TravthaWo

I have developed a fear of flying long haul flights outside the US.
Because of the FAA and the training for pilots in the US I feel much more comfortable within the states.

Specifically my main fear is pilot training in Asia. Especially due to the demand for pilots. My probably unfounded concern is that if for some reason the pilot of one of these airliners is put in an emergency situation if they are as capable in safely managing the situation.
One airline I have already flown a couple times is Eva Air. So far no problems, however I have fear of if they are put in unusual circumstances. I’d like to book with them again but for some reason these events below are bothering me, in regards to the pilots choices.

2 examples (can’t post links yet)
First:
Incident: Eva B773 at Los Angeles on Dec 16th 2016, ATC instructs turn left instead of right, loss of separation, confusion, dangerous closure to terrain

Second:
BR56 turbulence 11/22
There are some posts about it on the forum.

Who actually regulates this airline or any in Asia for that matter? I understand they are rated top in the world but the criteria for safety in that rating seems country specific, not airline specific. I know I am probably just overly anxious but I was hoping someone could comment on the skill set and decision making of pilots of this airline or Asian airlines. Should I be concerned? I’m looking to fly with them on 777-300er’s. Can any pilots comment?

Edit: 20180922 - Fixed blank spaces

swingaling

I wouldn't be concerned. AC759 nearly landed on an occupied taxiway in SFO last year, so it's a bit ridiculous to single out Asian airlines.

JamesKidd

Why not just stick to flying with US airlines then ?Whats your feelings with EU based airlines ? If you're ok with that, it's another option besides US airlines

There are few Indian airlines that I tend to avoid. Jet Airways has had 3 incidents this year and Air India recently had an issue with landing in one of the new york area airports.

All 3 of Jet airways issue this year are pilot related

lhrsfo

Still safer than driving to the airport.

closetasfan

a bit curious....do you have anxiety about having single lines between paragraphs? is there something behind these big white spaces?

nrunning24

Every airline that flies to the US has to have FAA approval of all their training and maintenance programs regardless of where they are based. There are airlines who had their status removed by both the USA and EU. If the airline flies to the US it has meet all FAA requirements.

User Name

Annalisa12

So many Asians in Australia have the "smart" jobs... doctors, dentists etc.... I figure that I want to be on the Asian airlines because they are so smart and thorough.

Annalisa12

So you'll get there safely, but you'll have a huge red wine stain down the front of your shirt!

andersonCooper

I *feel* safer when I am on CX rather than AA, tbh......

MSPeconomist

BearX220

OP might like to know that a rising number of cockpit crews flying for the Asian airlines are Western-trained.

My son has worked as a university flight instructor in the US and certified numerous Taiwanese, Japanese, Chinese, etc. pilots to the same rigorous standards Americans must meet. He's also worked with Japanese civil aviation officials and at least one airline chief pilot to refine those standards. The young people who complete their training in the US return to their native countries to work, and from what I have been told they are just as competent as young American pilots you'd meet in the US regional system.

For many years you might hear a British, Australian, or Canadian accent from the Cathay Pacific or Malaysian flight deck -- but now the ranks of native-born talent is growing fast, and Western training is considered very desirable and prestigious. I would be as comfortable with those crews as any American-born talent.

TravthaWo

I'm in Asia and options are limited to certain carriers without long back tracking.


Yeah the same old thing everyone always says... I agree statistically. However aren't there a lot more cars on the road than planes?


Funny. Not intentional. Pasted from phone notes and that's how it came out. Bit annoying.

I figured there was some FAA oversight, however I haven't been able to find much information on this. Outside of the FAA regulations around homeland security in/out the USA flights. It would be great to find something on this. The IOSA that arlineratings bases some of its ratings on seems to be country specific, not airline specific.

I've been in asia for quite some time and this isn't what I have observed. Of course there are smart people, however I've noticed a lot of 'common sense' gaps. This is part of where my anxiety developed from, observing here in Asia.

andersonCooper

Bolding mine

Care to elaborate?

cbn42

That is a selection bias. Australia, the US, and other western countries only grant visas to the "smart" Asians, i.e., those that are recruited by a local company or have gained admission to a local university. Any random Asian cannot immigrate.

They look at the accident rate per passenger-mile travelled, so the number of cars and planes is already accounted for.

I'm not a pilot and can't comment on training, but based on statistics, you don't have anything worry about. Accidents are few and far between.

Imagine if an Asian person read the news and then asked "if I move to the US, is it safe to send my kids to school or will they get shot?" Sometimes a few stories in the media can distort your perception of risk.