Protesting against Patrick Kyagera's 10 year ban is valid, because this is not an issue that has an "appropriate" deterrent. It's not linear like casual drinking and road use, where there is enough evidence to suggest that you can set a level of punishment that "fits" the crime and that provides a severe enough deterrent to change behaviour in the 95% of the population. In the aviation case you have already got that 95% (probably 99%) compliance simply because of the threat of loss of livelihood. You are mostly ONLY dealing with the problem drinkers.
I dont know whether Kyagera is an habitual drinker, or made a one-off silly mistake, or is one of the 5-10% of people (like the Japanese) that produce low levels of alcohol dehydrogenase - the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. But its likely that he would know that he might have been over the limit: its a fundamental criteria for your job as a pilot and you need to know your individual tolerance and limits much as you would know whether your vision needs correcting with glasses.
All the many pilots that I know take their fitness to work responsibilities very seriously. Clearly, a small minority are simply unable to change because they have a disease. A vanishingly small amount make a one off silly mistake or take a chance and get caught.
The length of sentence isnt the point because jailing or fining an alcoholic is about as much use as jailing or fining a paedophile: it doesnt affect the underlying behaviours. I dont have access to the full judgement but if it was simply as reported then it's awful - not because of the 6 months jail or 10 year ban, but because there is no opportunity to address the underlying behaviours and get on with your career if you are serious about reform and get the support you need.
Lyle Prouse and others have shown that it is possible (see the other thread Duck referred to).
By the way, I am very disturbed to see that many of you think that alcohol is eliminated by the body at more or less a standard rate. That is scary and untrue. It depends on gender, race, body mass, fat/lean tissue ratio, genetics, food quantity and type intake and habituation - which is why your pilot medical blood test usually includes Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT or 'Gamma GT') - an indication of longer-term liver abuse by alcohol. The rate at which you excrete alcohol can vary massively.
Last edited by Pinkman; 28th Mar 2009 at 22:08.