Pilots can do without this distraction

I WAS appalled to read in “Myeni’s fly-by-wire antics put morale at SAA into free fall” (November 22) about SAA chairwoman Dudu Myeni’s vilification of the pilots she should be supporting. She obviously has no understanding of the duties of the pilots and the stresses they endure in the execution of their duties.

Having flown light aircraft for 11 years, I seem to recall that air navigation regulations state that “notwithstanding the above regulation, the pilot in command is responsible for the safety of the aircraft and passengers”, which means that, irrespective of any regulation, the buck stops with him!

Regarding the report that cabin crew openly defy the authority of captains, I would like to know how rebellious the cabin crew would be in an emergency such as in the case of a catastrophic engine failure, especially in bad weather, or fire in the aircraft — would they still be so rebellious? I think not.

Pilots have enough to contend with without this type of distraction.

I am thankful that I grew up in a society and work environment where discipline and obedience to authority were as natural as getting out of bed in the morning, and where your boss knew more about your job than you did.

Unfortunately, we live in a time when human rights have gone mad and incompetence is the order of the day. — Lou Muller, Kroonstad SOUTH Africa is in the throes of a mortal economic and political crisis. SAA will most certainly not be able to function as a viable entity within the next 18 months.

In the current political landscape, truth is not merely misrepresented or falsified, it is mocked. The administration repeatedly lies to the public, furthering a legacy of government mistrust while carrying the practice of distortion to new and almost unimaginable heights.

Our country has become a theatre of political demagoguery and ineptitude as the political gladiators cling to power at all costs.

As soon as someone is elected to public office, a creeping paralysis, inspired by fear of alienating voters and political supporters, becomes all too apparent.

When a society loses sight of the distinction between fact and fiction, truth-telling and lying, what happens is that truth, critical thought and fact-finding as conditions of democracy are rendered trivial and reduced to a collection of mere platitudes, which, in turn, reinforces moral indifference and political impotence. — Farouk Araie, Johannesburg