The inmates are finally running the asylum!!

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 1:20 am

Now I have finally seen the depths of pure stupidity.

Yesterday I was doing a pre flight inspection on the Cat for a training flight when an airport employee walked up to me and told me that I could not be on the ramp without a safety vest on.

The association that owns the Cat has determined that we wear bright blaze orange flight suits for finding us in the water if we manage to destroy the airplane while landing it.

So being just a normal observant member of our species I pointed out to said employee that my blaze orange flight suit truly was far more visiable than the faded light green vest he had on.

Well he got real authoritave and ordered me off the ramp until I put on a safety vest over my flight suit.

Thank God I am retireing from this truly f.cked up buisness where bureaucratic morons sit in dark corners and write more and more rules designed to send us back to the cave dweller era.

These stupid, stupid, moronic mother f.ckers will soon bring everything to a standstill.

Rant over..

Cat

Yoyoma · Post by **Yoyoma** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 1:36 am

There there Cat...He just thought you were making fun of him with your orange suit..Get it? Holland-Orange?

Ok Ok, back to work...sorry!

LT · Post by LT » Fri Sep 17, 2004 1:50 am

Yoyoma wrote:He just thought you were making fun of him with your orange suit..Get it? Holland-Orange? Ok Ok, back to work...sorry!

I think you missed his entire point....

But lol at Orange joke..

Yoyoma · Post by **Yoyoma** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 4:40 am

I've been missing every point today since some stupid idiot took the last Kit Kat bar from the vending machine...Geez...I've been eyeing it all week!!!

Bcn-In-Bnd · Post by **Bcn-In-Bnd** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 4:52 am

Cat Driver,
did you put a vest on? Or did you tell this guy to get lost?

The only pilots I have seen with a safety vest on are Air Can.

Pugster · Post by **Pugster** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:15 am

You know what I find most amusing?

If I were on a ramp, and saw a Cat (or other WWII bird) out there, I would be too busy putting my tongue back down my throat to worry about a frickin safety vest.

And there in lies the problem...no bloody respect for the old-school aircraft and the people who helped shape the industry. (this isn't meant as an insult for those who think the industry is in the sh@tter).

If you put the vest on Cat, don't tell me...I'd rather picture you flipping him the bird and telling him to F$CK OFF.

Pugster

Rebel · Post by **Rebel** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:14 am

Cat

The bureaucrats running this business now-a-days wouldn’t recognize the front end of an aircraft from the tail and for the most part lack common sense. If these same folks were in charge when we got started we wouldn’t have an aviation industry so there playing catch-up. I wonder how long it’s going to take them with the help of the LCC’s entrepreneurs to completely destroy this industry...

Reb

just another pilot · Post by **just another pilot** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:00 pm

I would have repied" Get off the f***ing ramp and away from my a/c if you're not a pilot - pinhead".

hz2p · Post by **hz2p** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:04 pm

I was once told, "The probability of someone exercising their authority is inversely proportional to how much authority they have".

scubasteve · Post by **scubasteve** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:09 pm

I think part of the problem, and its not only in aviation where it comes up, is that people arent allowed to think for themselves on their job and use common sense. There are no incentives to go above and beyond and the majority of jobs these days see college and university grads doing shit work with no benefits or the ability to pay into RRSP's etc. People are just scraping by and have no reason to take pride in their work.

geldoff · Post by **geldoff** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:14 pm

Cat

...Do you think you could have taken him, pull that fancy schmancy little green vest over head and lay the boots to the coy little punk.

Could head fake him with a 'Hey that guy's not wearing a seatbelt', he'll go for it. Right foot to the junk, little DDT to the ground, then choke the life out of him with his saftey whistle (you can be sure he's wearin one).

Then you can pull the bloody vest off him and display proudly. Rules are rules.

If you need a little help, well get the boys in the van and be right over.

G

avro_girl · Post by **avro_girl** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:22 pm

geldoff

That was freakin great!
So Funny! AHAHAHAAHAHAHHAAHHAAH

Your Rock!

LastSamurai · Post by **LastSamurai** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 2:28 pm

Agreed...

nice one geldoff

G

flyboy · Post by **flyboy** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 2:39 pm

Hey Cat, going to be flyin in next Tuesday for a bit. Where are you guys in relation to the main apron?

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 4:48 am

We are parked on the apron at the Aviodrome at Lelystad Airport.

At 16:30 we depart for another airshow, this one is in rememberance of Operation Market Garden, the liberation of Holland on Sept. 14/1944.

I wonder what my friends at TC in Vancouver are doing these days? ( The pri.ks that went out of their way to screw me because I wouldn't kiss their sorry asses. )

I just love it when I get the chance to comment on the internet and let them know just how insigifignant they truly are in the grand scheme of things in aviation.

Cat

A.W. · Post by **A.W.** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 8:49 am

Sasquash · Post by **Sasquash** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 9:19 am

A.W.

I'd much rather when cuts the crap and share his experience instead. Seems to be doing good work in Holland, but unfortunately it has to be spoiled with his now too well known pet peeve. OK CAT WE GOT IT, YOU DON'T LIKE CERTAIN PEOPLE IN TRANSPORT. Thank God for Freedoom of expression, I got it the first couple of hundred times.

Cat, remember that most of us will never get a chance to be exposed to your kind of experience. I think you should share that with us, (and the up and coming newbies). I truly enjoy your stories an d I'm looking forward to future good ones. Quit spoiling it with the rant of a bitter old man, please!

BTW I was in Holland ( Nejmegen and Eindhoven) years ago and they treated Canadians really, really, really well. Still do?

Disco Stu · Post by **Disco Stu** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 12:34 pm

Cat Driver wrote:We are parked on the apron at the Aviodrome at Lelystad Airport.

At 16:30 we depart for another airshow, this one is in rememberance of Operation Market Garden, the liberation of Holland on Sept. 14/1944.

I wonder what my friends at TC in Vancouver are doing these days? ( The pri.ks that went out of their way to screw me because I wouldn't kiss their sorry asses. )

I just love it when I get the chance to comment on the internet and let them know just how insigifignant they truly are in the grand scheme of things in aviation.

Cat

Can't there be ONE thread without you taking a shot at TC???

LT · Post by LT » Sat Sep 18, 2004 9:43 pm

Yeah, but that time isn't around the corner. =(

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 4:05 am

Hey, guys, I never claimed to be perfect.

If you don't like my comments regarding some of the TC types don't read my posts.

The bottom line is I have spent my entire life in aviation and and am now coming to the end of my working years and am fortunate enough to have one of the best jobs in aviation.

Aside from my despising a few in TC and being severly guilty of mentioning my dislike for them far to often the fact remains that even though these people are exactly as I have described TC does nothing to clean up their own house. And they are management.

Sooo...I will try to stick to flying and sharing what we do in this end of the business.

I have just returned from the CAA check ride on two Dutch pilots for their PBY type rating and the Dutch Inspector finally had a chance to actually fly the Cat including two water landings.

Another unusual thing he drove here from south of Rotterdam 140 km. on a Sunday morning to do the check rides. I can remember when the TC guys used to fly with us on weekends to make sure we could get our rides done and keep working. How often do the Canadian inspectors work on their days off now to oblige their clients?

Yesterday the air display at Arnhem went real well, there were several WW2 vets that parachuted from some of the planes and their ages were from 79 to 85 years old. The air display was in commemoration of the liberation of Holland and was a movie called "A Bridge to Far "

I will probably get online tonight and maybe share some more stuff....and not get so many pissed off at me with my comments about you know who.

Cat

Rebel · Post by **Rebel** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 5:41 am

Cat

Did I misinterpret what you wrote regarding the Dutch inspector or was he not type rated? In my experience the vast majority of inspectors have basic minimum time on type and in some cases that experience is limited to a simulator. In any event it’s good for the industry and sure makes for a smoother check ride if the training Captain gives a leg to the checking inspector. So good on you for giving an inspector the opportunity to gain experience on type..

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:36 am

Hi Rebel:

To answer your question, yes, the Dutch CAA do not have anyone in their employ with any experience in the PBY. However that is not suprising in that there are so few PBY's actively flying to day. There are no other regulators in the world who have inspectors that are qualified to fly them.

What makes this group different ( The owners of the Cat and the Dutch CAA ) is their desire to preserve an fly a PBY as an historical aircraft. During WW2 the Dutch operated around eighty PBY's in the former Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. The Royal Dutch Navy is also actively involved in this airplane and over one million US dollars has been spent restoring it.

Also the CAA is paying for an inspector to get the full type rating next spring, the guy who did todays flight test for the two pilots today is a rabid lover of WW2 aircraft and almost died with excitement when I suggested we start the flight test with him in the left seat so he could better appreciate what the airplane flys like. Also he had a copy of my complete flight training manuals and the written test that I use when doing type ratings. I was very impressed with his knowledge and understanding of the PBY gathered from his studying the manuals.

It was very windy on the water but he got two touch and goes on the water before surrendering the seat to one of the other pilots for the flight test.

The actual test was done by the book with all the flight test subjects covered including simulated one engine flight to an simulated engine out landing on the runway for both pilots.

After much thought I have become a member of this organazation and when I complete the type ratings I shall fly as a volunteer member for at least a year to give these people some help in the safe operation of their aircraft and to keep the insurance costs down.

For me there is far more to aviation than making money and by offering my services for free I will have the satisfaction of having done something for aviation by helping to keep these old birds flying for the next generations to enjoy.

It is very difficult for me to get across the simple fact that I am a very dedicated member of the flying fraternity who puts far more importance on being the best one can be ahead of making money.

Anyhow these people were delighted with their new found skills and the opportunity to really become profficient on such a demanding aircraft.

I hope you now better understand just what I do and why.

And one last comment, I typed two TC inspectors in Toronto in 1999 / 2000 and one is still employeed by TC his name is Wayne Juniper, a great guy and a credit to the industry and the regulator with whom he is employed.

Cat

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:50 am

Sasquash :

I will try and share more flying experiences with you.

But please get something very clear, I am not a bitter old man, far from it.

May I suggest that one can be angry with a situation where people in positions of power abuse their authority and are proven to be liars and show total disregard for the very principals and laws they are sworn to uphold and enforce. That is far different from being bitter...being old is a factor of time that neither you or I have any control over.

Being morally corrupt and abusing the power of the office which you hold is a matter of choice and that is what I am stating the TC people that I am refeering to are guilty of.

And that is in my opinion reprehensiable.

O.K?

Cat