What should happen to that American Airlines pilot?

[TXlib]

Poll question: What should happen to that American Airlines pilot?

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/02/09/airline.christianity/

He frightened passengers enough that they got on cell phones to talk to family. Several said they were afraid the whole rest of the flight that he was about to do something crazy.

[HFishbine]

1. How about an option that

defends free speech without defending Christianity?

[Superfly]

3. So, if the comments were

about Islam or Buddhism, it would be ok?

[TXlib]

5. OK, I edited that choice.

[Lars39]

2. He did an interview.

http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=11260&sd=02/11/04

As I posted in the other thread:

The guy needs his license yanked.


"A minor problem with the plane's braking system had developed during final checks before takeoff, he said, a problem that might have grounded the aircraft, on which every seat was taken, in part because another American flight from Los Angeles to New York had been canceled that morning. But after a simple maneuver involving a power source, the braking problem inexplicably "disappeared," Findiesen said, and the plane was cleared for departure, and that's when he knew he had to use the P.A. system to talk about his Christian faith."

If inexplicably "disappeared," = God talking to him, he is incapable of making rational decisions regarding the air craft. This goes way beyond bad judgement.

[Westegg]

23. Uh, yeah. HELLO??

Airplane pilots can worship who or what they want in their free time---I can't stop them, and wouldn't want to---but when God is speaking to you WHILE you're navigating a multi-thousand-ton piece of metal at 600 m.p.h. many miles up in the sky, with hundreds of lives in your hands, dude, I will protest. I want you FOCUSED, relying on the technology that made this all possible, your navigational skills, and the kind of clear-headed thinking that allowed you to command a vessel like this in the first place. "On a wing and a prayer" doesn't cut it for me---not when my life is in your hands.

And my wife wonders why I need a Xanax every time I get on a plane...

[Rabbit of Caerbannog]

4. A pilot's job

is to fly the fucking plane - NOT preach to the passengers. Period

[ClintonTyree]

6. Dismissal.............

I have a problem with a religious zealot at the helm of an aircraft. I don't care WHICH religion it is. If all of the sudden this fruitcake decided it was time for the rapture to begin...............

[Kathy in Cambridge]

10. Dismissal

he probably scared the sh*t out of the passengers.

And he violated the civil rights of the crew and passengers also.

[DoctorMyEyes]

14. He did scare them

according to the two women passengers who I saw interviewed. They said most of the passengers just looked at each other in disbelief then everyone started reaching for their cell phones and lining up for the air phones. Several passengers wanted to get off the plane and it took a lot of assurances from the flight crew to calm them down and convince them that they weren't in any danger of being crashed into something by a religious nutcase pilot.

[Kamika]

7. Well he should get a reprimand

I don't mind it really but imagine it would have been something about islam.. ppl would have panicked

[Westegg]

27. Yeah, but that's not the point!

How often do you let someone take YOUR life into their hands? As seldom as possible, I 'll bet. You do it when you fly on a plane. You do it when you're under the surgeon's knife. Imagine if the last thing you heard in the OR, before you got put under by the heavy narcotics was: "Oh, by the way, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and savior?" I equate plane flight as almost the same thing. You want----no, you NEED---to trust that the pilot is operating based on traditional FAA guidlines. The pilot in question certainly wasn't, and he needs to be looked at VERY closely.

[pansypoo53219]

8. you didn't have crucifixion.

i am sure he wouldn't mind being a martyr for his faith.

[TheMightyFavog]

11. Crucifixion?

Good. Down the corridor, line on the left, one cross each.

[Throckmorton]

15. No, Freedom for me!

Oh, well there you go then, off with you.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. The first thing I thought of...

was that Egyptian pilot who dunked the plane in the Atlantic after praising Allah. Seems to have been a big fight with the rest of the cockpit crew who thought he should have committed suicide alone, and not taken a planeload of tourists with him. He might be a bit disappointed with what Allah thinks about taking a planeload of people along in that blaze of suicidal glory.

Anyway, this guy doesn't appear suicidal, but airlines do have regular psychological evaluations of their pilots, for whatever it's worth. I imagine he'll be in "retraining" for a while.

Other than that, pilots have been doing strange things for years, and regularly get written up.

My personal favorite was the pilot who walked with the copilot through First Class to the cockpit with dark glasses and a white cane.

"First Officer, passengers or cargo today?"

"Passengers, sir."

"Very good. Would you open the door, please."

Grounded, fined, retrained... Still flying, but he's sticking to the comedy clubs for fun now.

[Kamika]

12. Hmm

I thought he did it cuz he had broken with his gf

[YellowRubberDuckie]

35. Do you know how easy it is to FAKE Psych Evals?

So easy, I could get my seven year old cousin to look like Einstein.
Duckie

[Aristus]

13. He should be reprimanded for now.

If he keeps it up, then he should be grounded, then fired. Heck, I'm a Christian, but I don't approve of what he did. Like something out of 'Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.'

"Just you ge' on wivv th'flyin', an' we'll tyke care of th'eternal veri'ies, thynk you very motch!"

[Lindsey]

16. He should be forced to join WICCA!

n/t

[Pegleg Thd]

17. He should be

Banned For Life from flying a commercial aircraft. If this doesn't happen he might get a phone call from bushit to fly the next suicide mission.

[JMac]

18. He should be forced to go to a shrink at least.

n/t

[rppper]

19. dismissal...ASAP.....

..if i heard a pilot talking about seeing and talking to jesus on a plane, my first thought would be...."omigod....the plane is going down !!!"...i am reasonably sure there were other passengers on the plane with like thoughts......fire him, he can always fly for the 700 club food flights to africa....

[Zero Gravitas]

20. reprimand

if this is the only incident then he should just get a slap on the wrist. It was very bad judgment to make the announcement but I for one would give him a break if it is just a case of him being overly enthusiastic after his revival trip. On the other hand if he makes a habit of interjecting his religion into his professional life then he should be fired.

Still a real fundie pilot would make me nervous... "oh the plane is icing up, but it takes so long for the de-icers to get here, so I'll just pray instead... I'm such a good Christan I'm sure Gawd-uh will magically make that layer of ice on the wing go away!"

:scared:
:crazy:
:silly:

[nini]

21. He should be fired - nothing less

I'm a Christian but with the way flying is these days he put fear in people because those statements were not appropriate for HIS ROLE in the flight.

While he is at work he doesn't have the right to push his religion.


These kinds of 'Christians' piss me off.

[populistmom]

22. A public flogging

:spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank:

And he should be fired too! Sounds a bit over the top and unprofessional.

[DS1]

24. send him up solo, with only half the fuel needed to get to his destination

See if God carries him the rest of the way :evilgrin:

[KamaAina]

25. CEO of startup Rapture Air

now offering nonstop Boeing 666 service to LaHaye-Moon Heaven Interfaith Airport.

"Don't get 'Left Behind'! Fly the angel's wings of Rapture Air!"

:evilgrin:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

26. Other: Dismissal & fine, not charges (nt)

[VOX]

28. It's a goddamn plane, not a church!

If I'd been on that flight, I would have wigged out. "Talking fundy" on the PA isn't cute or clever or funny or inspiring or encouraging -- it's alarming as hell, and a professional pilot simply shouldn't exhibit this behavior.

First off, the guy should receive counseling on the company's nickel and be tested for any stress or underlying emotional problems, etc.
And then should be grounded for a long, long time, or given a severance package if he's not mentally up to doing his job properly.

[Westegg]

32. I adore your cat, rezmutt...

But when's it gonna get up off the floor and do a back flip? I've been watching it for days now, and I'm begining to wonder if it has the use of its back legs!

[MAlibdem]

29. Dismissal

And civil suits against AA by passengers offended by him.

[geniph]

30. I don't want preachers suddenly deciding to fly planes

and I don't want pilots suddenly deciding to preach. Look, do what you want on your own time. This is at work. I don't think teachers should suddenly decide they're race-car drivers, or race-car drivers should suddenly decide they're gardeners, either. Do your damn job and tend to your religion in private, like Jesus told you to.

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[Wcross]

33. Ought to be flying cargo-no people skills at all n/t

[DinahMoeHum]

34. Suspension, then demote him to flying cargo planes

n/t

:evilfrown:

[11 Bravo]

36. Assign the dumb bastard to the Islamabad-Cairo route.

n/t

[Braden]

37. he should become the Senior Captain at Hooters Air.

[NightTrain]

38. 30 days of listening to nothing but tapes of Madelyn Murray O'Hair

I say, let the punishment fit the crime!

[amazona]

39. fired for sure and he should probably do time

If he had been terrorizing people by telling them to make right with Allah, he'd already be at Gitmo. I don't understand where there is even any room for debate. People were held on an airplane in terror, told to get right with God, and were so frightened that they were calling family to say their last good-byes. All this in a post 911 world where family has to take this very seriously.

And they were trapped on this flight for 4 hours.

4 hours of not knowing if they would live or die.

People off the street -- passengers with no training in aircraft procedures or security -- go to jail at least for the night and pay hefty fines for making JOKES. And this was no joke.

I also hope the traumatized passengers sue the pants off American Airlines -- not that they have any money to begin with but maybe it will at least send a message.