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This one was another shining example of the work coming out of TIMCO in Georgia. Last week it was a 'bus with the MLG prox sensors flopping loose.....

And who is the head honcho at TIMCO??? A person by the name of Ron Utecht, the same person who was once VP of UAL, the same guy who hired Alan Butterfield at UAL, the same Butterfield who is now VP of maintenance at AC. Timco, the same company that has been raided numerous times by the INS for illegal aliens working at their establishment. Things that make you go Hmmmmmm

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Are you familiar with CAIRS? http://wwwapps.tc.gc...r.aspx?lang=eng

The last guy here in YOW who filed a flight safety complaint, was suspended for 5 months and forced to see a forensic psychiatrist and docked a pile of pay over it. He eventually won his case but not after jumping through hoops of fire

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The last guy here in YOW who filed a flight safety complaint, was suspended for 5 months and forced to see a forensic psychiatrist and docked a pile of pay over it. He eventually won his case but not after jumping through hoops of fire

SMS at work?

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CAIRS and SMS are mutually exclusive. SMS reports are internal and CAIRS reports are external. Anyone who suspends someone for filing a report should be drawn and quartered IMHO.

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CAIRS and SMS are mutually exclusive. SMS reports are internal and CAIRS reports are external. Anyone who suspends someone for filing a report should be drawn and quartered IMHO.

True, but reporting is reporting and the universal fundamental requirement for SMS to work is the idea of non-punitive reactions (barring willful misconduct or proven negligence). One might say that SMS failed in this instance and that CAIRS was the next logical step. There is also the possibility that one person's safety issue is a non-issue to someone else. Regardless, if it was me (thankfully it isn't and probably never will be), my reaction to an employee going outside the box would prompt me to question my own SMS and ask why his/her concerns weren't addressed, so much so that the individual felt they had to take their concern(s) to a higher level. If it could then be shown the employee was being vindictive against the employer, that should come out during any investigation and dealt with accordingly.

I have personally witnessed the gross mishandling of a safety concern (not in Canada) and the punitive results that ensued. I have heard second-hand stories from those involved in a Canadian company suffering much the same threat of dismissal for ANY safety reports being filed.

The next 10 years will tell the tale of the success or failure of the concept of self-monitoring, -reporting and -responses, those integral elements of SMS in Canada. In my personal opinion, FWIW.

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The last guy here in YOW who filed a flight safety complaint, was suspended for 5 months and forced to see a forensic psychiatrist and docked a pile of pay over it. He eventually won his case but not after jumping through hoops of fire

The first problem is any culture which considers raising a hazard concern as being a complaint. Were the Morton Thiokol engineers simply complaining when they were trying to convince their superiors that the Challenger shouldn't launch in cold weather? Of course not, they had a legitimate concern for safety.

When someone makes an accusation of questionable maintenance on an anonymous forum it's one thing. To document it legitimately so that someone in authority can act is another. I know which one I'd rather see.

My Dad used to say, "There are problems and there are solutions. Which one are you?"

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And who is the head honcho at TIMCO??? A person by the name of Ron Utecht, the same person who was once VP of UAL, the same guy who hired Alan Butterfield at UAL, the same Butterfield who is now VP of maintenance at AC. Timco, the same company that has been raided numerous times by the INS for illegal aliens working at their establishment. Things that make you go Hmmmmmm

Utecht no no loner works for TIMCO, he's at AC now

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It is reigning in the "old School" Managers that is the hard part of SMS. Old school methodology said that if you screwed up you were punished for it so you wouldnt do it again. This conflicts with the "new" SMS methodology that says if you screwed up there may be an underlying cause and that should be addressed so it doesnt happen again. Which one is more productive?

Once the new thinking reigns supreme, SMS will shine. We are a long way away from that as there are alot of retirements to go before the old school is gone for good.

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It is reigning in the "old School" Managers that is the hard part of SMS. Old school methodology said that if you screwed up you were punished for it so you wouldnt do it again. This conflicts with the "new" SMS methodology that says if you screwed up there may be an underlying cause and that should be addressed so it doesnt happen again. Which one is more productive?

Once the new thinking reigns supreme, SMS will shine. We are a long way away from that as there are alot of retirements to go before the old school is gone for good.

Until shareholder returns on investment, be it a private or public company, truly become second fiddle to flight safety and security, that Utopia may be a long time coming. Until that time comes, what do employees at companies other than the very large organizations who have truly tried to make SMS work, do? I believe the heart of this system relies on reporting. If reporting is not done for fear of retribution, especially if someone screwed up and just wanted to come clean and warn everyone else of their error, then the system by definition cannot work. From another perspective, if litigation is at all possible, given the justice system's demonstrated access to safety files, would YOU write yourself up and leave yourself and your family open to possible lawsuits?

I had a chief pilot once to whom I wrote myself up for a faux-pax. He called me in the office, asked me what in the world was I thinking, told me something HE had done of a similar nature year's past, asked me if I'd ever allow myself to get into that position again, then smiled, shook my hand and said "Now get out of here!"

If HIS boss asked him about the incident, his usual reply was "It's been dealt with."

RIP, Jim.

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