My View from 30,000 Feet: dumb pilot

dumb pilot

Showing posts with label dumb pilot. Show all posts

Got this e-mail today about the latest iPhone commercial:

"Oh joy! I can't wait for the next ground delay or long taxi due to weather somewhere to get a smart ass with a freakin iPhone shoving it in my face saying "It's NOT raining there... SEE !"

Too late ... already happened to me. We push back, get advised of a ground stop in MEM due to storms in the area. Go to the penalty box and wait.

My Captain does the lecture over the PA... not one minute later, we get dinged from the F/A "Some guy with an iPhone says the weather is good, and wants to know what the real reason is for the delay. Is something wrong with the plane?" I want to tell this clown what he can do with his IdiotPhone - but the Captain does it even better.

He gets on the PA and makes the following announcement : "If the passenger with the iPhone would be kind enough to use it to check the weather at our alternate, calculate our fuel burn due to being rerouted around the storms, call the dispatcher to arrange our release, and then make a phone call to the nearest Air Traffic Control center to arrange our timely departure amongst the other aircraft carrying passengers with iPhones, then we will be more than happy to depart. Please ring your call button to advise the Flight Attendant and your fellow passengers when you deem it ready and responsible for this multi-million dollar aircraft and its passengers to safely leave."

Needless to say, the pax was pretty embarrassed. The F/A later told us the rest of the plane was outright laughing at this dude. What a clown."

While I empathize with the story--not even sure if it's true--I would never put a passenger in a situation that would purposely cause embarrassment. I might talk smack about him with my crew later at the bar--but, would never knowingly call him out like this Captain did. We have more than our share of jerks in that cockpit, believe me!

Pilot Accused Of Stealing Passenger's iPod
TSA Says Pilot Claimed It Would Be Confiscated

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Mesa Air pilot is accused of stealing a passenger's iPod at a security checkpoint at Jacksonville International Airport, police said.

Police said Christopher Newton, 34, was spotted on camera on Thursday taking a iPod out of someone else's container while going through a security checkpoint.

A police officer was summoned after a passenger reported to the Transportation Security Administration that his iPod had been taken at the security checkpoint.

A TSA agent showed the office a tape of an airline pilot placing a container, used to hold passenger's personal items during screening, over another container, then removing an item from the lower container, the report said.

The top container was used to conceal his actions, according to the report. The pilot then placed the item that he had removed into his computer bag, the report said. The report said the pilot made no attempt to contact the rightful owner or security personnel.

Newton was in the cockpit of United Express Flight 7332 when officers found him and asked him to deplane, according to the police report.

Newton admitted to having the iPod his possession, the report said.

He claimed he took the iPod because he said it would just be confiscated by airport employees, according to the report.

Newton, on police order, returned to the cockpit, retrieved the iPod and handed it over to police, the report said.

But because his flight was 15 minutes late, police allowed him to continue on, the report said.
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority Police Department said the case remains under investigation.

"We know passengers steal from passengers," said TSA spokersperson Nico Melendez. "It can happen anywhere. Fortunately, some aiports do have cameras. Workers try to keep their eyes open and urge passengers to do the same."

Mesa Air Group, Inc. is based in Mesa, Ariz.

iPhone Can Fly the Plane, too!

This makes me sad--and mad!

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