AI unions signal air turbulence

The country's national carrier may be in for a fresh trouble if its pilots start following safety norms devised by their union.
A safety circular issued by the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) to all its members has spelt out clauses that may upset flight schedules.
Air India pilots have also decided not to follow CAT-III-B procedures while landing and taking off in foggy conditions. Adding to the woes, the pilots are threatening to go on a strike on November 30 because their productivity-linked incentives (PLI) and salaries have not been paid for quite some time.
The circular asks the pilots to take full rest. It says, "Do not accept any flights if you are not fully rested (12 hours rest before the flight is good benchmark)."
The circular also advises: "Do not get emotional regarding sequence in startup/ fighting for level. It unnecessarily increases our blood pressure." Pilots always request the air traffic control (ATC) for start up or early take-off.
The circular advises the pilots not to pester the ATC for early take-off since it would raise their blood pressure, thereby delaying the take-offs.
The circular asks the pilots to follow the electronic control and monitoring (ECAM) procedures. In cockpit, if there is an emergency, the ECAM guides pilots to follow a procedure and shows what action needs to be taken.
However, the circular states that "due to stress our analysis of emergencies can go wrong, so the safest thing is to follow the ECAM. Do not analyse whether it is false or genuine". Sometimes ECAM gives false warnings which any experienced pilot can make out and ignore. Therefore, if ECAM procedure is always followed, it could lead to planes getting grounded at the slightest provocation.
The circular lays emphasis on flight duty time. "Strictly follow flight duty time limit (FDTL)," it says.
29/11/09 Ajmer Singh/India Today

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Air India Domestic Nov 2009, NACIL Nov 2009, Safety Nov 2009