http://www.pbase.com/image/139754011
You didn’t bother to read this bit, did you? :rolleyes:
”Many believe that the flight was unauthorized and that Tarr was fired because of it”
(A quote taken from this website:
http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/325/language/en-CA/Lower-than-a-Snakes-Belly-in-a-Wagon-Rut.aspx
So where does the speculation and confusion come from. Well unfortunately during the air show in 1993
an Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767-200ER on a Commercial Flight (revenue flight) from Harare to
Johannesburg did an UNAURTHORIZED, one off fly-by, with passengers on-board.
This fly-by took
place in the early hours of the morning prior to the start of the air show. What transpired over the next
few weeks is a real can of worms as the Chief Pilot of Air Zimbabwe (co-incidentally the same surname
as mine) was suspended for apparently an inappropriate method (according to the Company), by which
disciplinary measures were planned for the B767 Crew.
As most of us know all too well the media seldom get the facts 100% correct, and so an article was
published in the Tabloids stating that a certain “Captain Tarr” was under suspension over an unauthorized
and illegal flight during an air show.
The article was very poorly written and opened up a lot of room for
speculations and it soon became a little awkward for me and my crew as almost everyone believed that
we were the unfortunate ones.
Once again the media failed to elaborate on the following FACTS:
1. On the day in question (May 1993) there was in-fact TWO Air Zimbabwe Aircraft involved. A
Boeing 707, which was authorized to do a 15-minute display, this flight being a non-revenue
flight and carrying NO passengers,
and a Boeing 767, which did an unauthorized fly-past.
2. The captain under suspension was the Chief Pilot of Air Zimbabwe (Captain XXX Tarr) and NOT
Captain Darryl Tarr (who was the pilot of the Boeing 707 – authorized for the display flying).
3. The Chief Pilot is under suspension as the Company found him to be pursuing inappropriate
disciplinary methods for the captain of the Boeing 767, which they deem to be of an insubordinate
nature.
After numerous attempts to get the media to elaborate and clear our names I eventually gave up.
(Actually if the Chief Pilots name was Joe Blogs, then perhaps none of this would have happened).
Although it was a very poorly written article they (the tabloids), still believed that it was the public that had
speculated and NOT the report itself – go figure.
Anyway someone asked me an interesting question recently and I quote: “Many people believe that you
had no idea what you were doing”, and “How did you get away with it”.
Actually it’s very easy to get upset
when you hear such comments and I did NOT want to dignify the question with a response, but that
would be unprofessional of me, unprofessional of me, so this was my response.
Currently I am a Senior Type Rating Examiner for Emirates Airline on the Boeing 777.
Emirates is
arguably one of the best airlines in the world today and has a very strict and stringent interview process,
and I can honestly say that had I done anything illegal and reckless – I would NOT be where I am today.
I have been living in Dubai for more than 13 years having left Air Zimbabwe in 1998.
You also seem to have missed this: :rolleyes:
The Story behind the Boeing 767 Fly-Past
As told by one of the B767 pilots
Darryl Tarr, a good friend of mine, has often borne the brunt of the confusion that led to an unauthorized
flyby by Air Zimbabwe’s 767 on that day in 1993. I know because I was part of the B767 crew on that day.
Here is the real story behind the B767 flyby.
etc…
I am older and wiser now but don’t regret the event for a minute. I am sorry it turned into a political mess
afterwards but in fact was never particularly involved in that, for the simple reason that I have explained:
FO’s did what they were told and were not held responsible. I don’t support that stance – that is simply
the way it was back then.
Pictures appeared in the papers the next day of both aircraft at the air show. There were complaints from
a few passengers but ironically many of them enjoyed the experience. Zimbabwe had far greater issues
to deal with and the event was committed to history.
Darryl’s appearance at the show was a huge success. It had been planned meticulously and conducted
as agreed. The armchair critics are simply not in a position to comment as there is so much
they do not
know about events on that day.
However we are left with some superb pictures of a classic aircraft doing
an impressive maneuver that many enjoyed on that day and thereafter.
Apart from that Pbase comment, do you have any further “proof” that the pilot of this 707 was actually fired because of this ? :rolleyes:
To give you a hint: at one time THREE pilots with the surname “Tarr” have been employed by Air Zimbabwe, in the same timespan.
You’d better read this all again…
And I hope you are able to differentiate between a four-holer 707 and a twin 767, and also I do hope you what the difference is between a pilot and a CHIEF PILOT.
The CHIEF Pilot, a relative of the 707-pilot, was indeed fired. Not the “flypast-pilot” itself…
The CHIEF pilot was fired because of the TWIN 767 flight, and not because of the four-holer 707 flypast…
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