LATELY, social media has been flooded with videos and recordings by pilots portraying flying as a glamorous profession.
It is not!
We see pilots posting videos of themselves getting dressed in uniform, walking through terminals with exaggerated swagger alongside cabin crew, making passenger announcements, filming take-offs and landings and showcasing cockpit activities.
One pilot even posted a video of himself eating nasi kandar with his hands while the aircraft was in cruise. Another posted of himself standing outside the cockpit door bidding goodbye to passengers. Though done after landing, that is the job of the cabin crew.
I find this disturbing. I write this not only as a pilot with 42 years of flying experience but also as someone who spent many years in management, 12 years in flight safety, investigated incidents and accidents, prosecuted pilots for misconduct and dereliction of duty, and on one occasion, stood in a mortuary looking at the blackened remains of accident victims – including the pilots themselves. It is not something I wish to see repeated.
Throughout my career, I have always believed that preventing accidents is far better than investigating them after lives have been lost. I am writing this article with that belief and I hope it reaches those who feel compelled to present flying as a glamorous lifestyle to be displayed on social media because it is not.
Some may think my time has passed, and they are free to think so. But when I board an aircraft with my family and friends, my life is in the hands of the pilots operating that flight. That responsibility is enormous.
A pilot must be properly prepared, well rested and fully focused throughout the flight. Standard Operating Procedures must be followed.
Air Traffic Control clearances must be complied with. Any abnormality or emergency, which can occur anytime and anywhere, must be identified and handled correctly. Flying demands discipline, concentration, sound judgement, logic and common sense.
Over the years, I have seen mistakes and omissions that have placed aircraft and lives at risk, including taking off with landing gear safety pins still installed, taking off with pitot covers still attached, entering an active runway without clearance, taking off with incorrect flap settings, taking off from a shortened runway unknowingly, taking off from the wrong runway, using incorrect take-off speeds, failing to comply with Air Traffic Control instructions, sleeping during the flight, conducting unstable approaches, shutting down the wrong engine… and the list goes on.
Pilots should remember that, in the interest of safety, virtually everything they do is recorded. Walk-around inspections are often captured on video. The cockpit voice recorder records cockpit conversations.
Aircraft and engine performance data are captured by the flight data recorder. Flight profiles, including take-offs and approaches, are monitored through flight operational quality assurance systems.
Why expose yourself unnecessarily by recording and publishing casual cockpit activities? More importantly, are pilots fully aware of the consequences if they are found to have breached regulations or compromised safety?
Those consequences may include suspension from flying duties, withdrawal of pilot licences, internal disciplinary proceedings, criminal prosecution for dereliction of duty, manslaughter charges if negligence contributes to loss of life and civil lawsuits for negligence.
In worst cases, becoming the subject of headlines and accident reports after a tragedy.
Not surprisingly, such social media postings rarely come from pilots of long-established carriers such as Qantas, British Airways, Emirates, Air France, Japan Airlines, Air New Zealand or Singapore Airlines. Such behaviour is generally not encouraged in highly disciplined professional environments.
This warning should ideally come from aviation regulators rather than from me. Nevertheless, my concern is genuine. I am aware of at least one case where an aviation authority took action against a pilot who repeatedly posted such content.
My advice to pilots is simple:
know the civil aviation regulations thoroughly; and
understand the weight of your responsibilities, especially if you are the pilot-in-command. The role carries immense authority but even greater accountability.
You do not need social media validation to prove your worth. Surgeons perform equally demanding and high-risk work, yet they do not post videos of themselves conducting open-heart surgery for public attention.
If popularity is the objective, there are many professions better suited for it. Flying is not a glamorous profession. It is a profession of immense responsibility, requiring discipline, competence, humility and constant vigilance.
For the safety of your aircraft, your crew, your passengers and the travelling public, be a responsible professional; not a publicity seeker. I hope this message reaches those who need to hear it.
Malang tak berbau.
Capt Mohd. Kamil Abu Bakar
Former MAS Director of Flight Operations
Aircraft Accident Investigator