Currently there is a re-energized watch of regional airline operations. This is as a direct result of the Colgan accident in Buffalo. In recent Senate hearings the new FAA Administrator was quizzed hard on the government’s supervision of these carriers. Fifty percent of all U.S. commercial flights involve regionals. Preliminary emphasis is on flight operations, duty time, and training. The Administrator was asked if he would have terminated someone who had flunked several flight tests and replied, “people are human.†Hmmm! He was also asked if he thought $23,000 a year was a low rate of pay for a regional pilot. He replied that there are major carriers that start at that level. Hmmm!
Now the Regional Airline Association has announced it has embarked on a strategic safety initiative. This will involve the establishment of a safety board, fatigue studies, fatigue awareness management programs, and a reach out for industry government partnerships.
All of this is good — but I do not think it addresses the central issue with regionals. That is the culture from which many of these carriers sprang. Regionals are not first air carriers, they are first  business opportunities. They were created to make money. Yes, they have to abide by the FARs and other standards for the industry … but first and foremost the intent is profit. There is not a thing wrong with this motive. After all, this is the incentive that drives our nation’s economy. (At least I hope so.) Safety is a paramount consideration in these operations. My point is that until it is the foremost consideration, the culture of regionals will not change. At times budgets will be minimized, i.e. a few extra landings on a set of tires, reduction of staff, and increased workload per employee, shortcuts on training, etc. These may work for a trucking, busing, or even railroad operation, but not for an air carrier. There can be no shortcuts.
Take for instance the recent case of Gulfstream International Airlines. The FAA is proposing a $1.3 million fine for violations that include maintenance infractions in addition to crew time and record-keeping abuses. CNN reported that mechanics told pilots to “go†regardless of the fact that maintenance systems did not check out properly on an aircraft before flight. It also reported a maintenance person that said the maintenance operations at this airline were “the worst he has seen in 30 years.†Worse yet, it has been stated that auto air conditioning compressors were used to repair the system in Beech 1900Ds. Gulfstream states it used proper parts but did not install these properly.
Not to pick on one airline who has its day in court … this is to bring to light what I suspect is a culture problem in this sector that is exacerbated by the fact that it is highly capital intensive and regulated in a decidedly competitive business. Regardless of any profit motive, air travel must have safety as its priority 100 percent of the time.
Do you think I’m being overly hard on the regionals or do you agree? Have any of you seen for yourself similar poor practices in this sector? Let me know; initials will suffice. What can be done to change the culture? Otherwise, if it doesn’t change, I see something similar to Buffalo occurring in the future, and maybe this one will point to a maintenance shortcut.
