Narrative:

This is my 3RD NASA on air carrier's policy of dual and triple qualifying pilots. I have yet to hear from you or the FAA. I'm being assigned to the air carrier after being off it for 3 months with only a requalified check for training. I am not proficient and will not be after the requalified check. This policy is very unsafe and it's not a question of will they have an accident but only when, and when that day comes I will show the news media copies of these reports and to you and others to the FAA standards department that have gone unanswered. I know others have wrote NASA reports. When will something be done? Air carrier is involuntarily assigning pilot more than ever to cover flying. Air carrier has a critical pilot shortage and will do anything to cover trips except train and hire enough pilots, thus they rob peter to pay paul in order to cover wide body flying. Please call me for more details. I'll be taking sick leave in march to avoid flying unsafely on the widebody transport. P.south. This month I'm taking a check ride on 3-ENGINE widebody transport -- my annual. I have not had a check ride on the widebody transport since nov 1988. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter explained that his company is pretty much the only whose contract with pilots allows dual, and even triple, certification. He claims that the company uses this flexibility to abuse, shifting pilots between aircraft and domiciles so long as they are legally current, i.e., within 6 months of their last check ride. A pilot may not have flown an aircraft for 5 months and find himself assigned to it with no simulator time and no time to even brush up on the books. He is dual certified, but other pilots are even triple certified, moving between a variety of aircraft. Pilots of lesser seniority may find themselves moving not only between aircraft, but between positions as well. These changes often force pilots of less seniority onto reserve status, causing harsh feelings toward the company, and at other times, pilots will not know what aircraft they may be moving into next. Reporter said he was forced to leave his home domicile for another base, with no compensation for deadheading time, for multi-day trips, on 4 occasions in the last 5 months. Reporter is particularly concerned by the fact that the pilots of a company that merged with his several yrs ago are now being combined into a single operation whereas up until this time, they remained separate. This means that pilots from each of the companies will be flying on new routes, and in completely different equipment, as well as being subjected to new and different training procedures. Reporter feels that all these factors add up to an accident waiting to happen.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF MERGED ACR COMPLAINS THAT COMPANY'S PRACTICE OF DUAL AND TRIPLE PLT QUALIFICATION IS INHERENTLY UNSAFE. HE FEARS THAT ADDITIONAL SAFETY COMPROMISES WILL BE MADE AS PLTS FROM THE MERGED AIRLINE ARE BROUGHT INTO THE FOLD DUE TO THE VARIETY ACFT AND THE EXPOSURE TO INTERNATIONAL ROUTES THAT WILL BE TOTALLY NEW TO MANY OF THE PLTS.

Narrative: THIS IS MY 3RD NASA ON ACR'S POLICY OF DUAL AND TRIPLE QUALIFYING PLTS. I HAVE YET TO HEAR FROM YOU OR THE FAA. I'M BEING ASSIGNED TO THE ACR AFTER BEING OFF IT FOR 3 MONTHS WITH ONLY A REQUALIFIED CHECK FOR TRAINING. I AM NOT PROFICIENT AND WILL NOT BE AFTER THE REQUALIFIED CHECK. THIS POLICY IS VERY UNSAFE AND IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF WILL THEY HAVE AN ACCIDENT BUT ONLY WHEN, AND WHEN THAT DAY COMES I WILL SHOW THE NEWS MEDIA COPIES OF THESE REPORTS AND TO YOU AND OTHERS TO THE FAA STANDARDS DEPT THAT HAVE GONE UNANSWERED. I KNOW OTHERS HAVE WROTE NASA REPORTS. WHEN WILL SOMETHING BE DONE? ACR IS INVOLUNTARILY ASSIGNING PLT MORE THAN EVER TO COVER FLYING. ACR HAS A CRITICAL PLT SHORTAGE AND WILL DO ANYTHING TO COVER TRIPS EXCEPT TRAIN AND HIRE ENOUGH PLTS, THUS THEY ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL IN ORDER TO COVER WIDE BODY FLYING. PLEASE CALL ME FOR MORE DETAILS. I'LL BE TAKING SICK LEAVE IN MARCH TO AVOID FLYING UNSAFELY ON THE WDB. P.S. THIS MONTH I'M TAKING A CHECK RIDE ON 3-ENGINE WDB -- MY ANNUAL. I HAVE NOT HAD A CHECK RIDE ON THE WDB SINCE NOV 1988. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: REPORTER EXPLAINED THAT HIS COMPANY IS PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY WHOSE CONTRACT WITH PLTS ALLOWS DUAL, AND EVEN TRIPLE, CERTIFICATION. HE CLAIMS THAT THE COMPANY USES THIS FLEXIBILITY TO ABUSE, SHIFTING PLTS BETWEEN ACFT AND DOMICILES SO LONG AS THEY ARE LEGALLY CURRENT, I.E., WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF THEIR LAST CHECK RIDE. A PLT MAY NOT HAVE FLOWN AN ACFT FOR 5 MONTHS AND FIND HIMSELF ASSIGNED TO IT WITH NO SIMULATOR TIME AND NO TIME TO EVEN BRUSH UP ON THE BOOKS. HE IS DUAL CERTIFIED, BUT OTHER PLTS ARE EVEN TRIPLE CERTIFIED, MOVING BETWEEN A VARIETY OF ACFT. PLTS OF LESSER SENIORITY MAY FIND THEMSELVES MOVING NOT ONLY BETWEEN ACFT, BUT BETWEEN POSITIONS AS WELL. THESE CHANGES OFTEN FORCE PLTS OF LESS SENIORITY ONTO RESERVE STATUS, CAUSING HARSH FEELINGS TOWARD THE COMPANY, AND AT OTHER TIMES, PLTS WILL NOT KNOW WHAT ACFT THEY MAY BE MOVING INTO NEXT. REPORTER SAID HE WAS FORCED TO LEAVE HIS HOME DOMICILE FOR ANOTHER BASE, WITH NO COMPENSATION FOR DEADHEADING TIME, FOR MULTI-DAY TRIPS, ON 4 OCCASIONS IN THE LAST 5 MONTHS. REPORTER IS PARTICULARLY CONCERNED BY THE FACT THAT THE PLTS OF A COMPANY THAT MERGED WITH HIS SEVERAL YRS AGO ARE NOW BEING COMBINED INTO A SINGLE OPERATION WHEREAS UP UNTIL THIS TIME, THEY REMAINED SEPARATE. THIS MEANS THAT PLTS FROM EACH OF THE COMPANIES WILL BE FLYING ON NEW ROUTES, AND IN COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EQUIPMENT, AS WELL AS BEING SUBJECTED TO NEW AND DIFFERENT TRAINING PROCS. REPORTER FEELS THAT ALL THESE FACTORS ADD UP TO AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.