Helicopter Flight Information
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Helicopter Flight Information |
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Be Careful of the Stones that you Throw...I caution all pilots about this. You must remember that aviation is a very small world, and the helicopter world is smaller still. The United States has the largest ratio of pilots in the world, and still that only amounts to 1/3 of 1 percent of the US population which results in about 7 million pilots which may seem like a lot but remember that the majority of these pilots are inactive. Only about 1 in 25 of these pilots is a Helicopter pilot, so now you have an idea of what I am talking about here. Very few people who obtain their pilots license move on to a career in aviation. Throughout your career you will encounter the occasional poor maintenance technicians (aka engineers or mechanics) and will also encounter occasional low-life pilots. At times, you will question whether it is appropriate to call the FAA and report someone, especially when they have done crappy maintenance to the aircraft that you are flying, or when a pilot has committed a blatant violation. There are those who are all to eager to get someone else in trouble. You must be cautious! Remember that when you report something, the first person that will be investigated is you! Don't think for one minute that the FAA, or for that matter any investigating agency will just take your word for something; who are you? They will investigate those who you report after they investigate you. This is just one more reason to keep your own nose clean; you don't need any ghosts in your closet when investigations start. You must also remember that no matter how good you try to be, or how well you try to do your job, you cannot please everyone and the possibility always exists that someone may make an allegation against you. You want to have a good reputation in the business so that when the time comes the investigator says, "I know him, and he would not do that"! This is difficult in most cases as you just don't have the opportunity to meet the people who matter in the business. Over a number of years if you are quite active (especially as a flight instructor) you will meet some influential people and then you may benefit from those facts. However this does not mean that you can now become the aviation police at your local airport, nor that you should flaunt what you have or who you know. Never become a "name dropper" the only person that name dropping impresses is yourself. Don't brag, you must always remember that humility, or humbleness is far more impressive than peacocking. NO ONE respects a person who is cocky or self important. Remember some things that will scar your reputation forever (not in any particular order of importance): Don't become known as a "know-it-all" Don't become known as a "tattle tale" Do not blatantly violate or disregard the FAR's Never Never Never try to short cut maintenance or disconnect a Hobbs meter to save money, it will not work, and you will never shed the resultant scar, and you cannot beat the system in the end. If you do report someone for something serious keep it quiet and don't brag about it to others, it will haunt you enough as it is. Do be humble, active, and sociable in aviation, and then encourage others to do as you have done. Reporting Others This is a tough one, but it must be addressed. If you are a pilot of character (which I hope you are or will become), Sooner or later you will encounter a pilot or maintenance person and/or issue that you know or wish would be found out because this person is grossly negligent. For some of us this becomes a problem of conscience; do we/I report it, or not? This is such a difficult question; I hate the issue completely. You must remember that when accidents occur in aviation, we all suffer! We already have enough of this, now we must protect our own freedom and this may include bringing down someone who thinks that they are above the same regulations that we are all required to follow. Do not confuse making mistakes with gross negligence here, please. We will all make mistakes and some of those will not be in compliance with the FAR's. Think about if you were in the other persons shoes; what would you do then? First analyze the issue completely. If this is Joe Blow tinkering with his own R22 or C172, I would not recommend to tattle-tale as it is probably not worth the cloud of rumor that will follow you over it. However, if this is someone who is playing with an aircraft that is used for commercial operations, that is another story altogether. If you feel it is so important, talk with other pilots you know. Secondly take action, which could be inaction; either you will report it or you won't, this is up to you. Always remember that when you discuss an issue with an FAA inspector, they will go after those involved with a vengeance, but then this is the police mentality and/or their training. They are there to enforce the regulations. They live under an umbrella of security, and it is not their reputation that is at risk, and they do not care one bit who they destroy.
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