PIC OF EMB120 COMPLAINS OF FLT SCHEDULE CHANGES BY DISPATCHER. DISPATCHER CLAIMS IT WAS TO INSURE THAT OTHER FLCS FLYING 'HER' FLT WOULD GET INTO SBP AND NOT DIVERT TO ALTERNATE ARPT AS SHE HAD DONE ON 2 PREVIOUS FLTS.

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I'M WRITING THIS LETTER BECAUSE OF A PROB I'M HAVING WITH MR X AT DISPATCH. I'M WRITING YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE A SUPVR TO BOTH OF US. IF AFTER REVIEWING THIS LETTER YOU FEEL SOMEONE ELSE WOULD BETTER HANDLE THIS; PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD IT. OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WKS I HAVE TWICE BEEN PULLED OFF OF MY NORMALLY SCHEDULED TRIP TO SBP AND HAD A DIFFERENT DEST SUBSTITUTED. IN BOTH CASES THE DISPATCHER MAKING THE DECISION WAS MR X. WHILE I HAVE NO PROB WITH SUCH CHANGES IN MY SCHEDULE; I DO HAVE A PROB WITH THE REASON -- AS EXPLICITLY EXPRESSED TO ME BY MR X HIMSELF. THE REASON WAS THAT I HAD MADE TOO MANY MISSED APCHS TO SBP RESULTING IN DIVERSIONS TO SMX. I FEEL THAT I HAVE BEEN SLANDERED. MR X IMPLYING THAT I CANNOT FLY WELL ENOUGH TO COMPLETE THE APCH. OR ALTERNATIVELY; HE IS IMPLYING THAT OTHER OF OUR PLTS WILL BREAK THE REGS TO COMPLETE THE FLT. NOW FOR THE SPECIFICS: LAST MONTH I WAS ASSIGNED THE FLT FROM SFO-SBP SEVERAL NIGHTS IN A ROW. ON WEDNESDAY THE FORECAST WX FOR SBP DID NOT REQUIRE AN ALTERNATE. ON DEP THE WX RPT FOR SBP WAS CLR. IN SPITE OF THIS; BECAUSE OF PAST EXPERIENCE; I FUELED FOR AND LISTED AN ALTERNATE. ON OUR ARR IN THE SBP AREA; SHORTLY AFTER THE TWR HAD CLOSED; IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE WX WAS NO LONGER CLR. WE PARKED OURSELVES IN HOLDING AT CREPE (3 TURNS) WHILE I TRIED (REPEATEDLY) TO GET CURRENT SBP WX FROM 129.9 OR A RELAY THROUGH OUR OPS ON 130.25. WHILE WE WERE DOING THIS AN OTH ACR B1900 EXECUTED THE LOC 11 APCH TO SBP AND CANCELED WITH ZLA STATING 'WE HAVE THE ARPT AT 600 FT.' THE WX RPT WE FINALLY OBTAINED WAS A CEILING OF 800 FT OVCST; WITH WINDS FROM 300 DEGS AT 25 KTS. WE BRIEFED AND EXECUTED A LOC 11 CIRCLE TO RWY 29 APCH. UPON ARR AT MDA (1140 FT MSL) WE HAD INTERMITTENT GND CONTACT WITH FLT VISIBILITY OF NEAR ZERO. THESE CONDITIONS PERSISTED ALL THE WAY TO THE MISSED APCH. AS REQUIRED UNDER THE REGS WE EXECUTED A MISSED APCH. DUE TO FUEL CONSIDERATIONS WE DID NOT ATTEMPT A SECOND APCH AND DIVERTED VISUALLY TO SMX WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE NEXT NIGHT; THURSDAY; THE FORECAST AGAIN DID NOT REQUIRE AN ALTERNATE AND THE WX RPT AT DEP TIME SHOWED CLR SKIES. AGAIN I FUELED FOR AND LISTED AN ALTERNATE. ON OUR ARR IN THE SBP AREA THE TWR RPTED THE CONDITIONS AS CEILING OF 1000 FT OVCST; AND WINDS FROM 290 DEGS TO 270 DEGS AT 10- 12 KTS. SINCE OUR LNDG WT ALLOWED US TO LAND WITH 8 KTS OF TAILWIND; WE BRIEFED FOR THE LOC 11 CIRCLE TO RWY 29; OR IF THE WIND DECREASED TO 8 KTS; A STRAIGHT-IN TO RWY 11. WE FLEW THE APCH AS BRIEFED WITH FREQUENT CHKS ON THE WIND. SINCE THE WIND NEVER DECREASED; WE COMPLIED WITH THE CIRCLE (1140 FT MSL) MINIMUMS. GND CONTACT WAS NEVER MADE AND AGAIN A MISSED APCH WAS EXECUTED. IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS AN OTH ACR FLT ASKED US ABOUT THE CONDITIONS. I TOLD THEM THAT DEPENDING ON THEIR CIRCLING CATEGORY AND TAILWIND LIMITATIONS THEY MIGHT GET IN. DUE TO FUEL CONSIDERATIONS AND IFR CONDITIONS AT OUR DESIRED ALTERNATE WE AGAIN DID NOT ATTEMPT A SECOND APCH AT SBP. WE DIVERTED TO SMX; COMPLETING AN ILS APCH WITHOUT INCIDENT. ON FRIDAY; WHEN WE ARRIVED IN SFO AT XA00; OPS INFORMED US WE WERE DOING AN SMF ROUND TRIP INSTEAD OF THE USUAL SBP ONE. NO EXPLANATION FOR THE CHANGE WAS GIVEN. I FOUND OUT LATER ANOTHER E120 WAS SENT IN OUR PLACE. MR X HAD MADE THIS CHANGE EARLIER IN THE DAY. RUMOR HAD IT THE CHANGE WAS BECAUSE OF THE MISSED APCHS THE PREVIOUS 2 DAYS. THE WX AT SBP FRIDAY NIGHT WAS LISTED AS A CEILING OF 1200 FT OVCST AT MY TIME OF ARR. THE OTHER CREW COMPLETED THE APCH; BUT THEY 'BARELY GOT IN.' THIS MONTH I WAS/AM ALSO ASSIGNED FLT TO SBP MULTIPLE (15) NIGHTS. ON OCT/WED/96 WE DEPARTED FOR SBP WITH MY USUAL ALTERNATE FUEL. BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS FLOW DELAYS WE ARRIVED NEAR SBP AFTER THE TWR HAD CLOSED. I CALLED SBP AND HAD THEM READ ME THE WX; WHICH WAS SKY CLR; WINDS FROM 300 DEGS AT 13 KTS. HOWEVER; WE COULD NOT SEE THE LIGHTS AT SBP BECAUSE OF CLOUDS BELOW US. I ASKED SBP STATION TO LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND TELL ME IF IT WAS STILL CLR. THEY RPTED THAT IT WAS. BECAUSE OF WHAT WE SAW (OR DIDN'T SEE) WE ASKED FOR AND EXECUTED THE LOC 11; CIRCLE TO RWY 29 APCH. WHILE AT MDA (1140 FT MSL) WE HAD INTERMITTENT GND CONTACT (RIGHT OVER THE ARPT) WITH FLT VISIBILITY OF NEAR ZERO. AGAIN AS PER THE REGS WE EXECUTED A MISSED APCH. ONCE AT A SAFE ALT; WITH ZLA'S CONCURRENCE; WE ATTEMPTED TO LOCATE THE ARPT VISUALLY FROM THE SE. THIS WAS IMPOSSIBLE DUE TO CLOUD COVERAGE. AGAIN DUE TO FUEL CONSIDERATIONS; WE DID NOT ATTEMPT A SECOND APCH TO SBP AND DIVERTED VISUALLY TO SMX WITHOUT INCIDENT. ON THE WAY BACK TO SFO; WITH DISPATCH'S APPROVAL; WE CHKED THE SBP WX (NOW RPTING CEILING OF 700 FT OVCST WITH WINDS FROM 300 DEGS AT 5 KTS) AND CHANGED OUR DEST TO SBP. ON OUR ARR AT SBP THE STRATUS HAD RETREATED AND THE FIELD WAS AGAIN VFR. WE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND TRANSPORTED OUR OUTBOUND PAX TO SFO. I FOUND OUT LATER THAT ABOUT 10 MINS PRIOR (THE SAME TIME THE STATIONS SAID SBP WAS CLR) TO OUR FIRST ARR ATTEMPT AT SBP AN OTH ACR FLT LANDED. THE NEXT NIGHT; OCT/THU/96 MR X AGAIN CHANGED OUR ROUTING SO THAT ANOTHER E120 CREW WOULD FLY FLT. I CALLED AND ASKED HIM WHY HE CHANGED OUR SCHEDULE. AFTER MUCH HEMMING AND HAWING; HE SAID IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS MISSING THE APCHS TO SBP; ESPECIALLY WHEN OTHER ACFT WERE LNDG AT SBP. I ASKED HIM HOW OFTEN THIS WOULD RECUR; SINCE I WAS SCHEDULED TO FLY THIS TRIP FOR ANOTHER 14 TIMES THIS MONTH. I WAS TOLD IT DEPENDED ON THE DISPATCHER. I TOLD MR X I FELT HE WAS EITHER INSULTING ME; OR THE PLTS HE REPLACED ME WITH; BY HIS IMPLICATIONS. I ALSO WANTED TO RESOLVE WHATEVER PROB HE HAD. MR X TOLD ME HE FELT HE HAD NO PROB (OR THAT THERE WAS NO PROB) TO RESOLVE. AND HE WOULD CONTINUE TO REPLACE ME WHENEVER HE SAW FIT TO GET THE AIRPLANES INTO SBP. I FEEL THAT MR X'S ACTIONS IN THIS MATTER ARE SLANDEROUS. NOT TO MENTION IT IS A BAD PRECEDENCE TO HAVE CERTAIN CREWS YOU WON'T (OR DON'T WANT TO) SEND TO CERTAIN DESTS. AFTER CAREFUL REVIEW I FEEL THE ENTIRE 'PROB' IS ONE OF PERCEPTION AND OF NOT UNDERSTANDING THE RAPIDLY CHANGING AND CAPRICIOUS NATURE OF THE WX IN SBP. DURING THE SUMMER COASTAL FOG SEASON I HAVE FLOWN A LARGE NUMBER OF THE FLTS TO SBP AT THIS TIME OF DAY. THE WX AT SBP IS NOTORIOUSLY CAPRICIOUS AND THE TERRAIN AND PREVAILING WIND MAKE A MISSED APCH MUCH MORE COMMON THAN OTHER ARPTS. EVEN THEN; THE MISSES DESCRIBED ABOVE ARE THE ONLY MISSES I'VE MADE AT SBP ALL SUMMER. SO; UNLESS I'M SOMEHOW CAUSING THE WX (THAT MUST BE IT -- MY LICENSE PLATE DOES READ WXWOXOF) REPLACING ME ON THE FLT ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING; WHILE SLANDERING MY REPUTATION. I FEEL I AM DUE AN APOLOGY. THEN IF MR X WANTS TO RERTE ME (AT NO LOSS IN PAY) FOR REASONS OTHER THAN THE ONES GIVEN ABOVE; I HAVE NO PROB. I PERSONALLY DISLIKE HAVING TO DIVERT; AND DO IT ONLY WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. P.S. THIS MORNING (OCT/YY/96) I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE CHIEF PLT. HE WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MISS ON OCT/WED/96. I TOLD HIM THE SAME THING I SAID IN THIS LETTER (ABOUT THE OCT/WED/96 MISS ONLY) AND TOLD HIM I HAD SENT THIS LETTER. AT THE END OF THE CONVERSATION THE CHIEF PLT SAID HE HAD NO PROB WITH WHAT I WAS DOING. HOWEVER; I WAS LEFT WITH THE DISTINCT IMPRESSION THAT THE COMPANY IS TRYING TO SUBTLY PRESSURE ME.