NJDavid
Jun 16, 99, 1:31 pm
OK. This one scared me. From Bloomberg News:
American Air Pilots Complain of Lack of Training on New System
-- AMR Corp.'s
American Airlines, the world's second-largest carrier, is
providing pilots with inadequate training on some planes with
modified navigation systems, their union said.
Six Boeing 757 and 767 planes, which comprise less than 4
percent of their combined fleets, have the new Pegasus systems in
the cockpits. The workbooks and reference guides that pilots
received from the company are inadequate for the level of change
and pilots are complaining, the union said.
``The nature of the complaints has been that `look this is
too significant a difference for pilots to reasonably be expected
to get out there and figure this thing out''' on their own,
Allied Pilots Association spokesman Gregg Overman said.
The system on the 757 and 767 planes used on U.S. and Latin
America routes lets pilots chart altitude, position and velocity.
The complaint is the latest dispute between AMR and the union.
Pilots called in sick in February, prompting 6,600 canceled
flights, to demand guarantees they won't lose out on promotions
and flights to lower-paid pilots at newly acquired Reno Air Inc.
The union formed a panel to come up with a better training
solution for the navigation systems, Overman said.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline added a section to the
planes' operational manuals and provided workbooks and quick-
reference guides to help pilots master the changes, company
spokesman John Hotard said. The carrier will call in pilots for
special classroom training at its discretion, and pilots can call
flight academy managers to discuss the changes.
``It is flight management's decision that this change...can
be handled without bringing them in for classroom training,''
Hotard said. ``If the pilots will read their training workbook
they should have no trouble with their system.''
The 757 and 767 planes now coming off Boeing production
lines are equipped with the new systems. American hasn't decided
whether to reconfigure its planes with the modified systems.
American Air Pilots Complain of Lack of Training on New System
-- AMR Corp.'s
American Airlines, the world's second-largest carrier, is
providing pilots with inadequate training on some planes with
modified navigation systems, their union said.
Six Boeing 757 and 767 planes, which comprise less than 4
percent of their combined fleets, have the new Pegasus systems in
the cockpits. The workbooks and reference guides that pilots
received from the company are inadequate for the level of change
and pilots are complaining, the union said.
``The nature of the complaints has been that `look this is
too significant a difference for pilots to reasonably be expected
to get out there and figure this thing out''' on their own,
Allied Pilots Association spokesman Gregg Overman said.
The system on the 757 and 767 planes used on U.S. and Latin
America routes lets pilots chart altitude, position and velocity.
The complaint is the latest dispute between AMR and the union.
Pilots called in sick in February, prompting 6,600 canceled
flights, to demand guarantees they won't lose out on promotions
and flights to lower-paid pilots at newly acquired Reno Air Inc.
The union formed a panel to come up with a better training
solution for the navigation systems, Overman said.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline added a section to the
planes' operational manuals and provided workbooks and quick-
reference guides to help pilots master the changes, company
spokesman John Hotard said. The carrier will call in pilots for
special classroom training at its discretion, and pilots can call
flight academy managers to discuss the changes.
``It is flight management's decision that this change...can
be handled without bringing them in for classroom training,''
Hotard said. ``If the pilots will read their training workbook
they should have no trouble with their system.''
The 757 and 767 planes now coming off Boeing production
lines are equipped with the new systems. American hasn't decided
whether to reconfigure its planes with the modified systems.