H.E.M.S. Pilot Path

[Velocity173]

You mean the same FAA that sent a load of inspectors to NVG school and then failed to keep any of them current so they could give endorsements? I know.... off topic, but its the thorn in my side this week.

I hear ya. I love the new risk assessment the FAA has implemented this year along with the Operations Control Center guy who reviews it. Doesn't matter what you're doing, it's still low risk. I don't need some form to give me number and tell me I'm "green." I already know the risks involved. FAA is completely out of touch with what we do.

 

Sorry, I know that's off topic but that's my thorn in my side this week. 😉

Edited March 19, 2015 by Velocity173

[Gomer Pylot]

The FAA is clueless, always has been, always will be. Those who can, fly, and those who can't, go to the FAA.

[Francis Meyrick]

 

I didn't like my crew much and I just kept to myself, I learned a long time ago, you have no friends offshore or at the hospital!

Um.

 

I have many failings, and an infernal curiosity to figure out the other guy is probably one of them. After ten years in the Gulf Oil Patch, plus North Sea before that, plus Africa, plus.... I can honestly say I had a bunch of good buddies out there. All over. Flying out or back, or merely chatting in the galley on an oil rig, I rarely lacked conversation and good company. Those guys were often funny as hell, once you got to know them. Everybody's got a story. From the welder to the cook, or the roustabout to the Company Man, the range of personalities and life's stories was inexhaustible.

 

Now, here's a funny thing. The number of times I would get a warm welcome from the oncoming passengers, and some comment along the lines of:

"It's Francis! Good to see ya, man! The pilot that talks to us!"

And I would say:

"Doesn't everybody?"

And they would say: "No! A lot of pilots we get don't say Sh....! They just fly along, and totally ignore us!"

And the next thing, we would be flying along, somebody's telling a funny story, or commenting how there's no Democrat voters (apparently) working in the Gulf, or we would be off debating the Great Mysteries of the Universe, (like women), and we would be having a rip roaring old time.

 

Coming from that into Air Medical, sure, big change. Back to the drawing board, figuring things out. But from the git-go, there were crew members who were happy and willing to sit down and chat, and give help on the subject of promoting happiness in the cockpit.

 

I'm thinking (occasionally) (it's hard work) that Life is like a one-armed bandit. You'll probably get out roughly in proportion to what you put in. Less a cut for the Casino of Life, of course.

 

Just sayin'...

 

Edited July 5, 2015 by Francis Meyrick

[Flint950]

I've heard the mishap rate for HEMS in Canada and other countries is less than half of what it is in the U.S. People claiming to know what they're talking about say this is because of the two pilot requirement. Since paying for a second pilot's wages/benefits will affect the bottom line, HEMS outfits in this country will always resist the two pilot rule. It's always been hard to convince the bean counter that a second pilot will always be cheaper than a new aircraft plus legal fees in the event of a fatal accident.

 

Are two pilots always safer than one? I would argue it depends on the pilots.

[Flying Pig]

Ive heard if you attend ULA, their pilot graduates are in high demand for EMS. It says so on their FB page. And they even posted that they will block you and delete your comments if you say anything to the contrary

[Wally]

I've heard the mishap rate for HEMS in Canada and other countries is less than half of what it is in the U.S. People claiming to know what they're talking about say this is because of the two pilot requirement. Since paying for a second pilot's wages/benefits will affect the bottom line, HEMS outfits in this country will always resist the two pilot rule. It's always been hard to convince the bean counter that a second pilot will always be cheaper than a new aircraft plus legal fees in the event of a fatal accident.

 

Are two pilots always safer than one? I would argue it depends on the pilots.

 

Training; Safety culture; Equipment, in that order, and then- 2 pilots.

A well trained pilot with good support in a realistic safety culture using the appropriate equipment is nearly as good a the two pilot crew in a similar environment.

Two pilots, like two engines and IFR capability, must be part of a well thought out system and trained to use and maximize the advantages. If that's not so, then the second pilot, like the second engine, is a systems complication and source of extra problems.

My understanding is that the USA HEMS is much less restrictive than those of other countries.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Wally