Startg to feel ill

mshunter

Well-Known Member
You are sitting at an FBO waiting for your pax to come back, and you are starting to feel like you are comming down with something. It doesn't feel to serious, but you're not sure how bad it's going to get. If you call out sick, they will have to airline a replacement to you to get the pax and airplane home for a charter tomorrow in the same airplane. What would you do (be honest to).
 
You are sitting at an FBO waiting for your pax to come back, and you are starting to feel like you are comming down with something. It doesn't feel to serious, but you're not sure how bad it's going to get. If you call out sick, they will have to airline a replacement to you to get the pax and airplane home for a charter tomorrow in the same airplane. What would you do (be honest to).

Call the local news and do an ambush interview with my boss about "pilot pushing".

Just kidding. I'd use some common sense. If I'm too sick to fly, or I reasonably suspect that I will be too sick to fly, I'm not flying. If I can fly the plane, I don't have to like it, but I can fly the plane. I think they call this eh, "judgment"?

Oh, I should add that I would have a long phone call with the boss/dispatch whatever explaining the situation.
 
. It doesn't feel to serious, but you're not sure how bad it's going to get.

I'm going to try that, calling in sick because I "might" get sick...

If you come down with a cold/flu/whatever, it isn't like you will suddenly collapse. I would ask myself this - Am I, or am I likely to soon be incapacitated to the point where I cannot operate an airplane. If I'm just somewhat uncomfortable, I don't feel any less safe flying.
 
Eh this is a tough one. If you flew for an airline I'd say just call in sick. Being corporate though I would say that even if it would make you uncomfortable, if you can safetly fly the airplane, even if using a sick bag to do so, I would do it.
 
Eh this is a tough one. If you flew for an airline I'd say just call in sick. Being corporate though I would say that even if it would make you uncomfortable, if you can safetly fly the airplane, even if using a sick bag to do so, I would do it.

Why the difference with corporate?
 
Just how I view how the operations would work. In a airline enviroment you job is better protected by the union. In my experience talking to coperate guys, its much easier to lose your job for stuff like this. Plus its much harder for the corporate operation to find a replacement pilot so short turn so I would do my best to my the flight possible. Just how I view things. I think corporate flying requires you to do things you might not do if you had union protection at a airline.
 
Eh this is a tough one. If you flew for an airline I'd say just call in sick. Being corporate though I would say that even if it would make you uncomfortable, if you can safetly fly the airplane, even if using a sick bag to do so, I would do it.

I disagree. Sitting there hurling into a sack when you're supposed to be flying is unacceptable no matter the operation. If a pilot is too scared for his job to put his foot down at that point, he should be arranging flowers for a living.
 
I disagree. Sitting there hurling into a sack when you're supposed to be flying is unacceptable no matter the operation. If a pilot is too scared for his job to put his foot down at that point, he should be arranging flowers for a living.

I was o.k. for the first two days. I didn't feel that bad. Just a stuffy head. Yesterday and the night before that I started to feel real crappy. In the last ten years I haven't called in sick to ANY job(I never get sick), so I felt guilty for a minute, but that passed quickly when I started to get a cold shiver and realized I had a fever of just over 103. I was asked to do a Vegas trip, and politely declined, and was told by dispatch to get back in bed. I am glad I did to. The weather between here and there was not only bumpy, but icy. I can't imagine how much of a PITA that would have been with the flu.
 
I work for a small corporation, SP on a Citation. If I get sick we have to find two pilots to cover the trip. The airlines have several pilots on standby, we do not.

yup, its much harder to just "call in sick" when youre out on a trip, especially at a small company!
 
Well, that's why you're paid to make hard decisions. I've stranded an airplane at an outstation because I got sick in the middle of my day. It happens. If they fire you over it, you have a lot of legal support if you so desire.
 
Well, that's why you're paid to make hard decisions. I've stranded an airplane at an outstation because I got sick in the middle of my day. It happens. If they fire you over it, you have a lot of legal support if you so desire.

I don’t have to worry about losing my job over it. The people in the back don’t want to ride with me if I don’t feel well. Luckily I am hardly ever sick, knock on wood.

After saying that I will probably get sick and miss my Tuesday trip.
 
Interesting to read the differences in the thought process leading up to a sick call from a corporate pilot and an airline pilot. Not saying I wouldn't have the exact same mindset if I was in the corporate pilot scenario myself, just funny how one can be distracted from the basic "IMSAFE" checklist no matter how hard they try to ignore outside factors.

(I never get sick)

Sidenote, if you ever wanted to know what it's like to be sick, at all, ever, find the truck stop about halfway between Shanghai and Hangzhou I ate a lukewarm rice/pork snack at last May. You will get sick. You'll just have to wait a few hours. :)
 
Interesting to read the differences in the thought process leading up to a sick call from a corporate pilot and an airline pilot. Not saying I wouldn't have the exact same mindset if I was in the corporate pilot scenario myself, just funny how one can be distracted from the basic "IMSAFE" checklist no matter how hard they try to ignore outside factors.



Sidenote, if you ever wanted to know what it's like to be sick, at all, ever, find the truck stop about halfway between Shanghai and Hangzhou I ate a lukewarm rice/pork snack at last May. You will get sick. You'll just have to wait a few hours. :)

This is likely the most brilliant thing you've ever done.

Repeat it as often as possible.
 
I have always wondered about this when talking about corporate. If I was starting to come down with something being single pilot or crew would affect my go/no-go decision.
 
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