Word: aircrafting
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...NTSB investigation blamed navigational errors by the crew. But it cited a list of contributing factors: the cockpit was so noisy that the captain and first officer had either to shout or to use hand signals to communicate; both were relatively inexperienced; and Henson's training in its aircraft, which have differing instrument layouts, was inadequate. The crew members, who had flown together only twice before, were undergoing personal tensions that may have created stress. The captain, 27, was about to be married and was awaiting a job interview with Eastern Air Lines; the first officer, 26, had been with...
Veteran airline pilots may be even more critical of the lack of experience among some of their younger flying brethren (and, increasingly, sisters). A generation of crack pilots trained in military transport and combat aircraft is fading into retirement. According to the Aviation Safety Institute, only 40% of today's pilots came out of the military. Yet the demand for more top- rated airline pilots keeps rising. Their ranks, which have been growing steadily during the past few years, now number greater than 81,000. More pilots and fewer fully qualified controllers, says a senior captain at United...
...tight market, pilots searching for higher pay often jump from the smaller to the larger airlines and from one type of aircraft to another. Crews have less time to learn to work together. Caught at the bottom of this turnover spiral are the commuter airlines. Henson Airlines, based in Salisbury, Md., for example, lost 54 of its 195 pilots...
...mechanic at O'Hare found a damaged duct on a DC-9's engine in April and reported to his supervisor that it would pose a fire hazard if the engine overheated. The supervisor nonetheless cleared the aircraft to take off for Pittsburgh. The horrified mechanic called FAA but could not reach an official before the plane left Chicago. In Pittsburgh, FAA grounded the aircraft while the engine was replaced. The pilot had not been warned that he was flying with a potential fire problem...
...world of aviation technology, equipment can and does fail. Still, insists FAA Chief Donald Engen, "any accident, when you dig in, always comes back to human beings. Accidents just don't happen -- they are caused." Airlines need a skilled force of mechanics and technicians to maintain their incredibly complex aircraft. A Boeing 747, for example, contains 4.5 million removable parts, 135 miles of electrical wires and more than a mile of hydraulic tubing. The major airlines are spending as much as or more than before on maintenance of their fleets. But to deal with any carrier that lacks the will...