Not Again!!?!

[skywav8r]

You guys asked why no one smelled it in the van. For you domestic types that fly smaller planes the van is just that, a van. On international flights the van can sometimes be as big as a greyhound bus. Catching a wiff of booze may be difficult in such a big ride. Security in London/Heathrow for crews is done in pretty tight quarters and the van is usually not a giant bus. I can't remember Gatwick. Someone on the crew could have caught a wiff here and saved the FO from himself. I don't know if I'd be smelling of booze if I was over the legal limit to fly but still legal to drive...I doubt it. I've also been known to tell the TSA that I was flying to Fargo when I really was flying to Madrid. Those gestapo tub stackers don't need to know everything! Overall, we need to police ourselves better. If we want to be paid and treated like professionals we need to act like one. Good luck to this poor chap.

 

[Raoul Duke]

that does not explain the untied shoes

 

[princeton]

that does not explain the untied shoes

That bus was soooooo big they looked like slip-ons in the distance

 

[KarmaPolice]

Can companies ban drinking during crew rest, and if so, will it ever happen? That would really suck.

 

[Tanker Clown]

I wish Delta pilots would take their profession a little more seriously. Very sad. Was booze involved when the Delta guys landed on the taxiway in ATL?

 

[Jim]

There must be a mistake...MAJOR airlines always hire only the best. It must be a Delta Connection flight.....:laugh:

Not Delta Connection or any regional FO......they don't make enough money to buy booze....

 

[Abernathy]

Was he wearing his hat?

 

[crj567]

Good one Joe...now get back to that barbie jet you fly.

Don't worry about Joe, you just worry about getting back to your scotch.
-Time's wasting.

 

[Raoul Duke]

I wish Delta pilots would take their profession a little more seriously. Very sad. Was booze involved when the Delta guys landed on the taxiway in ATL?

no but I heard his shoes were untied

 

[Golden Falcon]

How scary and sad... if he's an alcoholic, it's a disease and hopefully he'll get the help he needs as well as find a new way to be productive in society. if not, he threw his career away for a lil alcohol. (or a lot)

I'd be curious who alerted authorities and why the captain didn't put the kiebash on the whole thing before it got that far. At the very least he could have told the FO to call in sick or he'd call in sick for him and then gotten the FO the help he needed when he was back state-side. Now the poor shmuck is stuck in European courts. Sounds like our double-breasted captain failed as a human being and friend as well.

Thought it happened at Heathrow,

 

[WSurf]

Not Delta Connection or any regional FO......they don't make enough money to buy booze....

You need to make money to buy booze???? I guess you didn't attend college! There's always a way to get booze!

 

[Metrojet]

How scary and sad... if he's an alcoholic, it's a disease and hopefully he'll get the help he needs as well as find a new way to be productive in society. if not, he threw his career away for a lil alcohol. (or a lot)

I'd be curious who alerted authorities and why the captain didn't put the kiebash on the whole thing before it got that far. At the very least he could have told the FO to call in sick or he'd call in sick for him and then gotten the FO the help he needed when he was back state-side. Now the poor shmuck is stuck in European courts. Sounds like our double-breasted captain failed as a human being and friend as well.

I know a Captain who was in the same situation - and when the F/O said I am ok to fly and don't need to call in sick - the Captain told him your off the trip

 

[WSurf]

Nope, not me. If this is true, it is really sad. I am glad this type of stuff never happens at other airlines......


Bye Bye--General Lee

There you go. I guess you do agree that all airlines and pilots are now equal. And that theres no one airline or pilot above the other. That should atleast knock out 9,000-12,000 of your posts!

 

[C Halsne]

I'll save judgement until the story's more than a few hours old... And just say be careful out there:

Feds Monitoring Thousands Of Alcohol & Drug Abusing Pilots
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Chris Halsne
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Investigative Reporter
Posted: 2:30 pm PDT October 29, 2010
Updated: 8:38 am PDT November 2, 2010

KIRO Team 7 Investigators have identified at least 2,000 certified pilots currently being monitored by federal regulators for abusing alcohol or drugs.
And that's just a fraction of those caught.
Using the Freedom of Information Act, Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne obtained an enforcement database maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration. The never-before-released list names professional aviators in trouble for alcohol, drugs, or lying on medical applications about substance abuse. Most continue to fly passenger and cargo jets, commercial planes, helicopters, private planes, and give lessons as flight instructors.
We begin by taking a close look at the FAA’s system that is suppose to target pilots nailed for drunk driving.
Joseph Blanchette's resume carries a long, proud history of flying; The U.S. Navy, Kitty Hawk Cargo, Harbor Airlines and co-piloting passenger jets for Alaska Air.
Unfortunately, his history of over-consuming alcohol is well documented too.
In 1996, he was booted from an Alaska Airlines cockpit after showing up to work with elevated levels of alcohol in his blood (according to Blanchette’s own deposition, he blew a .03).
In 2007 and 2008, Court records reviewed by Team 7 Investigators show Blanchette was arrested three times for DUI. He pled guilty to one and struck deals on the others that included alcohol treatment programs. Blanchette declined to speak with us about his troubles.
Halsne: "We're profiling a number of pilots. You're one of them."
Blanchette: "No. No I don't want this on TV. That's not right coming on my property and then start-"
Halsne: "OK. We're going to leave."
Blanchette: "You don't have a right to present that to anybody. I don't want my picture on television."
The Federal Aviation Administration gave Blanchette "a warning notice" last year for one of his DUI arrests, but left his pilot's license intact. So, while he couldn't drive his car without first blowing into an ignition interlock device, he could legally get in a cockpit and fly a passenger jet.
KIRO Team 7 Investigators reviewed this FAA computer database naming thousands of certified pilots with drunk driving or drug convictions in the past five years. U.S. Airways, Delta, Hawaiian, Continental, United, American, Frontier, all have pilots listed as having been sanctioned for alcohol or drug abuse.
Aviation law expert, Marjorie Tedrick, represents professional pilots caught drunk driving. She told Halsne, “There's a huge number of airline pilots and a huge number of airline pilots with DUI arrests. I'm not surprised by that.”
Her advice to clients: self disclose the DUI conviction right away- the FAA usually gives pilots one free pass without sanctions.
“There is a correlation between the amount of drinking they do off the job and whether or not they are going to be caught flying with alcohol in their bloodstream - absolutely. And if one way to monitor that and catch it is with DUI's, then that’s a good thing the FAA is doing and they do need to enforce that.”
The FAA's active watch list contains 32 Washington-based pilots, but remember, those are just the ones either caught in repeated alcohol related trouble - or caught trying to hide their convictions.
Team 7 Investigators computer cross-matched our state's DUI convictions database with flight certifications- and found HUNDREDS MORE licensed pilots from this state with convictions in the past five years. That seems to confirm Tedrick’s claim that the FAA gives pilots a break for their first drunk driving incident.
Empire Airlines pilot, Stuart John Billey qualifies as a one-timer. He currently flies Cessna Caravan's for FedEx. Court records show in 2008 he was arrested for DUI, pleaded to a deferred prosecution, and remains on probation. The FAA doesn't appear to have sanctioned Billey even though as part of that plea deal, he had to submit to alcohol treatment.
Billey: "I don't have any comment. I have to go through my company."
Halsne: "You don't have any comment? Did you tell the FAA. Did they take some action?"
Billey. "Uh, yeah I went through the procee-. You'll have to talk to my company. I can't comment on it."
The FAA list also includes hundreds engine and airframe mechanics who work at places like Boeing -- and at Sea-Tac Airport maintaining jets. Federal laws don’t require the FAA to directly monitor alcohol or drug abusing mechanics, but does require employers to do so.
The FAA refused our repeated requests for an on-camera interview. Halsne offered to fly anywhere in the country to get it done. We were told it wasn’t possible despite that agency employing 21 media specialists at a cost to taxpayers of $2.5 million a year.
We’re just starting on this topic. Don't forget to joins us for DUI Pilots: Warning Signs Ignored. Team 7 Investigators uncover some very real - deadly consequences of FAA mistakes. Errors in their alcohol watch program are now under investigation by another federal agency.

Please remove this post. The News is not accurate