Originally Posted by
Council Van
Guilty until proven innocent then?
You have a class 1 medical, right? Does that mean you are guilty until proven innocent? No, of course not. Your class 1 medical comes with the fine print which says that in any change in your medical condition, your class 1 medical is no longer considered valid. Any type of new prescription medication, as well as change in your physical well-being other than a simple flu-like illness, invalidates your class 1 medical.
All of these rules governing your medical state are aimed at ensuring you are fit to fly, as are the rules that (attempt to) govern fatigue.
Any future requirement to use a breathalyzer prior to operating a commercial aircraft is most certainly aimed at confirming that you are fit to fly. You may feel you have the right to be considered "innocent" until proven "guilty", but the lives of the 500+ people you are about to take into your hands, trumps that right in my opinion.
And again, I want to stress out that this is only a matter or perception. Those with a negative outlook will look at such a mandate as "guilty until proven innocent". Those with a more realistic outlook will consider it a confirmation that you're fit to fly*.
At the same time, I personally feel that those who fail the breathalyzer should be protected from over-aggressive criminal action. A sliding scale of coaching and non-criminal discipline would encourage safety, as opposed to immediate criminal action and LOL.
* and yes, I realize that this does not exclude fatigue, illness etc.