Airline Pilots Flying Your Plane Sick and Fatigued!!
Yes it does happen!
The airlines will never achieve total safety until the FAA gets on the ball and gets rid of some airlines policies on attendance.
We all know what it is like to be sick. There are different degrees of being sick but in all being sick decreases a persons performance. You wouldn't want the performance of your airline pilot flying you around in all kinds of weather to be less then 100% and feeling good.
Even the Federal Aviation administration (FAA) has it written in the regulations not to fly sick or when not feeling well. This doesn't mean anything because some airlines have in place company policy that is designed to persuade a pilot to fly when they don't feel well or fatigued.
For example: When a pilot calls in sick or fatigued the company will mark this in his file. After so many of these absences a pilot must see a chief pilot. After so many more there will be a warning letter. After so many more there will be a letter of possible termination. This sure sounds intimidating doesn't it.
So if a pilot is sick that is all they should have to think about and they should just have to call in sick. Instead many airlines have these policies where when a pilot is sick they have to also think about how many marks for being sick or fatigued they have and will there be consequences for calling in sick. Will they have to see the chief pilot?
Pilots like to do a good job and do it right. They on average do not like to call in sick. Why would a company need this type of policy. My guess is that it is to try to control the small percentage of pilots that will abuse the system. My answer to this is that is just part of doing business. You will always have a few that abuse the system. Why would a airline have in place a policy that causes pilots to think twice about being sick or fatigued.
I have heard of many stories about this system working and a pilot flying sick because they did not want the mark. What a joke and what a safety hazard. The sad thing is that the FAA allows the airlines to have these policies. The sad thing is the FAA knows about this and they choose to do nothing about it. I have even told the FAA about it and they did nothing.
I think it is really the airlines that control the FAA.
I have talked to pilots and flight attendants who have busted their ear drums because of flying while sick. They both mentioned they flew sick because of this system and they did not want the mark on their file.
Flying Sick
Flying sick or anywhere not 100% is dangerous yet it goes on all the time. The FAA can write all the regulations they want but as long as they allow airlines to have these policies there will be airline pilots flying at less then 100%.
Write Your Elected Officials
If you fly a lot I would recommend you write your elected officials, congressman, senators, etc and express your concern about this issue. This article is just a small part as to what goes on in the airline environment. Trust me there are policies in place from calling in sick or fatigue or just the very long days at airlines that will cause a pilot to be fatigued.
If you fly a lot do your part and express your concern. Here is another site that may open your eyes to pilot fatigue.
A Pilot With Allergies
There are so many pilots that suffer from allergies. Many don't even know that is is allergies as the symptoms can be just like being sick. One day I was experiencing a problem with allergies. I was congested and I didn't feel right. As a professional airline pilot I should just have to think about calling work and telling them I am not feeling well and I won't be flying.
Instead I have to think about how many times I have called in sick or received a mark on my file for not attending work. The sad thing is that I have a good record and I shouldn't even have to think about this. I am not part of the small percentage of any group that abuse the system. The small percentage that the airline makes these stupid policies for and make the rest of the pilots suffer when they are sick.
When I have allergies that do not allow me to fly it should be as simple as a phone call and that is all I should have to think about. Instead because the FAA allows these types of policies my calling in unable to fly is much more complicated.
The FAA will say differently. The will say "the FAR's state that you should not fly so call in sick". In a perfect world where airlines don't have policies that try to persuade pilots to not call in sick, YES. But with these types of policies it is a whole different story.
The airlines and the FAA are not a perfect world. Safety would be the number one issue if it was. Instead it is cost savings and doing the job with minimum airline pilot staffing. Safety isn't cheap but the airline ticket prices don't support 100% safety oriented airlines.
The airlines will never achieve total safety until the FAA gets on the ball and gets rid of some airlines policies on attendance.
We all know what it is like to be sick. There are different degrees of being sick but in all being sick decreases a persons performance. You wouldn't want the performance of your airline pilot flying you around in all kinds of weather to be less then 100% and feeling good.
Even the Federal Aviation administration (FAA) has it written in the regulations not to fly sick or when not feeling well. This doesn't mean anything because some airlines have in place company policy that is designed to persuade a pilot to fly when they don't feel well or fatigued.
For example: When a pilot calls in sick or fatigued the company will mark this in his file. After so many of these absences a pilot must see a chief pilot. After so many more there will be a warning letter. After so many more there will be a letter of possible termination. This sure sounds intimidating doesn't it.
So if a pilot is sick that is all they should have to think about and they should just have to call in sick. Instead many airlines have these policies where when a pilot is sick they have to also think about how many marks for being sick or fatigued they have and will there be consequences for calling in sick. Will they have to see the chief pilot?
Pilots like to do a good job and do it right. They on average do not like to call in sick. Why would a company need this type of policy. My guess is that it is to try to control the small percentage of pilots that will abuse the system. My answer to this is that is just part of doing business. You will always have a few that abuse the system. Why would a airline have in place a policy that causes pilots to think twice about being sick or fatigued.
I have heard of many stories about this system working and a pilot flying sick because they did not want the mark. What a joke and what a safety hazard. The sad thing is that the FAA allows the airlines to have these policies. The sad thing is the FAA knows about this and they choose to do nothing about it. I have even told the FAA about it and they did nothing.
I think it is really the airlines that control the FAA.
I have talked to pilots and flight attendants who have busted their ear drums because of flying while sick. They both mentioned they flew sick because of this system and they did not want the mark on their file.
Flying Sick
Flying sick or anywhere not 100% is dangerous yet it goes on all the time. The FAA can write all the regulations they want but as long as they allow airlines to have these policies there will be airline pilots flying at less then 100%.
Write Your Elected Officials
If you fly a lot I would recommend you write your elected officials, congressman, senators, etc and express your concern about this issue. This article is just a small part as to what goes on in the airline environment. Trust me there are policies in place from calling in sick or fatigue or just the very long days at airlines that will cause a pilot to be fatigued.
If you fly a lot do your part and express your concern. Here is another site that may open your eyes to pilot fatigue.
A Pilot With Allergies
There are so many pilots that suffer from allergies. Many don't even know that is is allergies as the symptoms can be just like being sick. One day I was experiencing a problem with allergies. I was congested and I didn't feel right. As a professional airline pilot I should just have to think about calling work and telling them I am not feeling well and I won't be flying.
Instead I have to think about how many times I have called in sick or received a mark on my file for not attending work. The sad thing is that I have a good record and I shouldn't even have to think about this. I am not part of the small percentage of any group that abuse the system. The small percentage that the airline makes these stupid policies for and make the rest of the pilots suffer when they are sick.
When I have allergies that do not allow me to fly it should be as simple as a phone call and that is all I should have to think about. Instead because the FAA allows these types of policies my calling in unable to fly is much more complicated.
The FAA will say differently. The will say "the FAR's state that you should not fly so call in sick". In a perfect world where airlines don't have policies that try to persuade pilots to not call in sick, YES. But with these types of policies it is a whole different story.
The airlines and the FAA are not a perfect world. Safety would be the number one issue if it was. Instead it is cost savings and doing the job with minimum airline pilot staffing. Safety isn't cheap but the airline ticket prices don't support 100% safety oriented airlines.
posted by Jet Airline Pilot at 4:12 PM
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