United Pilot Dies After Inflight Heart Attack

[densoo]

Perhaps a little sympathy for Captain Skillen is in order rather than point fingers to make a point based on your own wants? He had the pension that was promised to him stolen from him and may have had no choice but to keep flying. Or perhaps he still liked to fly airplanes, either way you are not qualified to judge him.
RIP Captain Skillen.

Speaking of his pension, does his wife get it? Or does it go back to the company?

 

[Dan Roman]

Speaking of his pension, does his wife get it? Or does it go back to the company?

Well I don't work for UAL but I'm sure it would go to his wife. No scenario exists that a company can take back a DC plan.

 

[flyboyike]

Perhaps a little sympathy for Captain Skillen is in order rather than point fingers to make a point based on your own wants? He had the pension that was promised to him stolen from him and may have had no choice but to keep flying. Or perhaps he still liked to fly airplanes, either way you are not qualified to judge him.

I'm qualified to state facts. One of those facts is that we're Americans, we're free, we ALWAYS have a choice.

 

[IAHERJ]

He was ex-CAL so he had an A fund as well as a B fund. I hope his wife gets it all. I understand he was preparing to retire and had a home on the Pacific side of Mexico. He was also fully retired Air Force. I'm sure she will be fine.

 

[Flopgut]

Perhaps a little sympathy for Captain Skillen is in order rather than point fingers to make a point based on your own wants?

Like that's not what you're on here to post?! Mr. Holier than thou?! GMAFB. All you old guys talk about is your own wants.

Old CAL pilots didn't lose their whole pension. It was frozen, but it still pays at a 100% lump sum. His wife gets an annuity now, not the lump sum.

This is a sad deal, for certain. But the reality is that if you have any sympathy for him, you ought to have some regard for others as well. All that has been done for old pilots in recent years will have not much but negative affects for generations of pilots to come. The temporary help that a very few got out of 65 won't produce the same for the rest of the pilot profession.

 

[Flopgut]

Two CAL pilots died in the last month guys. Why do we make such a big deal out of it when they're over 60?

One guy was 51 and the other was 44. They might have had 10% the A plan money Skilern had. Maybe. Maybe they would have lived a little longer if they could have had a better schedule the last 5 years...


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[BuckMurdock1]

R.I.P. Thoughts and prayers to his family. Kudos to F/O and crew..

 

[eaglesview]

Hmmmmmm, what? You got something to say striker? Let's hear it? This guy professed numerous times on here that if he missed age change date to keep his seniority he would come back as a new hire. I would have been the first to give him respect for doing so but that's not what he did. No different than a scab, all he wanted was the seniority. Just like a scab, he has to make excuses. He told us all he would set an example and he had the opportunity. Well, he set an example all right.

We don't need another thread about medical standards and how unfair certain rules are at certain times of certain pilots lives. Advanced age is just the result of a bunch of opportunists selfish behavior. Period. We're all 1/2 broke, pensionless, dead pilots just cruising along at this point. Waiting to see what knife gets stuffed in our backs by you guys who came up in the 80s. This is no longer a career. It's not really even much of a profession at this point. Anybody thinking they can escape this guys' same fate (die at the controls)? Good luck.


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Hmmmmm = Just noticing you always have the strike breakers back...Interesting.

 

[eaglesview]

Like that's not what you're on here to post?! Mr. Holier than thou?! GMAFB. All you old guys talk about is your own wants.

Old CAL pilots didn't lose their whole pension. It was frozen, but it still pays at a 100% lump sum. His wife gets an annuity now, not the lump sum.

This is a sad deal, for certain. But the reality is that if you have any sympathy for him, you ought to have some regard for others as well. All that has been done for old pilots in recent years will have not much but negative affects for generations of pilots to come. The temporary help that a very few got out of 65 won't produce the same for the rest of the pilot profession.

Two words......Anger Management

 

[Andy]

Perhaps a little sympathy for Captain Skillen is in order rather than point fingers to make a point based on your own wants? He had the pension that was promised to him stolen from him and may have had no choice but to keep flying. Or perhaps he still liked to fly airplanes, either way you are not qualified to judge him.
RIP Captain Skillen.

He was hired in 1987. He had a pension. Frozen, but he had a pension. I don't know the numbers but I'd wager that it was a decent sum of money.

Two CAL pilots died in the last month guys. Why do we make such a big deal out of it when they're over 60?

I could be wrong on this, but I've noticed that L-CAL pilots drop dead a LOT more often than pilots at other airlines over the last 8 or so years. Both on and off duty. Like the superscab who died in the customs line in Costa Rica. I'd be curious to see the percentages of pilots who die at each company.

From my experiences flying on the LCAL side, I'd say it's due to the flagrant violations of the FARs by the company. They tried to keep me on duty for more than 16 hours in order to fly a 3 hour delayed flight and they've violated my crew rest. Not to mention how there are guys who actually want to sit in the middle seat on deadheads because it pays more.
I've filed legitimate grievances but CALALPA isn't interested in pursuing grievances.

JP was famous for saying that LCAL pilots are capitalists. I'd say it's more a matter of severely bending the FARs to make a couple of extra bucks. Lifespan be damned.

 

[Flopgut]

Hmmmmm = Just noticing you always have the strike breakers back...Interesting.

I no longer see any reason to have any less regard for them than I do you.

 

[sshrae]

It all goes back to the FAA medical process. It should be much more thorough and a much lower pass rate. In Japan less than 50% pass a medical the first time and it is just as difficult every time you take one. Time to toughen up the standards and enforce the process. RIP!!!

Toughen up the standards? Is an annual EKG not enough for you? Should we all have to go through a nuclear stress test every six months? Even a stress test can miss possible symptoms of a potential MI. When it comes to your heart there are a lot of potential issues that cannot be predicted without a multitude of regular invasive tests. Is that what you want?? I don't think so.

 

[eaglesview]

I no longer see any reason to have any less regard for them than I do you.

I love it when people confirm your suspicions for you. Makes things much easier.

 

[Flopgut]

I love it when people confirm your suspicions for you. Makes things much easier.

Ha! Go ahead and believe whatever makes you feel better.

 

[Bringupthebird]

Toughen up the standards? Is an annual EKG not enough for you? Should we all have to go through a nuclear stress test every six months? Even a stress test can miss possible symptoms of a potential MI. When it comes to your heart there are a lot of potential issues that cannot be predicted without a multitude of regular invasive tests. Is that what you want?? I don't think so.

Maybe what he wants are super stringent test that get every guy senior to him out on medical. Then maybe he wants to cut LTD so that it only covers you for 5 years (less chance of getting well and "sneaking back") in exchange for a couple dollars added to book rates.

Then maybe he realizes his strategy was a mistake when ...

No one knows for certain how healthy they are. No one.