re: Mississippi River pilots under fire

quote:

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There was a time, before radar, and the other sophisticated navigational equipment, where these pilots were necessary. Today though, it’s nothing but a political power play.

There are captains on tow boats pushing millions of dollars worth of Oil or Jet fuel through metropolitan waterways that make a fraction of these guys and they’re accountable for their performance vs these pilots who are immune and never even take the wheel of the ships that they supposedly assist.
They get onboard, grab a coffee and take a ride. If the vessel crashes into another vessel or hits a stationary structure, it is never the “Pilot’s”
fault as they’re immune. They could get on the radio and bark out orders for other vessels and cause chaos and it still would never be their fault!

The job is no longer necessary. Technology has made them redundant. No one has balls to stand up to them. Nungesser is their bitch too.

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