MH60FlyGirl
New Member
- Jurisdiction
- Missouri
First some background, I have a 100% service connected VA disability rating and was also medically retired from the Navy in 2013 due to my injuries. It's been a long road but I was finally able to overcome my injuries and qualify for an FAA 1st class medical and return to flying. While I am otherwise fit, I had a severe back injury and every now and then it flares up. I even have an implant to help control pain. I started training at Trans State Airlines as pilot on 9/7/16. On 11/11/16 I went in to request a new sim partner and a change in sim schedule. At that time my current sim schedule was 8pm -2am and I was having trouble sleeping primarily due to back pain. It was clear I was suffering from fatigue at that point. And I expressed concerns that I wasn't able to perform due to not sleeping for almost 72 at that point. Also, that my sim partner and I were on two different levels and he wasn't showing up prepared. I was advised by my sim instructor and the pilot on examiner who conducted our oral knowledge validation to insist on a new partner be for he brings me down.Prior to reporting for my sim session I called my sim instructor and informed him I was still unable to get rest and was in pain and not fit to fly. He told me to come in at the regular time because someone from training was coming to speak to us. Later that night prior to starting our scheduled sim the head of training came to talk to us. He said that we were to be split up and that tonight sim was going to be a "freebie" and not count against us in terms of grading and would be extra practice. He also informed that Dylan,would continue on is current schedule receiving a few more freebie sim sessions and I would start again on a fully graded status on Monday. He also mentioned that he felt I was fatigued because my ground school instructor informed him I had been having some medical problems and during my break I went home to CA to take care of it. Although I had expressed repeatedly that day that I was not fit to fly my sim instructor encouraged me to atleast try. I made it two hrs before said I was done and couldn't continue. I was getting confused with simple tasks and couldn't read the displays because my vision was blurring.He called the head on training and I was given permission to leave. I then started with my new sim partner in 11/14/16. Everything went well and I was progressing as required.On 11/16/16 I was called into the Cheif Pilots office and informed my employment was being terminated. When I asked why they told me I was a probationary employee and they don't give me a reason. I feel like I was terminated because I requested to go home because I was in no condition to be there. During the course of my employment I had successfully completed all test and requirements up to that point. I did have seek medical attention for my back and had to reschedule a training session due to an ER visit and being given pain medication. I had never been counseled for any concerns about my medical status or to see if there were any reasonable accommodations that could be made. I feel like terminated because of my disability even though I was upfront with them at about my injuries prior to being hired. Prior to being hired by Trans States I was flying Corprate and didn't have any issues with my back. I believe it was the lengthy amount of time spent sitting in ground school, studying, and lack exercise facilities. Training is intense and it's not at all reflective of the physical requirements when flying the line. I also feel discriminated against as several men in my class were given the opportunity to retake portions of ground school and given extra sim sessions simply because they were deficient. Do I have any recourse? Since I was terminated I have not be able to find another flying job. Being terminated from an airline is very hard to over come as a pilot. And I don't feel like any part of this situation is deserving of a potentially career ending action.