Author: Dave English

New book for pilots heading to the airlines

By Dave English

After the rubbish book last week (The Pilot Factor: A fresh look into Crew Resource Management) it was a real pleasure to read something well thought out, nicely presented, and filling an otherwise unmet need. Pilots in Command (2014) by Kristofer Pierson is published by Aviation Supplies and Academics (ASA) who have a large range of pilot training products. It’s about all the non-flying parts of being a great airline pilot. “I wrote this book intending for it to become a guide for new or aspiring airline pilots, as much as for the experienced pilot who is looking ahead to upgrade” ~ Kristofer … Continue reading New book for pilots heading to the airlines

Sometimes airmanship is not flying

By Dave English

The US Department of Labor recently released an order with a rare win for an individual pilot against a large corporation. They are requiring that Air Methods (who operate over 400 helicopters) pay the pilot employee about $160,000 in lost pay and damages after he refused to fly a mission because of an airworthiness issue (the emergency locator transmitter that was not functioning properly). They placed him on administrative leave the day after the event, and fired him about a month later. Now they have to reinstate the pilot, and educate all their workers on their whistleblower rights. “Pilots should never … Continue reading Sometimes airmanship is not flying

A very bad CRM book

By Dave English

I was so looking forward to The Pilot Factor: A fresh look into Crew Resource Management (2014) by Jean Denis Marcellin. Had heard about it online. Cool cover picture has airline pilot ripping off uniform shirt to show Superman costume underneath. Some glowing reviews on Amazon. Then I got the book and started reading. Oh dear. It’s a self-published stretched padded 100 pages with no original research, a limited understanding of CRM history, editing issues, no common thread, and no new personal insights. At the end all I really noticed was that there wasn’t a single mention of that pilot-turned-Superman from the … Continue reading A very bad CRM book