I see three things here.
Firstly, the difference in attitude and support between UA (and Northwest in the Lyle Prouse case) and Thomson in the Kyagera case. Just an observation: it is what it is.
Secondly the insight the Birmingham Post article gives, if accurate. Frankly, I don't know any responsible pilot that would throw 'a considerable amount' of alcohol down their throat within 48 hours of a flight let alone during a bottle to throttle rule. IF that was habitual behaviour then it would certainly have shown up in an annual physical (see my post #24) and should have been picked up before by the airlines physician. IF so, why was it not seen earlier so that help could have been given? This isn't a one way street, you know, employers have responsibilities too...
I was intrigued by the apparent lack of correspondance between the statement on the drinking history and the fact that the BAC was 42mg/100ml. It doesnt add up: the average Western male metabolizes alcohol at very roughly 10 - 15 mg/100ml per hour. Do the math.
Finally, and I am not condoning the act, but you have to wonder about the judiciary in this country when you read "This sentence should deter others from compromising the high safety expected of airline pilots.” Duh. No it won't. Those that can obey the law (the 99%) already do, and those that dont, wont, because they simply cannot. There is virtually no deterrent there at all. I think that's what annoys me the most. If he had said "...should encourage them to seek help from their airline, which should actively assist" then I would have been impressed. All this does is drive these behaviours underground.
Chesty has a good point. But an alcoholic will never call in sick because he/she "willl be fine" "doesnt have a problem" etc. etc. To call in sick would force them to confront the problem and take responsibility for the behaviour - and this they can never do. So they carry on, get away with it, get away with it... and then one day they dont get away with it.
Read Lyle Prouse's story. Its inspiring and thought provoking. And helped me a lot.
Pinkman....whose ex-wife was an alcoholic.
Last edited by Pinkman; 29th Mar 2009 at 23:27.