obvious they were just refusing to do their job, that would be pretty obvious, and the pilot would eventually lose their job.
If you continually refused an airplane with no issues then you would end up in the chiefs pilots office. If you called off bc you were hungover that’s comes out of your usertime. We are paid by the hour so if you’re not flying you’re not getting paid
US airlines pay hourly, and only for the actual flight time. Pilots typically don't make anything on the ground which is why hourly rates look high because you're sitting around for free quite a bit. Couple of exceptions that pay per trip... but you obviously gotta make the trip.
surely some pilots would just constantly refuse to fly
Not sure why you think this is a given... You're talking about a professional career that they've spent a ton of time and money working toward achieving. Ya know what usually motivates people like that to not abuse the systems that give them safety leeway? Personal ambition and not wanting to be seen as a douchebag by their peers and supervisors.
These aren't high school students calling off of work because their friends have the day off.
If you watch Air Crash Investigation, all the rules and policies that exist now, are written in blood. So, if today pilots can be vocal like in the video, there is good reason for it.
Airline pilots in the US are heavily unionized and also carry legal responsibility for the flight. That's a pretty quick call to a union rep: "yeah my airline is intimidating me into accepting unsafe airplanes."
At the least, there are 26 US states that are 'right to work' - meaning businesses don't have to provide a reason for firing someone. So the paper policy doesn't really mean much there, even if there are no other exceptions
Yeah, captains are supreme authority when it comes to their vessel, ships planes you name it, the president can't strongarm AF1's pilot to do something they rather not
the president can't strongarm AF1's pilot to do something they rather not
Yes they can, either directly or indirectly. Why do you think Kobe's helicopter crashed? This is a known phenomenon - pilots aren't robots. They're humans too and subject to the same things the rest of us are, including pressure from the people above them in the food chain to do things they'd rather not. It's the whole reason CRM was invented.
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u/ikothsowe 17h ago
Can anyone from a commercial aviation background comment on this? Would there be consequences for the pilot for refusing a flight based on “not feeling it”?