Fake Pilots

[ScottM]

I am surprised to have not heard more about this.

Fasten your seat belts, the captain of your plane may have fudged his papers to get a flying licence. Investigations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), initiated after a woman pilot was found repeatedly landing wrongly on the nosewheel of the plane, have thrown up two more pilots who forged their qualifying papers. Fake captains are fast emerging as the biggest threat to safe flying in India.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-09/india/28671927_1_pilots-dgca-licences

I think that we may have encountered the GA pilot who is no longer current but still flies. Even though that is reprehensible it is nothing like this where an airline captain fakes their credentials.

Not to self: Continue to not fly Chinese, Indian, Russian, African, or South American branded airlines.

 

[zaitcev]

Not to self: Continue to not fly Chinese, Indian, Russian, African, or South American branded airlines.

I logged lotsa pax hours in Russian flag airplanes (some of which were 767s) and I can tell you that there is a world of difference between flying with Transaero and, say, Ural Airlines. Transaero is in some kind of "top 10 in safety" in the world list, actually. Based on that experience, I suspect that Indian airlines are not created equal either, I just don't know which is which. That said, you can't pay me enough to fly Emirates or some other Gulf airline. They always have these bizarre accidents with nosediving into the ground due to a suicidal F/O or captain disoriented at night.

 

[alaskaflyer]

Or the student pilot who never follows through with finishing but continues to fly. Most common scenario of uncertificated pilots up here (and occasionally in the lower 48) though not likely to be flying your revenue flight.

 

[dmccormack]

Investigations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), initiated after a woman pilot was found repeatedly landing wrongly on the nosewheel of the plane, have thrown up two more pilots who forged their qualifying papers.

What did that look like??

 

[Lawreston]

Or the student pilot who never follows through with finishing but continues to fly. Most common scenario of uncertificated pilots up here (and occasionally in the lower 48) though not likely to be flying your revenue flight.

- - - reminiscent of the story told by the owner of the airfield where I learned to fly. Although totally unrelated to that facility, he knew a man who bought a plane which he kept in his own large field. He taught himself to fly, did all his own maintenance, never registered the plane, never insured it. That continued for 20+ years without incident.

HR

 

[zaitcev]

- - - reminiscent of the story told by the owner of the airfield where I learned to fly. Although totally unrelated to that facility, he knew a man who bought a plane which he kept in his own large field. He taught himself to fly, did all his own maintenance, never registered the plane, never insured it. That continued for 20+ years without incident.

I heard about things like that, although usually when the pilot involved came to grief and thus became known to authorities. Peter Garrison once wrote in an "Aftermath" column: "The FAA likes to pretend that flight is impossible without the aid of certain official documents (..)". But I thought that with the FAR growing twice thicker in just 8 years these times have passed into distant memory. Then a student at my FBO was taking a checkride a couple of weeks ahead and I asked him what he thought about the upcoming Private checkride. He replied: "I was flying for 15 years now, I fly that plane like wearing it on, so no concern about flying, but I am having trouble with all that airspace stuff." Apparently he is from Texas and was flying a 172 at his parents' ranch. He passed, BTW.

 

[Lawreston]

Pete: When I was a teenager one of the other kids in the adjacent town was from a flying family: his grandfather, father, and uncle all owned and flew planes. Xxxxx began flying as a mere child in his grandfather's float plane, and for years after that. "Gramp" took my father up for Dad's only flight in a small plane. While showing Dad the Crute farm from above he commented, "Ken, if you want to have a pensive moment think about saying to your 9 year old grandson as he prepares to solo fly your pride and joy: 'Ok, Xxxxx; I want to see some loops, some figure eights, and some landings.' I've done it to mine; the boy did just fine."

Xxxxx eventually had to take official instruction. The story goes that the instructor was of the impression that he was either (a.) the world's best instructor; or (b.) he had a whiz kid for a student. He knew nothing of Xxxxx's history. Well, the kid passed his PP-ASEL checkride at his earliest opportunity; and while a bunch of us were working our summer in the local canning factory Xxxxx was flying as a fish spotter for the owner of several sardine packing plants.

HR