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I think it's not a priority simply because it makes no difference. I mean, if you had some Disney-style ability to 'go back' and change one thing, it'd be the

by soneil 12y ago

I think it's not a priority simply because it makes no difference. I mean, if you had some Disney-style ability to 'go back' and change one thing, it'd be the 48-hour delay in forming an initial conclusion? Personally, I think it'd be much more productive to address the culture that leads to this - it is incredibly difficult for pilots to seek help for mental health issues. It's "career suicide", and puts them in a position where medical professionals are their enemy. Worrying about the particular trivialities of this incident really doesn't get us anywhere - remembering that any tool put in place to help the "good guy" is also available for use by the "bad guy". Ensuring "good crew" can rush the flight deck helps in the case that it's the "bad crew" flying - but also allows for "bad crew" to rush the flight deck while "good crew" are flying. You can't win this one.

Rockslide 12y ago
> it is incredibly difficult for pilots to seek help for mental health issues. It's "career suicide", and puts them in a position where medical professionals are their enemy Exactly. Except that not so much the medical professionals, but the employers are the enemy. In the meantime, evidence was found in the pilot's appartment which shows that he was in treatment for a mental illness and was certified unfit for work on that day by his doctor. And his employer did not have a clue about all that... (German reference e.g. http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/a-1025956.html http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/a-1025956.html )
anigbrowl 12y ago
Radios outside the cockpit don't help a bad actor in the least. It's simple to establish that a plane has not been taken over, because the legitimate crew file flight plans and stay in regular contact with ATC operators, plus there's air-ground telemetry. If you're suffering from something like major depression or dissociative disorder, you shouldn't be in charge on airplane, especially under 30 (when rates of suicide are higher) and especially if you're on medication. Yes, it's career suicide, but you can't always have the career you want. I have chronic depression myself, I've managed it for many years, and while it is manageable I have enough experience of its potential to become overwhelming that I can see why airlines and air regulators want to minimize that risk.

by soneil 12y ago

Rockslide 12y ago

> it is incredibly difficult for pilots to seek help for mental health issues. It's "career suicide", and puts them in a position where medical professionals are their enemy Exactly. Except that not so much the medical professionals, but the employers are the enemy. In the meantime, evidence was found in the pilot's appartment which shows that he was in treatment for a mental illness and was certified unfit for work on that day by his doctor. And his employer did not have a clue about all that... (German reference e.g. http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/a-1025956.html http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/a-1025956.html )

anigbrowl 12y ago

Radios outside the cockpit don't help a bad actor in the least. It's simple to establish that a plane has not been taken over, because the legitimate crew file flight plans and stay in regular contact with ATC operators, plus there's air-ground telemetry. If you're suffering from something like major depression or dissociative disorder, you shouldn't be in charge on airplane, especially under 30 (when rates of suicide are higher) and especially if you're on medication. Yes, it's career suicide, but you can't always have the career you want. I have chronic depression myself, I've managed it for many years, and while it is manageable I have enough experience of its potential to become overwhelming that I can see why airlines and air regulators want to minimize that risk.