Edmond's Last Chance

The students have asked me to teach ground school on the side, which I have been doing for the past week. Kwan had to leave early due to a family emergency, so now Edmond is down to one instructor: Denis.

I felt that the rift between Edmond and me was mostly cultural, so I reached out to him. I was rebuked.

His reply showed me the following:

• Edmond thinks "business owner" is an insult.
• Edmond did not start LIFT to make money, but to spend it. A lot of people make money in aviation, and some become wealthy. Edmond apparently doesn't want to be in that group.
• Edmond does not know how to create a culture of safety. The "safety" items he mentions are good for finding bodies. Safety is about making good decisions and allowing every to voice their opinion without recourse. Every opinion given to him by anyone, staff or students, was met with abusive shouting that chilled further conversation.
• Edmond has no clue about Western culture, nor does he care to understand where anyone else is coming from. His is the only way.
• Edmond likes to say he is passionate about flying, but he does not put in the effort behind his words. He is a 500 hour PPL (private) pilot and has never bothered to further his aviation education. He has never bothered to see how other flight schools operate and does not seek advice from reputable aviation organizations and professionals.

I realize now the problem was not simply Russell, but wacky Edmond. His temperament and gift for misunderstanding is beyond reason. Seriously, Edmond needs therapy. 

I later found out that he had BCC'd his email to the staff. I am certain he will claim that I begged him to take me back. The staff knows better.

Edmond has no friends. Only employees. The people who have stayed with him over the years are only there because of the money. He treats everyone the same: shouting over them and bullying them into submission. He is headed for failure, but will only blame those around him.

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Hello Edmond,

I would like to close the gap that has come between us and clear up any misunderstandings. I realize I could have delivered my message better to you and I am partially at fault for not delivering my message in the right way. I want to make sure my ideas are clear.

You know that I am dedicated and passionate about teaching flying, and I know that you are dedicated to running a business. I would never tell you how to run your business or tell you what to do. In western culture it's common to receive advice and information from trusted friends and colleagues. In this way, the business owner can make the most informed decisions. Mao Zedong, Confucius, and Tang Taizong all consulted advisors before making important decisions. If you wanted to take orders from others, you would have gone to work in a factory and not have started a business. I understand this.

It is in this spirit that I talk to you. I understand that you are running the business. I understand that you are making the decisions. I would never tell you what to do. I only care about the safety of the flight training and the success of the students. I don't need to tell you that flight training is a serious business and the objectives must be unambiguous. As your employee, I would be doing you a disservice if I did not tell you when your flight school is in danger.

I am still excited about the school and I still have the respect of the students and the staff. I still talk to them every day and I am aware of what is going on. I left an $80K/year job in America to come here and I do not regret this. If you feel we can overcome our differences, I would be willing to come back and work for you. If you don't think this could happen, then I will understand. I know that Kwan is gone for a while and there are not enough instructors, so I would even be willing to help out temporarily until more instructors arrive.

I want you to know that I respect your position. I also want you to know that I can't compromise on safety standards. I will continue to advise you based on my experiences. What you do with my advice is your decision. I can be a great asset to you if you let me. Speaking up and giving one's opinion is not the same thing as telling you what to do. We both want the same thing – the safety of the students and the success of the school.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,
Kate Montressor
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Kate,

I do not want to reply to your email.
It is because you have been accusing me continuously that I am running LIFT as a business that I cannot keep my mouth shut.
I count this as an insult to my integrity and dignity.
Flying is my passion. I squeezed in a lot of my time and money to fly.

In LIFT, no one takes safety more serious than me. We put in survival kits, extra GPS, Radio, Flyvie, SPOT and later Spidertrack just for safety.

I know who is and who is not a good pilot and this will be addressed soon.

I am sure my Eastern and Western Culture is better than the mere Western Culture you mentioned. After all, the names you mentioned are all from my Country.

If I took LIFT (or aviation) as mere business, I would not have gone into it.  They say if you want to be a millionaire in aviation, better start from a billionaire.

Have a safe trip home.

Regards,
Edmond.

Staff Meeting

Today I heard about a meeting with some of the staff and Edmond. I suspect that Edmond has finally admitted that Russ is dangerous and should not be flying. I think that is why Russ will be teaching ground school in January when he returns from vacation.

Edmond is also talking to another instructor who he hopes to bring in as Chief Flight Instructor. This new one sounds very experienced and qualified. Edmond might be able to save his flight school.

I also heard comments from several people on what he says about me, that he thinks I am very dedicated, very qualified, but that "She left me no choice. She ordered me to listen to her. She was shouting at me." Edmond always has a choice, I do not order people to do anything, and he was the only one shouting. However, if he finally sees the truth about Russell, then I am happy for the students and feel better about the future of the flight school. I am happy that I have finally been able to make him realize the truth when everyone else has failed. I am happy that I have been able to clear a path for the next instructor.

Edmond was also concerned that I would be telling him how to run the company. That is partly true. I would tell him that he has no business setting flight standards and telling instructors when they can and can not fly. I would tell him that it's not up to him what maneuvers the students learn - it's dictated by the government regulations. I would tell him that encouraging students to fly while cumulonimbus clouds are building is a bad idea. I would tell him to monitor the financial end of the business (ie, run the company) and leave the flight training parts to the instructors. If he has dedicated, knowledgeable instructors, the rest will go well for him.

My brash, American approach proved too much for the combination of the Chinese businessman and his inflated sense of pride, but in the end I was able to get my message through.

Letter to Edmond

Dear Edmond,

If you saw a baby carriage rolling down the street into traffic, going faster and faster, carrying a helpless baby, I would hope you would do all you could to save the baby.

This is how I feel about LIFT. I have nothing to gain by writing this, as I am already gone from the company. But I cannot stand by and watch danger approaching without doing everything I can to avert disaster.

I am not telling you what to do. I am only warning you of the danger ahead. This is based on my extensive experience and many flight schools I have known. Money is not the only factor for success. Safety and putting the needs of the students first brings financial rewards. Failing flight schools do not put the safety and interests of the students first.

The danger is so imminent that I felt compelled to fly to Jakarta on my own dollar to present to you the facts – not rumor nor hearsay nor my feelings. Without hyperbole, this is the worst situation I have ever encountered.

The danger to LIFT is Russell. He is incompetent, lazy, and dangerous in his flying and his method of instruction. Russell will not make LIFT the best flight school in Indonesia. He will give the school a reputation that will be impossible to rise above. Why would you put the least competent person in the position of most authority? If you remove him from the equation, the safety factor will improve tremendously and you will have a chance of success.

It is my duty to do everything I can to warn you of the danger. Please save the baby.

Sincerely,

Kate Montressor

Suspended

Russell entered the meeting angry and ready to lash out. He started out by insulting me and talking down to me.

I objected. I think my exact words were, "Fuck you."

Russell then declared, "You're suspended!"

"You can't suspend me," I answered. "I don't work for you."

Russell sputtered some other nonsense, and I left the room.

He must have called Edmond, because Edmond then wrote to me:

Kate,

I know a lot of things has happened today making relation in Lombok very tense.

However, please do not stop preparing for Class 2 Type Rating and Ground School revision stating from 5th Dec to 21st Dec.

Please confirm by return your understanding.

Regards,
Edmond.
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Hello Edmond,

I have every intention of continuing to prepare for class.

Russell does not have the authority to "suspend" me, nor has he followed any proper protocol. I do not accept his behavior and treatment of me and others. This is just another example of his arrogance and authority overreach. He is out of control and getting worse.

I am telling you this because I think this school can be highly successful and I am eager to see things run well.

Sincerely,
Kate

_______________

A few days later, Edmond arrived in Lombok. True to form, he started yelling at me. As soon as he started, I walked out of the room. I waited a couple of minutes and went back in.

We started talking again, and he again started shouting. Again I walked out.

A couple of minutes later, I walked back in and we began to talk.

My point was that Russell was dangerous and getting worse. He was not improving his flying or his instruction, but was becoming more arrogant every day.

His point was that he was the owner of the business and he would decide how things would be run.

I am still not sure why he thinks I was telling him how to run his business. I am not sure why he asks me for my advice then yells at me when I give it.
In the end, Edmond announced that I had a bad character and that we could not work together. Since I had decided I had enough and was ready to quit, I left it at that.

Sortie Times

Because the airport at Selaparang is closed, we have to fly out of the main airport, BIL. We are not allowed to practice touch and goes at BIL, so we must go to Sembawa, about 80 nm away. Add to this, we are now in the rainy season and the weather is often unsuitable for flying. Each lesson takes about 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the headwinds.

Edmond thinks the flight school is operating well when the students are flying. This is only partly true. Ground training is equally important. Being grounded due to weather is an excellent time to study ground lessons.

In an effort to get the most flying time possible, Edmond suggested the lessons be extended to 3.5 hours minimum. This is difficult for two reasons: the weather does not always cooperate with our plans, and primary students usually stop learning after about an hour. There is just too much information to absorb.

Russell, trying to get on Edmond's good side, issued the following email:

Hi Edmond, All

I asked all instructors to fly not less then 3.5 hours in the morning and, myself, am trying to stick to this norm. However, it is up to the instructors to decide what objective they are trying to accomplish during each lesson and what time-frame is necessary for this purpose. (Regardless, I am hereby asking Denis and Kwan to try to bring your morning sortie time to 3.5 hours. Thanks)

Kind regards.

Russ
______________

Russell,

What is the purpose of the 3.5 hour sorties? Are we just trying to build time? Are we combining 3 lessons into each flight? (If so, this is not good for primary training).

It seems to me we are just burning fuel for no purpose. They have plenty of chances to build time when they start cross country. It is counter-productive to over-teach primary students.

I think you should push back to Edmond and let him know he is wasting his money this way. The students will not be able to finish their training in the allotted time because it will be wasted during the pre-solo and immediate post-solo phases.

Besides the fact, the Instructors should be setting the agenda and NOT Edmond. He is not a flight instructor and should not be telling instructors how long their flights should be. Flights should be as long as needed according to the instructor's judgement.

-- Kate
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Kate, I told this to Edmond in my previous email, please read. It was said that "the instructors should be able to determine the lesson objectives and required time-frame."

Regards,

Russ Sherwood
_______________

Yes, I know that. But then you say "Please bring your morning sortie flight time to 3.5 hours minimum. "

So which is it. 3.5 hours or up to the instructor? Please clarify.

-- Kate
_______________

I don't know why I have to argue all the time. I am very busy flying with the students here.

To make things simple: the instructor is to determine, how much time is necessary to accomplish each objective. However, if a certain objective is not accomplished within the certain flight time, then the sortie time should be extended.

Considering your extensive experience, which I greatly respect, I am sure that this is not the only target-driven flight school you've ever worked for. I am well aware of the training pace of most US flight schools and to say that they receive no target pressure from the management is rather untrue.

Let's work as a team - we are in the same boat here.

Kind regards,
Russ Sherwood
_______________

Russell,

I am looking for clarification, not argument. Why are you not able to answer my questions?

You have no idea of my personal experience and I don't appreciate your demeaning remarks. This is an inappropriate and rude comment and not pertinent to the question.

As a team leader, you should be able to give me a clear answer. You are responsible to building the team. So do your job.

-- Kate
________________

Kate,

If my remark "considering your extensive experience, which I RESPECT" appears to be demeaning to you, we need to end this email exchange.

I will have a meeting with you and Denis and Kwan after we come back to hangar.

Regards,

Russ Sherwood
_______________

Russell,

OK, I will assume you are not aware of proper email behavior, so I will explain it to you.

1. When you include a comment like " I am sure that this is not the only target-driven flight school you've ever worked for. I am well aware of the training pace of most US flight schools and to say that they receive no target pressure from the management is rather untrue." - that is rude and disrespectful -- no matter how you start the sentence out. Just because you use the word RESPECT doesn't mean you are being respectful. In fact, it sounds arrogant and demeaning.

2. When you Reply All and include others in the response, you are dragging the team into an argument which you have started. Do not blame me because you have no social skills.

If you need further lessons on how to write a truly respectful email, please let me know and I will be happy to explain it to you.

-- Kate