Drunk SWA pilot - Jay Leno

[Amish RakeFight]

I need close to 6 beers just to feel normal.

 

[Linedriver]

Ladies, Ladies!

Now let's just calm down here.

1 or 2 beers on an overnight? Now we're just getting hysterical and talking silly talk.

Wow. I wanna' fly with you cowboys. NOT.

Look, We had a 12 hour rule at XYZ Airlines per the GOM.

If you wanted to have 5-6 (or 10 for that matter ) beers on an 14-18 hour layover, and you stopped drinking 12 hours before your Showtime you would be MORE than fine ( 0.00 BAC ) the next day.

Geez. Let's lighten up Mary and Francis.



YKMKR

I understand what you are saying but it would just look bad, and you may be defending the above, if your sobriety was called into question.

I know it takes a little more coffee to get me going after a night of drinking.

 

[Mr.B]

First of all...he didn't run to the bathroom. Second of all, the accuser was making an azz of himself, yelling loudly that the pilot was drunk.

When the Police Officer who wrote the report looked for the accuser to get a statement...he found him....in the airport bar.

And, that Police Officer wrote in his report that the Pilot did not exhibit any signs of intoxication. No tests were administered.

Station Sups agreed with the Police Officer's assessment....that the Pilot didn't exhibit signs.

If he was drunk...then why didn't they administer any tests?

Come on...

I would haul that accuser into court and spank him with a defamation lawsuit that would curl his toes. Hopefully thats the case....

 

[willbob]

Ladies, Ladies!

Now let's just calm down here.

1 or 2 beers on an overnight? Now we're just getting hysterical and talking silly talk.

Wow. I wanna' fly with you cowboys. NOT.

Look, We had a 12 hour rule at XYZ Airlines per the GOM.

If you wanted to have 3 or 4 (or even 10 for that matter ) beers on an 14-18 hour layover, and you stopped drinking 12 hours before your Showtime you would be MORE than fine ( 0.00 BAC ) the next day.

Geez. Let's lighten up Mary and Francis.



YKMKR

Bingo we have a winner!

 

[jehtplane]

Maybe he had a dinner that was cooked in alcohol (beer batter, or steak marinated in wine), and doesnt want to chance that he may fail a breathalyzer.

.

Dude, are you serious?

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Dude, are you serious?

SWA guys are adroit when it comes to stretching the truth. Alcohol gets burned off when used in coooking.

The silliness of some of the responses is appalling. This guy was DRUNK. Period. End of story. He's lucky he called in BEFORE he was accosted by the local authorities.

 

[b707guy]

Thing is, our responsibility goes beyond cutting ourselves (and our cohorts if necessary) off prior to the 8 hours per FAR or 12 hours as many companies use as an internal policy. It also usually includes something along the lines of "experiencing effects of alcohol". A bad hangover included! And if you really tie one on well outside whatever your company policy states, your bod still needs time to process all that hooch. 12 hours is arbitrary in that case. You may very well need 20 before all outward signs (i.e., "bouquet") of your bender have gone by the wayside.

Was this guy guilty? I have no clue. Did he handle it the best way possible? It doesn't appear that way. What would I have done? Fortunately, I've never put myself in or been placed in such a situation, and I honestly can't claim I'd do anything smart or right until I've actually experienced it myself. But if convinced of my innocence, I'd like to think I'd stay put and fight to defend myself. If I weren't so convinced... yikes!

 

[skiandsurf]

Is it true or false that a "poppy seed bagle" can show up positive for drug use?

I dont know the answer to this, but I know that I wouldnt bet my career on finding out.

Again, all I am saying is he did the right thing to remove himself, and call in sick. Sure he did the wrong thing by showing up drunk......but we dont know if he was or wasnt. I bet those Am West pilots wish they did what this guy did.

 

[b707guy]

http://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/poppyseed.asp

It appears so, but I have heard in addition to the info in the link that "poppy seed positive" can be discerned from "real drug positive".

Maybe it has to do with the measurement threshold, but I don't need poppy seeds badly enough to want to find out!

Here's another one, maybe a bit more informative:

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1112/will-poppy-seed-bagels-cause-you-to-fail-a-drug-test

 

[IBNAV8R]

It's strange all the things that are "proven" in a newspaper article.

1. An untrained person said he smelled alcohol and the person in question "appeared" to be acting drunk.
2. A trained law enforcement officer stated he found no signs of intoxication and no reason to test for alcohol.
3. A supervisor, presumably with basic training in signs of intoxication, concurred with the officers assessment.
4. The flight departed on-time. This would be nearly impossible if the crewmember waited until he got "busted" at the airport to call in sick.

 

[Hamburger]

I've worked more than one place where we were trained to deal with exactly this situation.

The training made a point to demand an alcohol test with law enforcement witnesses on the spot, removing any doubt whatsoever and nipping this kind of media circus in the bud. A clean test closes the case. If you leave this situation with anything less than a clean test, you leave doubt.

If the flight is delayed, so be it. I'm sure WN would rather have had a delayed flight instead of this on their hands.

Of course, said training assumed that the crew was not under the influence of alcohol and had nothing to hide.

I can't say I've ever met a pilot who responds to completely baseless allegations that he lacks integrity and has a criminal disregard for the safety of his passengers by running away, changing out of his uniform, and calling in sick.

 

[Britpilot]

This guy was DRUNK. Period. End of story. He's lucky he called in BEFORE he was accosted by the local authorities.

I see, so you were there? Thank God for you so we have all the facts and we can oppose the testimony of the Police Officer. Oh, wait a moment, the local authorities would be the Airport Police, right? I take it all back, you are a moron.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

I see, so you were there? Thank God for you so we have all the facts and we can oppose the testimony of the Police Officer. Oh, wait a moment, the local authorities would be the Airport Police, right? I take it all back, you are a moron.

Were you?

I know something you don't. Leave it at that.

Hey... if you call me a moron, can I call you a dolt for NOT knowing?

 

[Britpilot]

I know something you don't. Leave it at that.

Sure you can.
All right then, please share Secret Squirrel.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

...............

 

[contrail67]

Both of you are ******************************-bags. Here's to both of you being falsely accused and publicly humiliated and having to explain yourself to everyone you know for years to come.

Don't get yourself in a situation like that or even close to it and a person will not have to worry about explaining it.....period.

 

[contrail67]

Ok, I'll ask. What's a 'dolt'?

A dolt is a drunk guy trying to spell idiot.

 

[Lequip]

It's strange all the things that are "proven" in a newspaper article.

1. An untrained person said he smelled alcohol and the person in question "appeared" to be acting drunk.
2. A trained law enforcement officer stated he found no signs of intoxication and no reason to test for alcohol.

That same "trained law enforcement officer" also stated that the SWA pilot reeked of a stale alcohol odor and that same "trained law enforcement officer" also stated that the SWA pilot who reeked of alchol odor told him that he partied hard last night.

 

[bubbers44]

And if he comes out .00 on the alcohol test why does any of this matter?

 

[bubbers44]

If they didn't test him it was because he showed no symptoms of being under the influence so they didn't require a test.

 

[Captzaahlie]

Dude, are you serious?

apparently not as serious as I'd like to get with your avatar. When you are done with her she can get crunk with me...

 

[Captzaahlie]

Don't get yourself in a situation like that or even close to it and a person will not have to worry about explaining it.....period.

Yeah what he said! Or just hold your breath going through the security line..... I'm gunna drink to that!

 

[bravodude]

Or perhaps one of your own has given a black eye to an industry already battered by events just like this! Way to go "dude," you get the 1st ****************************** bag award for the new year!

This is a conversion between adults tools like you are not invited!

 

[Whine Lover]

" This is a conversion between adults..."

Since when?

I didn't get that memo.


YKW

 

[Scope out RJ's]

This is a conversion between adults tools like you are not invited!

Apparently ****************************** bags like you are invited to chime in though.

 

[Captzaahlie]

" This is a conversion between adults..."

Since when?

I didn't get that memo.


YKW

too funny....

 

[Dude]

Since when is ****************************** a bad word? I can write a$$, Phux, or a long list of other things and it is ok. We are all adults............I mean of age.......I mean who cares? You guys censor some odd stuff.

 

[Whine Lover]

( Self censored. I need to get a job. )

YKW

 

[SLFLYHI]

Not to totally hijack this thread but the banter back and forth between pilots of similar caliber here brings home an important, yet curious point: Why does everyone outside the cockpit somehow think pilots should be held to an impossible standard? I had a woman get on the airplane last week and after the two standard comments: boy this plane sure is small, are you old enough to fly this thing (I'm 36 FO was 30), we get two more: did you guys get enough sleep last night and were you out partying? I think the media has done such a hatchet job on us that we're d@mned no matter what. Fact of the matter on that day was that we had a reduced rest overnight with not only no drinking, but no food either; and about 4 hours of sleep total. What do you think the media's reaction would be if I demanded a drug test, followed by a fatigue test, followed by a starvation test? But then we would be whiny crybabies who all make $500,000/yr for ONLY working half the month. The public is stupid, they've been conditioned to believe that we are "the elite, the best of the best," and should do our jobs, go immediately to bed on every overnight and yet still live the glamorous life of travel they all dream of.

I feel sorry for anyone who has to deal with stupid people with impossible expectations, but it seems to me it gets worse for us by the day.

Thread hijack over, you may now return to second guessing and name calling.

T2S

 

[Whine Lover]

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