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I think being a CFI at a young age (as it seems most of them are when they begin) gives them a mine set that overcomes bullying by supervisors. The ones I've taken flying with, and one was a young woman barely out of high school, were not a bit intimidated to tell me what to do.

So if they are young, but have a CFI background, I expect they'll not have much problem standing up to STUPID-visors.

I doubt there are many vocations out there where over-zealous, no-nothing, bosses don't try and get subordinates to do improper things.

I am not advocating for or against the current thread, I am just saying "to thine own self be true (or to paraphrase, you are responsible for the consequences when you wrongly choose)".

I doubt there are many vocations out there where over-zealous, no-nothing, bosses don't try and get subordinates to do improper things.

Sure, no doubt about that.

There aren't as many out there where you can get dead in a hurry. Part 135 freight (as I'm sure 121 freight is as well) is a world of flying unto its own, and unless you do it, you really don't know. I have stories...

Was son was a freight dog for a while flying Lears and he had a lot of stories. I'm so glad he is not doing that any longer. I didn't dare repeat the stories to his mother.

Danny

Danny, I know of some of the stuff Lance likely endured at Cherry. Some are worse than others...that place is one of the "worse".

Never underestimate how foolish one can be when one needs the job. I remember the good old days (70's) when the threat of losing an hours-building job would motivate any young pilot to do stupid things. As one old boss of my mine told one of my fellow pilots who had a legitimate complaint, 'Pilots are a dime a dozen. If you're chicken I'll replace you today.'

The pilot did as he was told. I eventually left the company. My replacement was killed two months later and the chief pilot one year thereafter. In both cases they were flying inadequate equipment in very difficult conditions.

Freight Dog Story

About 5 or 6 years ago a friend of mine and I were flying down the Oregon and Calif coast, landed at EKA (Murry) and spent the night in Eureka. The next morning, as often happens in that area I guess, there was a really low solid marine layer. The ceiling was like "on the deck" (less than a 100') and ground visibility was maybe half mile. While we were waiting it out we could hear a couple of planes buzzing around overhead wanting to get in. We were on the ramp by our planes when this FedEx Cessna Caravan comes down through the soup trying to find the runway. When it broke through he was so far off, banking hard and heading for us only about 50' agl or less that my buddy took off running, scared the crap out of him thinking it might crash. Then back up into the soup it went. Five or ten minutes later tries again, pops out not lined up, does a couple more wild banks but cannot line up in time so back up again. It was the 4th try that he made it and then two other freight Caravans came in behind him.

I am not that familiar with instrument flying rules but my guess is they were way, way over the line. No precision approach here. Could this be normal for these guys? Arcata is only 10 miles away and has an ILS, GPS and runways twice as long but for some reason they did not want to go there. Maybe some kind of pressure from the 'Company', their ground crews were waiting for them at Murry Field.

Sure wish I could have made a video of that, it was amazing and entertaining, kind of like an air show.

Jay

Gee....

That's NOT how it's supposed to be done. Sounds like inexperience and pressure from a bush league contract cargo outfit.

Thing is, most of the guys and gals are inexperienced, and this is their first flying job out of the safe confines of a flight school or fbo. It is the first time most of them have had to really deal with weather. Seeing weather on a screen and being in it are two different things. The first few weeks of flying Tennessee in the Commander were the most frightening of my brief flying career. That's how it is for most freight dogs. You get over it. Why do they do what they do? More reasons than just pressure from above. We might as well ask: why do people do what they do? As hard as one tries to be a professional, logical captain, it does not matter to the ever changing flux that the pilot must penetrate on a regular basis.

Not supposed to be done that way? No, it isn't. Is it the way it's done? Yes, sometimes. Sometimes friends and bosses die. Most of us get through it better for it all. I wouldn't trade that time for anything. I still look over when I hear the Aero Commander rev its engines up in the morning on takeoff, on its way from DAL to Harlingen.

We're all inexperienced. To say we're not is ignorance of how it all works. You can't run a business like most 135s and pay your captains anything, hence they are the callow young, hungry for the experience. At that time, finding one's way through life is as easy as passing your instrument checkride every night.

I have a special place in my heart for freight dogs. I know where they've been and where they can go. They're the Rodney Dangerfields of the professional world...

Nathan, that is why the company is nick-named 'Scary Cherry'.

Danny