The last paragraph of an article that I have read so beautifully described everything that I too wish to state, based on my limited experience in commercial aviation, as also based solely on my perceptions. The paragraph is reproduced below.
At last I understood what true professionalism is. Being a pilot isn't all seat-of-the-pants flying and glory. It's self- discipline, practice, study, analysis and preparation. It's precision. If you can't keep the gauges where you want them with everything free and easy, how can you keep them there when everything goes wrong.
As a pilot with the IAF, I always considered the commercial licensed pilots as lesser mortals, who got the best of things, while we had to make do with what we had, even though, I felt that our job was more demanding. An example...
May 1984, Op Meghdoot, we were the 1st fighter sqn to land in Leh. We were put up, 2 to a room, with no running water in the bathroom, and with water stored in an empty tar drum outside the rooms & night temperatures of -6*C. We had a kerosene bukhari in the room but there was no legal supply of kerosene, as the supply was only authorised until 31 March. We were given 2 metal buckets to fill our washing needs from the tar drum outside, which was replenished twice a day by a bowser. Electricity was from a captive generator, if I remember right. We used to fill our bucket with water at night, and insert our bazooka (a wooden stick with a heater coil wrapped around it) in it at night, as the water would freeze at night. Get up in the morning, put the bazooka switch on & do all the ablutions/bathing with that 1 bucket. Life was good, we flew in the valleys, helicopter trip to Siachen glacier, with halts at Siala & Bilafondla, & being served warm orange juice laced with rum by our faujis on the glacier, at 17000'/ -55*C. However, we still envied the 5-star treatment of our commercial counterparts.
2006, I get my CPL and start my commercial flying with Blue Dart. I am sent to Johannesburg for my sim; boarding/ lodging in a 5-star resort & all travel plans, ticketing, etc done by the operations department. I feel like a son-in-law of the company. 3 weeks of ground school, and the sim session starts thereafter. I find that the instructor is being too fussy about the procedural aspects. Having 3200 hours on different types of aircraft as a pilot with the Air Force gives one an attitude of 'seen that, done that'. Finally clear the sim. Now the company wants me to fly some hours on the jump seat, followed by a few hours with a qualified co-pilot on the jump seat, while I fly as the u/t co-pilot. Finally, I get ‘released’ as a co-pilot. All I am initially permitted to do is walk around (external checks), checklist, get weather on ATIS, calculate speeds, set the speeds, R/T calls, and callout clear while taxiing, speeds on take-off, heights, checks & complete the navigation log. This seemed like pretty boring & mundane stuff for someone who had handled fast jets in varied terrains, heights & speeds in many different roles/ exercises, all demanding high levels of skill.
At Blue Dart, we operated only by night. As I commenced my line flying, I realised that there were no supervisors to brief/ see us off; a dispatcher would give us the weather, flight plan, fuel and communications briefing, handover two bags full of documents; the Captain was at liberty to ask for additional fuel, if he desired, depending on weather or congestion at destination. At the aircraft, the AME would be available for any queries. For any issues with the aircraft the Captain was required to consult the book on ‘go/ no go’ criteria. In short, it was the Captain who was required to take all decisions, and this becomes even more stark once the door is locked from inside; the Captain becomes wholly responsible for the duration of the flight of this living habitat, which has every possible thing that a mini township has; people, electricity, plumbing, galley, communications, sewerage, fire & safety systems, etc, in addition to the aircraft systems of hydraulics, engines, pneumatics, air conditioning, etc. In the ground classes you learn about regulations, weather, R/T, navigation, log keeping, CRM, technical, FDTL, etc. During the school, one aims to pass the exam, not realising that this is the only data that would be of help to take professional decisions, as there is no help available once the door is locked; it is just you, your crew, and your licence. This is much unlike the Air Force where the whole organisation is organised to provide backup to the launch, execution, and recovery of every sortie. Here there are multiple organisations; each with a professional, a licensed person, providing services, as per their licence, be it the flight crew, Met, ATC, AME, etc.
I started to fly in June; the monsoons had started to set in. Landing in to Mumbai at around midnight, with the aircraft wipers going at max speed, and the turbulence over the ghats never deterred the Captain to continue on the auto pilot coupled ILS, with me calling out the speeds and with nothing visible in front except blasts of rain hitting violently against the windshield. We flew the B-737-200, where-in the autopilot was cleared only upto and above 500’. The localiser and glide slope needles are stuck, right angles to each other. I callout 500’ – Captain disconnects autopilot and holds the needles at right angles while continuing with the approach to land. On my call ‘minimums’, he would call landing, if he had the visual cues to land, which are specified in the regulations, or plan a missed approach, briefing for which was already done prior to commencement of descent. Every flight was a steep learning experience for me; in spite of my 3200 hours of flying experience, there were many things that were new to me. Many a night we flew through a wall of towering Cbs, with lightening all around; the weather radar would help us find a gap, ATC would clear our detours, & we would squeeze through the gap. Latest weather at destination, weather at most likely diversions, as the route progressed were sought, fuel consumption/ fuel remaining were closely monitored. Flying to the absolute limits was the norm with balanced field length RTOW, V-speed calculations, before every flight.
I remember one night; I had a Captain who was in his mid-twenties, on a four leg flight from Chennai to Delhi, via Hyderabad, Mumbai, & Ahmedabad. We were rolling for take-off at about midnight, with full load; I had called 100 kts, and was in the process of calling out V1, when there was a loud bang on the windscreen and a burning smell in the cockpit. All I heard from the Captain was ‘Continuing’. We rotated, checked engine parameters, all was normal, and he decided to continue to Mumbai. Got the engine checked at Mumbai, and found no damage, as the bird had most likely gone through the fan stage, as generally happens. This incident highlighted the quick decision making required at that stage of flight, a delay of 1” to abort at that stage could have the aircraft about 220 yds in the overrun area, if I remember my calculations right, after about 14 years now.
Considering my experience, I had thought I would be ready to sit on the left seat after completing 100 hours as co-pilot, as required by the company Operations Manual. I did not feel competent to even ask my Chief Pilot for the same, on completion of the regulatory 100 hours in the right seat. The variables, monsoons, the total responsibility was all new and a bit disconcerting. Flying from 9 pm to about 8 am taught one the practical lessons on fatigue, window of Circadian low, and importance of following the FDTL, in letter and spirit. 5-star stays no longer looked like comfort, but a basic need to be able to perform in an environment highly dependent on good decision making by the crew, with minimal oversight from anyone else in the organisation; backups of SFS, Flt Cdr, Sqn Cdr, COO, ATC, Met, SUs, etc are not the norm. It is you and your licence. An example….
Our company bought an aircraft from China. A crew was detailed to go and fly it in. The Captain went up to the CEO and told him to change the crew, as both crew members had never been to China before. The CEO replied that no one in the company had been there, & so there was limited choice. Besides, he said that you have an ATPL, & you are well qualified to undertake this task. Matter ended. The crew brought the aircraft from China.
Having operated as a co-pilot only, in commercial aviation, I am sure there are better qualified commercial pilots in this group to comment on what I am going to say. My experience of about one year in commercial aviation taught me that as the name suggests commercial aviation is all about making money and is basically geared for that in terms of organisation. Being a public service, it is highly regulated and has licenced nearly every critical component that makes up civil aviation. Each person is a professional in his own field, and so are the flight crew. The Captain carries the can for each flight and for every decision made. Others assist him within the ambit of their licence; decision making rests solely with the Captain, with minimal supervisory oversight. The IAF on the other hand is a national asset; the whole nation pays for its upkeep, & also depends on it to provide national security. The Air Force organisation stands solidly behind every sortie that gets airborne; there are supervisory oversights at every stage, in peace. Risk is inherent, and is accepted as part of mission accomplishment. In commercial aviation, safety is paramount, and understandably so. In IAF, skills are paramount; commercial aviation is more procedural, not that skills are not important. Both have their strengths and are equally demanding in their respective ways. It took me an exposure to commercial aviation to understand this simple fact, which used to sometimes come up in our crew room conversations.
After having taught CRM and human factors, I can safely say that one’s reality is based on one’s perception, which is totally dependent on one’s ‘experiences’ & ‘learning’ in life. Looking at the same facts, two individuals will perceive the same situation differently because of the above. I am now convinced that each has a role and has created an organisation/ structure/ systems/ procedures to meet that role. Both are right and have their strengths. One is not better or worse. Commercial aviation has gained tremendously with the inflow of Air Force pilots in terms of developing good training ethos, teamwork, leadership – the strong points of the IAF. I am convinced that the Hudson river ditching was perfect, largely because Captain Sully was an ex-USAF pilot. His actions, communications, & decision making were exemplary, as were his skills, and after ditching, so was his concern for each of his crew and passengers. The IAF would gain equally if they interact more with the civil aviation in terms of procedures, rules, etc. The two are vital components of a nation’s airpower and would both benefit with closer interaction that will eventually lead to a healthy transfer of their inherent strengths.
