Ryanair boss wants 1 pilot only on flights
Ryanair boss wants 1 pilot only on flights
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FourWheelDrift

Original Poster:

91,853 posts

307 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/news_from_ireland...

Michael O'Leary said:
He says a cabin crew member could be trained to land a plane in case the captain was suddenly incapacitated.
"Really, you only need one pilot," he continues. "Let's take out the second pilot. Let the bloody computer fly it.
"If the pilot has an emergency, he rings the bell, he calls her in," Mr O'Leary said. "She could take over."
I suppose if you want a flight that has 2 pilots on it you will have to pay a surcharge rolleyes

Pothole

34,367 posts

305 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
Pity that the statement he makes further down will get no press. He's absolutely right:

“One of the great MBA-speak ideas is that the customer is always right," he says. "The customer is usually wrong."

Eric Mc

124,791 posts

288 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
It's just O'Leary garnering some more free news coverage for his airline.

I don't see this situation arising for many, many years - if ever. At the moment, Ryanair has to comply with aviation regulations, like everyone else.

Having said that, it needs to be remembered that in WW2, British heavy bombers, such as the Lancaster and Halifax, were flown by a single pilot.

Simpo Two

91,327 posts

288 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Having said that, it needs to be remembered that in WW2, British heavy bombers, such as the Lancaster and Halifax, were flown by a single pilot.
Although I think the navigator or another crew member was taught the basics in case of emergency?

Pothole

34,367 posts

305 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
and none of the 'passengers' had paid for the privilege...

Eric Mc

124,791 posts

288 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
Eric Mc said:
Having said that, it needs to be remembered that in WW2, British heavy bombers, such as the Lancaster and Halifax, were flown by a single pilot.
Although I think the navigator or another crew member was taught the basics in case of emergency?
Yes - the pilot had lots of help. The Flight Engineer had some of the duties normally associated wiith a co-pilot, such as operatiing the throttles, flaps and undercarriage for the pilot. Unofficially, they were often given some rudimentary instructions in flying the aircraft if only to hold it straight and level so the crew could bail out.

WW2 era large aircraft needed a separate Flight Engineer, Navigator and Radio Operator. This remained the case on large aircraft until well into the 1960s. The advent of Inertial Guidance Systems on long haul aircraft rendered the Navigator obsolete in the late 1960s. The radio operator disappered with the arrival of planes like the Boeing 707 and DC-8. The Flight Engineer faded out in the 1980s, most of the monitoring of the aircraft systems being now handled by on board computer systems.

Nickyboy

6,794 posts

257 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
As its what, £40k minimum to get a pilots license i don't see a stewardess having training to land a plane.

I'm not sure what's worse, hearing on the intercom the pilot is dead or that a trolley dolly is going to try and land the plane

williamp

20,116 posts

296 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
its just Ryanair's latest wheeze for some free publicity- like the idea of standing room only on flights, no toilets etc etc

SystemParanoia

14,343 posts

221 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
No inflatable co-pilot? hehe

Pothole

34,367 posts

305 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
surely they could just sell any co-pilot wannabes copy of Captain Slow's new book.

Manks

28,176 posts

245 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
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In think O'Leary is a genius but also that he needs to be careful. The public ultimately needs to have confidence that an airline will not compromise safety. They want cheap but they want safe even more.

If O'Leary goes too far with his dubious opaque pricing techniques and ostensible corner cutting and then the airline has a major incident Ryanair could be ruined.


Traveller

4,275 posts

240 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
Manks said:
In think O'Leary is a genius but also that he needs to be careful. The public ultimately needs to have confidence that an airline will not compromise safety. They want cheap but they want safe even more.

If O'Leary goes too far with his dubious opaque pricing techniques and ostensible corner cutting and then the airline has a major incident Ryanair could be ruined.
It is an serious incident just waiting to happen, bare minimum pilot training, heavy workloads, unconfirmed reports of pilots working in excess of maximum flight hours allowable, a fleet that is now starting to age,so increased maintenance costs. One serious incident linked to any of the above and the media will eat him alive and flush the toilet on the turd that is Ryanair.

Nickyboy

6,794 posts

257 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
SystemParanoia said:
No inflatable co-pilot? hehe

Eric Mc

124,791 posts

288 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
Traveller said:
Manks said:
In think O'Leary is a genius but also that he needs to be careful. The public ultimately needs to have confidence that an airline will not compromise safety. They want cheap but they want safe even more.

If O'Leary goes too far with his dubious opaque pricing techniques and ostensible corner cutting and then the airline has a major incident Ryanair could be ruined.
It is an serious incident just waiting to happen, bare minimum pilot training, heavy workloads, unconfirmed reports of pilots working in excess of maximum flight hours allowable, a fleet that is now starting to age,so increased maintenance costs. One serious incident linked to any of the above and the media will eat him alive and flush the toilet on the turd that is Ryanair.
I don't think you could claim Ryanair's fleet is ageing. All their 737s are less than ten years old.

To put that in context, BA's 757s (which are being retired in November, are all over 20 years old. And their 767 and 747 fleets are mostly of a similar age.

Glassman

24,537 posts

238 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
williamp said:
its just Ryanair's latest wheeze for some free publicity- like the idea of standing room only on flights, no toilets etc etc
yes

Tango13

9,850 posts

199 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
Nickyboy said:
SystemParanoia said:
No inflatable co-pilot? hehe
We have radio clearence Clarence, roger Roger, what's my vector Victor?

Engineer1

10,486 posts

232 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
It's Ryanair they will announce running their planes on Vodka if it a. sounded plausible, and b. gave the impression of saving money. Of course the big bad authorities will prevent this from being done, this will result in publicity Ryanair don't waste money on advertising when they can use the press by making an announcement.

AnotherClarkey

3,698 posts

212 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
The other airlines must love this - just let Ryanair 'think the unthinkable' and test the limits of public acceptance. He has done them a great service over the years.

Manks

28,176 posts

245 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
AnotherClarkey said:
The other airlines must love this - just let Ryanair 'think the unthinkable' and test the limits of public acceptance. He has done them a great service over the years.
Do you think that anything Ryanair says in public is real?

One of O'Lairy's quotes regarding what could ruin Ryanair was, "if we start believing our own bullst"