The "WORST" flight crew member you have ever flown with?

[winds_in_flight_wtf]

Title is self explanatory. Given the amount of eyes which glance this forum, I think there will be some entertaining stories. This hopefully will teach others a good lesson on what "not" to do as their careers progress.

Not limited to Capt / FO relations although it would be preferred. Maybe you were on your first XC with another student pilot ? Maybe it was an ass backwards TC examiner?

[~Hollywood~]

<EDITED>
HA HA! Very Funny. Now that you've had a laugh at WiF's expense, perhaps you (and everyone else) could contribute something substantive to a question asked in good faith, please?

North Shore

[RogerCheckCopy]

As a new employee, new FO, I had a Captain make a chopping motion with his right hand on my side on the center console the first time I flew with him and he stated "everything from here going my way is mine, you don't touch. You can play with the pressurization settings, that is it".
Needless to say there was a discussion that night over a cold one at our overnight and things improved.

The worst I have flown with is not one person in particular, but the type of crew member that micro-manages everything... whether you are safe or unsafe, right or wrong, follow SOP's or not. The cocky personality that actually is a cover-up for lack of self confidence, they get uncomfortable doing anything that is not exactly the way they would do it themselves, and simply cannot resist having a say or finger in it.... literally! "I think we better do it this way". The kind of crew member that is never wrong, knows everything, is scared shitless to let you make a mistake and treats you like a pre-solo student pilot that was born yesterday!!

[justwork]

Agree with the above. I couldn't stand crew members that had to have things their way - no matter what. After all, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

[tired of the ground]

The worst crew member I've ever flown with is also the worst pilot I've ever seen.

Altitudes, headings and tracks were all suggestions and not really worth paying attention to. The worst thing was that he always gave you attitude for calling him on it. Check altitude (300 ft off), "Yes Captain" was always the response (I was the F/O). Check Track (4 miles off course) "Yes Captain".

On one of our approaches I noticed he was flying a back course with his HSI reverse sensing. (I.E. Head on inbound course) He cocked it up and was 3 miles off course and only getting worse. I was visual and knew where we were so I gave him vectors back towards the runway. When we landed I asked him if he always flew his back courses reverse sensing (he was old enough that I though it might just be an old school thing). His reply was "what's a back course?".

I flew with him for a few months before we fortunately parted ways. Those were the longest months of my life.

[trey kule]

the worst you have ever flown with eh?

I had a bad feeling about this thread, but 5 posts and my name has not appeared.. So far so good.
BTW. There is another person with the same name as me. Looks a bit like me too. Real a...hole.
Micromanages everything. Thinks he knows more than a 250 hr FO. The arrogant bastard!
His only redeeming quality is his ability to accurately assess his FO as having pre-solo student skills, and treat them appropriately as having been born yesterday, thus keeping the flying safe. Though I dont know how he did it for 30 years without the wisdom of some of you.
So please. No confusion if my name comes up. I love FO's. They know everything. Honestly, I dont know why they even require them to have experience. Just so much smarter and better than all the old captain's our there. I simply can not recall a new FO ever making a mistake, and they were all a complete joy to work with. I just wish those pesky old companies would turn the command over to them and they would mentor us so we could learn how to be perfect Captans.

Now, back to the bitch fest.......ah..I mean the hilarious stories of the worst pilot you have flown with.

[iflyforpie]

My other personality when I skip a day of meds. He drives me nuts!

[GlobalXV]

the worst you have ever flown with eh?

I had a bad feeling about this thread, but 5 posts and my name has not appeared.. So far so good.
BTW. There is another person with the same name as me. Looks a bit like me too. Real a...hole.
Micromanages everything. Thinks he knows more than a 250 hr FO. The arrogant bastard!
His only redeeming quality is his ability to accurately assess his FO as having pre-solo student skills, and treat them appropriately as having been born yesterday, thus keeping the flying safe. Though I dont know how he did it for 30 years without the wisdom of some of you.
So please. No confusion if my name comes up. I love FO's. They know everything. Honestly, I dont know why they even require them to have experience. Just so much smarter and better than all the old captain's our there. I simply can not recall a new FO ever making a mistake, and they were all a complete joy to work with. I just wish those pesky old companies would turn the command over to them and they would mentor us so we could learn how to be perfect Captans.

Now, back to the bitch fest.......ah..I mean the hilarious stories of the worst pilot you have flown with.

So far you're the only person who has taken it personally! I am sure there are some interesting First Officers out there as well!

[goingmach_1]

I'll bite.

No such thing as the worse, in my experience.

A look back on my career makes me wonder how anyone put up with me.

After 30 years and 15k hours PIC, I pronounce, "nobody got hurt, good job!"

There's going to be some better than others, for sure. But overall learn from others and move forward. No need to rank your peers.

Thats all I got to say.

[trey kule]

So far you're the only person who has taken it personally! I am sure there are some interesting First Officers out there as well!

Actually Global, I did not take it personally at all.
I was posting tongue in cheek.
I guess we dont have the same sense of humour...Hope that will not make me the worst pilot you have not flown with.

To be serious and candid for a moment, I would not post, on a public forum, who I felt was the worst pilot I had flown with..they just might recognize themselves, and others might just know the poster, and be a bit concerned that if they fly with them , they will appear as a "worst" flight crew member on an aviation site.
I think some people forget how small the aviation community is.

[amclean]

Well, if by worst you mean the one who has caused you the most grief..... Mr. ~~Holywood~~ has to be the winner for me.... Breaking the brakes in YMO.... Overfuelling in YHM, and the double whammy of close encounter with bear and packing incident in YAQ!

Those were all your fault... By the way!

[GlobalXV]

You mean to tell me this guy is actually a pilot? What did you say your names were ?

[KAG]

My very first CPT on the King Air. 10 years older then me, with 300 hours more then I had. No hands and feet, a superiority complex and was honestly Bi-polar. His moods (which ranged from hugging you to in your face frothing at the mouth) would change at the flip of a switch, and was known to scream at you from about 200' through the rollout.
Fun times were had by all.

[pelmet]

A guy who called himself BIG DADDY. Terrible personality and a pretty piss-poor pilot.

[~Hollywood~]

Well, if by worst you mean the one who has caused you the most grief..... Mr. ~~Holywood~~ has to be the winner for me.... Breaking the brakes in YMO.... Overfuelling in YHM, and the double whammy of close encounter with bear and packing incident in YAQ!

Those were all your fault... By the way!

HAHA that bear was your fault! It could smell your HungryMan dinner in the MTO from miles away!!

[Big Pistons Forever]

I guess I was pretty lucky as I can't think of any really bad guy/gals I had to fly with as either an FO or Capt. I try to park my ego at the cockpit door and do what it takes to get along. I like flying with people that know more than me (an admittedly large group I know) the only ones that I find irksome are the guys that are always boasting about the cool aircraft they have flown and all the "special" flying they have done, the "look at me aren't I great" personality types.....actually just like a few posters here on avcanada now that I think about it

I also do not care for those guys that just don't seem to give a damn. Everything is done just well enough to barely get the job done, with no pride or interest in their flying. I guess that attitude just offends my professional sensibilities


The best pilot I have ever flown with is a no brainer. As a young kid, new PPL, airport brat, I got taken under the wing by this older gentleman with a nice but plain C 172. The first flight was a revelation, it was like we took off, flew around, and landed without the controls ever moving, he was that smooth . He had a great manner correcting my miserable flying without putting me down. I so wanted to do well and a mildly disproving frown from him at my ham-handedness, was enough to crush me. I thought he was just some guy who owned an aircraft , but I found out late from others that he was the ultimate "been there done that" that guy from bombers in WW2 to bush flying in the Arctic to retiring from Air Canada as a DC8 Captain. You never would have know it talking to him, a true gentleman and the best stick I have ever seen.

[Frank Uckër]

Amazing what you learn here. If a pilot is Captain Charming, he will always have great hands and feet. And anyone that isn't Captain Charming will always be a bad pilot.

I had never learned this relationship between personality and pilot skills until I read this! Someone ought to get the word out about this. We don't need pilot skill tests any more - just chat someone up in the parking lot, and if he's a nice guy, he has to be a great pilot!

[Big Pistons Forever]

Amazing what you learn here. If a pilot is Captain Charming, he will always have great hands and feet. And anyone that isn't Captain Charming will always be a bad pilot.

I had never learned this relationship between personality and pilot skills until I read this! Someone ought to get the word out about this. We don't need pilot skill tests any more - just chat someone up in the parking lot, and if he's a nice guy, he has to be a great pilot!

I bet you are great fun to fly with

[toelessjoe]

Some of you Wasaya guys may remember "Wilson". Personally, I got along with him, but I did witness him make at least one PC12 copilot go off the deep end.

- Toeless.

[KAG]

Amazing what you learn here. If a pilot is Captain Charming, he will always have great hands and feet. And anyone that isn't Captain Charming will always be a bad pilot.

I had never learned this relationship between personality and pilot skills until I read this! Someone ought to get the word out about this. We don't need pilot skill tests any more - just chat someone up in the parking lot, and if he's a nice guy, he has to be a great pilot!

Not always. I worked with one guy at Jazz that was very pleasant, but I'll be damned if I would let my family fly with him! Nice guy,'but should not be in control of an airplane.

[cdnpilot77]

Until very recently all of my flying has been single pilot with the exception of training etc so for me, if there is a crew member I dont like, I have much more serious problems!

Something tells me winds-in-flight and globalxv would get along famously in the cockpit though

[Jastapilot]

a certain crusty old so and so flying the 748! Prior to joining the ranks of the 2 crew environment, he spent a few decades single pilot on an otter I believe. I think he's still trying to figure out that whole 'CMR' thing, or was that 'MCR' thing? Bah, whatever! Minimums? That's for pussies! Let's just fly a radar altimeter setting while staring out the window through a 1/4 mile of visibility on a vor/dme approach until we see the runway!

Huh! The hydraulic fail light just came on and stayed on? Just an indication, right? Riiight...

The FO miscalculated(in his opinion) the descent point by a mile? Scream at him!

Best part of flying with the guy was to appreciate what NOT to do in any given situation.

No autopilot? No problem! When the FO's flying on that 2 hour cruise leg, set the track deviation sensitivity on the GPS to 1/8th of a mile, then scream when he's 1 dot off the centerline!

Respeck!

[Liquid Charlie]

All that single pilot time --- he was just lonely --- lmfaooooooo -- give him a huggggg

[frozen solid]

I guess the "worst" (as in caused me the most consternation) was an F.O. who didn't seem to have ever learned how to fly an aeroplane, but was a heck of a nice person. If they weren't likeable, it would have been easier to turn in negative reports on their flying ability. Eventually I found myself losing respect for the person, even though we were friends, because they just didn't seem to be teachable. I found this socially difficult.

[bandaid]

I was what we called a preceptor on car for the new trainees coming out of the Justice Institute here in Kelowna. One of the first things that I would say to them before we started our day was that your partner could make a day go by like a minute or a month depending how you got along. Some of our old and set in there ways guys are beyond listening to this advice you younger pilots should heed it. You want a long and stress free career, learn how to get along with the people that you work with.