Baroness Thatcher passed away

ILW

Think Pilots have to do, stop, start, fast, slow, up, down, left right, whereas tube drivers only have to do stop, start, fast slow. So only half as much skill required.

StevieJ

PaulF81 wrote: »

Cant wait for an automated underground service. Then all those greedy tube drivers can get the thatcher treatment.

And George to take full control over aircraft , what do you reckon Biggles

ash28

PaulF81 wrote: »

Most pilots don't work for BA... It's also worth pointing out, last BA strike, off duty pilots came in to do the cabin crew role to keep the aircraft flying.

Most pilots don't work for Ryanair either.

I said BA because it is a UK company and Ryanair isn't and that members of Balpa and Ialpa were well represented in this country. The last time I looked cabin crew weren't members of Balpa or Ialpa. I think 75% of British commercial pilots are members of Balpa.

I do know several people who work for BA - 2 of them are senior captains and I've known them since they were first officers, the other is a cabin crew member on long haul.

Pilots don't usually have to strike....I remember Virgin pilots being balloted in 2011 and they voted overwhelmingly for strike action...the threat of pilot strike action is usually enough. In the same way the threat of an air traffic controllers strike is usually enough. Both groups are usually in a strong negotiating position as there is no flying without them.

Generali

ILW wrote: »

Think Pilots have to do, stop, start, fast, slow, up, down, left right, whereas tube drivers only have to do stop, start, fast slow. So only half as much skill required.

The penalty for failure is lower on the Tube. Anyone remember that driver a few years back who hung his bag on the Dead Man's Handle while be got a cuppa? They stopped the train after a few stations. IIRC it was near West Ham so they were probably glad the train didn't stop.

You never hear about pilots doing something like that. Getting out at Poplar for a mug with 2 sugars.

Jennifer_Jane

Generali wrote: »

The penalty for failure is lower on the Tube. Anyone remember that driver a few years back who hung his bag on the Dead Man's Handle while be got a cuppa? They stopped the train after a few stations. IIRC it was near West Ham so they were probably glad the train didn't stop.

You never hear about pilots doing something like that. Getting out at Poplar for a mug with 2 sugars.

You do hear about both pilots falling asleep though. I think that deserves this smiley: :eek:

ess0two

Jennifer_Jane wrote: »

You do hear about both pilots falling asleep though. I think that deserves this smiley: :eek:

Or failing to understand the basic dynamics of flight.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_447

John_Pierpoint

OK then Easyjet ?

I was really looking for an organisation where the driver's responsibilities are similar.
Both have to drive a tube through mostly boring conditions and probably get back to home turf at night?

During my life time the pay for certain jobs have changed considerably:
For my first house purchase the Estate agent got considerably less than my solicitor.
Coventry (where?) car workers and Fleet Street (where?) print workers got at least double the average industrial wage, not to mention London (where?) dock workers.

Driving a plane, especially for BOAC, was a truly glamorous job, with paid holidays in far away places like Hawaii, because the minimal hours on the rota had run out. The train drivers with a heritage of steam engines and a union restricting membership were still an elite (as tube drivers still are?) and lorry drivers were expected to work 22 hours across 02:00 hours and were restricted by A, B, C licences and 30 MPH speed limits. Though I do remember Exxon signing a record breaking deal with the drivers at new Fawley refinery (all been outsourced now?).

It would be interesting to know the relative rates of pay and hours of work these days.
How much does a tube driver get when compared with a Eurostar driver ?

BobQ

ILW wrote: »

All those that praise the 70s unions so highly should look at some of the "keep blacks out" campaigns organised by dockworker unions amongst others, and then decide how great they were.

It was a reflection of the times, there was a Tory candidate in Birmingham in the sixties who campaigned on the slogan "if you want a n

---

for a neighbour vote Labour".

He was a local teacher (believe it or not) who served the nation as an MP throughout the Thatcher/Major years.

neverdespairgirl

BobQ wrote: »

It was a reflection of the times, there was a Tory candidate in Birmingham in the sixties who campaigned on the slogan "if you want a n

---

for a neighbour vote Labour".

Not quite his slogan, it appears. 1964 election. Wikipedia reckons:

Griffiths ran an anti-immigration campaign, benefiting from the infamous slogan "If you want a !!!!!! for a neighbour, vote Labour". It is a common misconception that this was Griffith's campaign slogan. In fact, posters with the racist slogan were erected around the area, although it is unclear as to who was responsible for them.

PaulF81

Jennifer_Jane wrote: »

You do hear about both pilots falling asleep though. I think that deserves this smiley: :eek:

Its less of a problem than you would think. Certainly not ideal, it shouldnt happen, but try working at 3 AM after you got up at 7 AM the day before....

Its when the pilots are falling asleep on final approach (google buffalo crash for this horror story) then you have to worry.

Most airlines use double crews on long sectors to minimise the risk, in fact, it is a regulatory requirement in many situations.