They are at it again!!

[SOPS]

"we were all terrified we were about to die!!"

Passenger plane forced to make emergency landing in Canada after family bust-up | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1323851/Passenger-plane-forced-make-emergency-landing-Canada-family-bust-up.html)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Obvious answer - descend to reasonable level, pop them out the door, carry on the flight...

[brakedwell]

Makes me proud to be British :ugh::ugh::ugh:

[Corsairoz]

Virgin obviously don't use great circle routing, judging from that brilliant map. I can;t believe the newspapers would get simple mapping wrong. :ugh:

The great circle route ORL - MAN takes you almost overhead Newfoundland unless my globe is wrong and the Mail is correct.

[forget]

I'm with you brakedwell, disgraceful conduct that shames the nation. Diverting a 747 because of one drunken half wit. Whatever happened to common sense?

[Super VC-10]

It's a pity that they have to land to boot them off. :rolleyes:

[Aquafina1]

Corsairoz,

I hear you, we should send this to The Mail!

Great Circle Mapper (http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=orl-man)

[Bearcat]

what happened hand cuffs? he must have been out of his head. I hope the said individual is horsewhipped or taken out and left in the local tundra near gander to relect on his behaviour......bloody lout.

[forget]

For the benefit of Daily Mail editors. Orlando to 'London'.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/cumpas/orlando-1.jpg

[PA-28-180]

Another one.....:ugh:

" Whatever happened to common sense?"
'Common sense' is anything BUT common....just take a look at the 'brain trust' we currently have in Washington.....:eek:

My first flight back in the mid 1960's, ALL males wore ties (hated that...loved the flight AND the visit to the FD to meet the CAPTAIN!!), all women wore dresses....a far different, but MUCH more civilized time IMO. :ok:

[keel beam]

It is giving a bad name to the shell suited jet set of manchester :eek:

[SLFguy]

Hmmm, yep the map sure is the most important aspect of this incident.


Sigh

[Jordan G]

Haha, if the map in the news report was anything to go by they would have been better returning to Florida! :p

[Lonewolf_50]

He wrote: 'The turbulence had been bad and when told we had to land urgently, with no explanation, myself and my family were absolutely terrified and were convinced we were about to die. We had no knowledge of the unruly passenger.'
Would somebody please advise this person that they need to abstain from air travel?

As to the unruly passenger: what did the rest of the passengers do, just sit there and watch the drama unfold with stiff upper lips?

Seems to me a perfect time for a blanket party ...

[20driver]

Any guess what the diversion would have cost, direct expenses, fuel, landing fees etc.
That will be an expensive pint if Virgin goes after the guy which I think they should.

20driver

[BOAC]

Hey guys and girls - is it JUST possible they were on a southern NAT track using the Azores?

[Right Way Up]

BOAC,

Don't be silly by adding some technical expertise to this discussion or we may have to call this forum the Professional Pilots............oh yes sorry. :p:p

[GarageYears]

If ONLY there had been a couple of US Air Marshall's on-board, all this fuss could have been avoided.... :D

- GY :}

[forget]

At what points 'on a southern NAT track using the Azores', Orlando - London would Gander be the sensible diversion? Curious.

PS. And lose, as reported, only 'a delay of almost three hours'.

[BOAC]

With apologies to 'Right Way Up':)

Forget - how about
1) Preference for the 'legal framework' of a particular country
2) Instruction from OPS

for starters?

[forget]

BOAC & Right Way Up. Common or garden nous isn't restricted only to 'professional pilots', although some here seem to think otherwise.

How about a small cyber bet. My particular nous tells me the aircraft was not on 'a southern NAT track using the Azores'. If it was, then my point in para one is redundant. :hmm:

[One Outsider]

What is more likely? The Daily Mail making inquiries as to the actual routing in order to draw an accurate map or The Daily Mail just drawing a map?

[forget]

Outsider. Neither point is relevant. The fact is they diverted to Gander.

[BOAC]

...and I'm sure you are right, Forget, but I thought I might just introduce a pause in the attack on the journos, since you don't know.

Since I assume you have no experience of conducting a non-emergency diversion I was merely trying to give you insight into what might happen.

[barit1]

In the comments on the article, Ali from KL suggests a "small holding cell" onboard.

I'll do one better: a trap door in said holding cell. :E

[forget]

BOAC, Your assumption is correct; but does this mean I've won the bet. :)

(I'm surprised no one has produced a Flight Tracker log, or whatever they are called.)

[Superpilot]

ICAO/the relevant body need to revise the rules. A doctor on board should be allowed to administer a tranquiliser in the interest of safety for all on board. Trouble is you've still got to land ASAP because if anything happened to the f***** he's human rights would be called and both the doctor and airline would be sued.

[grimmrad]

Interesting that it only took 3 hours delay. Unless VA has representatives at the airport. I had to divert a BA 777 once (as a physician on board) to Shannon and we were delayed a good 5 hours into LHR (from BOS) as there were no BA agents apparently at Shannon (which seems odd but what do I know). BA was kind enough to put me in business after that so it wasn't that bad for me, they also did a very good job arranging for connecting flights for me.

[Daermon ATC]

I'm expecting Mr. O'Leary will be making some statements shortly informing that the cabin crew (preferably a different one from the one having the training to replace the copilot) will be allowed to use taser-guns against unruly passengers.

The stunned passenger will then be strapped to his/her seat since a proposal to lock him/her in the toilet was rejected as it would render a future revenue source unusable.

:E

[CoiledString]

A quote from the comments section.
With the rising of fuel and operation cost, it would be suggested, that air carriers operating Jumbo jets, assign a small holding room to jail such a passenger behaving in a dangerosly mannar. rather diverting the plane to landing and departing again.

great suggestion, but why limit its use to passengers though? :)

[forget]

With slight modification small holding rooms are already on-board. Toilets, with a small mod to air flow. We know the perp (got it from the Bill) isn't carrying knives or screw-drivers to do any damage so, lock him in, squirt some appropriate non lethal sedative gas through a hole, and on you go. And don't say geting him in there is a problem. First of all he's pissed, and there are always a couple of ex squaddies, or similar, willing to help out.

Diverting a heavy aircraft because of one legless slob is ridiculous.

[Wirbelsturm]

The stunned passenger will then be strapped to his/her seat

Thus incurring a £100 'handling' fee! :E

[innuendo]

Do not most aircraft carry restraining ties? I know we had them on board our company air craft, and cutters to get them off when needed. I'm sure there had to be enough able bodied volunteers on board to help get the necessary done.

[P-T-Gamekeeper]

Lets just imagine that map in the mail is absolutely accurate. The aircraft seems equidistant from most eastern seaboard destinations. What with Gander/St Johns being the closest to the uk, it seems an eminently sensible place to go. Add to that the fact I have no idea of the TAFs for any of them, it hardly seems an unreasonable place to go for an immediate landing.

I've often flown a track similar to that from FL back to the uk. Wind is just as important as track miles over the pond.

With the extra track miles flown, 5 mins to arrest the man, 30 mins to gas up, 45 mins to get some paperwork/brief, and 30 mins faff time, 3 hrs sounds fair to me.

[crewmeal]

For the benefit of Daily Mail editors. Orlando to 'London'.

Nice map, now move the line north to Manchester where the flight was going, and it's even more of a reason to call into Gander

[AnthonyGA]

Sounds like a FAR violation to me, since the crew either served alcohol to the man until he was intoxicated or allowed him to board intoxicated. It seems hypocritical to board drunks and/or make passengers drunk and then complain when they cause a disruption.

And diverting the flight was obviously overreaction. Tie him up, sit him down, and continue the flight.

[lexxity]

Of course AnthonyGA, pax have never, ever been known to have their own little stash of booze going on, say bought from duty free and to be quietly getting stuck into it. Easier to point and blame without all the facts. :hmm:

[west lakes]

Aviation Herald suggests 200NM south of Gander when PAN declared. Landed on runway 03, 35 minutes later

[racedo]

Personally I go with the trusting of persons paid to fly the plane and look after the welfare of passengers in making the correct decision in the interests of all of the Passengers onboard. This is notwithstanding the fact that some of same passengers need Lobotomies which as of yet airlines can't provide.

Of course the crew will have considered their own personal safety and welfare as well ........selfish sods but least they landed missing the schools, hospitals and everything else they need to consider to keep Daily Mail readers happy.:ugh::ugh::ugh:

[fesmokie]

We ferried this 727 from MIA to Cape Verde with no extra tanks. Didn't divert to Gander though I wanted to.:}


The 727 that Vanished | History of Flight | Air & Space Magazine (http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/The-727-that-Vanished.html?c=y&page=1)