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Former USAF Pilot Turned Airline Pilot Pulls No Punches in B737 Critique
Former Air Force C-17 Pilot Candidly Compares Flying the Globemaster to the Boeing 737, including His Experience with Military Training Versus Airline Training (news.google.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
I also flew the 737/100/200/300/400 and agree with you 100%. Happy to step back and do it again!
Tell that to the loads of former military pilots flying SWA 737s every day.
Agreed
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Everyone I know who works for Southwest says it's a great place to work, their pilots are also well compensated, they have plenty of former military pilots working there, its one of the most sought after pilot jobs along with FedEX.
Furthermore, SWA has the best safety record of any of the major national airlines which transport numbers of passengers at a similar scale.
Their first fatal incident (for a passenger), SWA1380, in which one passenger died following explosive depressurization caused by disintegration of a fan blade, was found to be the fault of microscopic fatigue cracks not detectable by established maintenance procedures. A disproportionate number of fatal air accidents are caused by airlines' failure to properly maintain their aircraft. NTSB found that SWA regularly followed and exceeded established maintenance procedures. Following the accident, ultrasonic testing procedure were mandated. Similar low-cycle fatigue cracks were discovered in fan blades in dozens of engines, meaning it easily could have been another major airline struck by this failure.
Yes, in the past FAA inspectors have found that SWA has flown aircraft with unconfirmed or deficient maintenance records, and there was a report about a deficient PWB safety system that had to be corrected. Reports criticizing Southwest maintenance and safety are often accompanied by reports in the same year ranking it highly. Still, they have one of the best safety records in the domestic carrier industry. So if a skilled military pilot had to choose a safe and efficient airline to fly for, there's a reason Southwest is among the top choices in an industry that is incentivized to take shortcuts whenever possible.
They're far from perfect, but they're known for being better than many others.
Their first fatal incident (for a passenger), SWA1380, in which one passenger died following explosive depressurization caused by disintegration of a fan blade, was found to be the fault of microscopic fatigue cracks not detectable by established maintenance procedures. A disproportionate number of fatal air accidents are caused by airlines' failure to properly maintain their aircraft. NTSB found that SWA regularly followed and exceeded established maintenance procedures. Following the accident, ultrasonic testing procedure were mandated. Similar low-cycle fatigue cracks were discovered in fan blades in dozens of engines, meaning it easily could have been another major airline struck by this failure.
Yes, in the past FAA inspectors have found that SWA has flown aircraft with unconfirmed or deficient maintenance records, and there was a report about a deficient PWB safety system that had to be corrected. Reports criticizing Southwest maintenance and safety are often accompanied by reports in the same year ranking it highly. Still, they have one of the best safety records in the domestic carrier industry. So if a skilled military pilot had to choose a safe and efficient airline to fly for, there's a reason Southwest is among the top choices in an industry that is incentivized to take shortcuts whenever possible.
They're far from perfect, but they're known for being better than many others.
I'm sure it does fly differently than the C-17, or any other airplane for that matter. I flew the BAC-111, the B737, B757, B767 and A330 which all fly differently, yet few have the versatility and track record of the 737. Put me in a proven design anytime.