Originally published at: Nicholas Air Loses Appeal in Whistleblower Case
Federal court leaves in place a Labor Department ruling that the company retaliated against a captain-in-training who reported safety concerns.
It would appear that for some people maintaining good operating practices and operational standards is not their highest priority. Just keep flying until the FAA hears about you!
Actions always speak loader than words. There is not much more one can say.
At least for the moment, the federal government still has whistleblower protection legislation in effect for federal government employees and those operating underfederal agency programs and legislation.
State of New York government employees are not so protected and when the first Flightline Director of the SUNY Farmingdale Aviation Department exposed and thwarted the secret plan of the President and Chancellor to use 9/11 as an excuse to sell off the aviation flight line to private investors in 2002 he was not merely terminated, but banned from visiting his beloved flightline even after they capitulated to public pressure and agreed to keep it open. They are gone and it still thrives. Subsequently disgraced whoremongers Cuomo and Spitzer were the Attorneys General who defended them and SUNY actions (with their apologetic staff quietly confiding their orders were not to pursue justice but to blindly defend the State).
Clever employer gets negative publicity that will cause business failure in a free market.
But government restricts competition with ‘financial fitness’ requirements.
Recall that a person worked hard, spent a night in a law library, to be able to start an airline in the face of established carriers objecting to government. What Herb Kelleher started by flying only within TX is now a huge airline, though continuing to ossify.
I am very glad that there are whistle blower protections. It is the operational complaint that I have an issue with. I am at a loss to understand why the First Officer was not qualified to operate the aircraft solo while in cruise? The only thing I can come up with is that the right seat pilot was on IOE and the Captain left them alone. The O2 use is more difficult. Most Air carriers vary wildly as to whether their pilots wear the quick donning masks, don’t wear them but actually put their hand on them and actuate the button so as to remind themselves as to where it is if needed, and just ignoring the rule altogether.
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