Starting with the America West guys, had none of these pilots ever heard of the very infamous incident at Fargo, ND, years ago?
All three pilots went to the really bad US Federal Prison System for a year. They were lucky to have survived.
Just where do pilots ever get the idea that our companies would find it hard for other pilots to fly our trips? We are basically liabilities to them, even when we keep our low profiles. Most of us need our jobs a thousand times more than an airline needs any ONE of us. What makes it so difficult for a large company to replace a few pilots here and there, or even a hundred?
Do some pilots actually believe that an imitation Navy or Air Force uniform means that they are valuable members of upper management? Apparently, some do. Only the (anointed) upper mgmt people or majority stockholders can get away with a Martini lunch or being caught at airport security with a "smoking pipe". They can survive this in their detached, secluded world, apart from the commoners, as they might say over there in "Gandalf Land", by the ancient Weald.
Many hotel, restaurant and fellow employees resent those of us who somehow make it to a decent salary, especially those who discuss how much per hour the Toulouse 'chip plane' pays versus the Boeing 'cable plane', ( or the F-100), size of their houses, neighborhoods, cars or boats in a normal tone of voice in front of other people, etc. Some are just looking for an easy target, whether their suspicions are based on one's breath or not. Don't hand them any so-called "ammunition" for a secret weapon. You see, I have spotted several of our pilots on layovers here, merely by the way they walk and look around, even while they are by a nearby commercial avenue. After introducing myself, they are always surprised that they stand out. They can spot us easily in a pub, not just by hearing aviation lingo. Never mind recognizing the KLM crewmembers. Don't imagine that we can disguise ourselves with blue jeans and our dirty running shoes (dodging snakes) etc.
When people really are out to get us, it does not mean that we are paranoid.
Last edited by Ignition Override; 15th Aug 2002 at 06:53.