Comedian captain makes a come-back

[Nicholas49]

Incredible! Does anyone remember the comedic GB Airways captain whose stand-up routine-cum-pre-flight announcement (as broadcast on YouTube) caused quite a stir on the Flight Deck forum of this website?

Well, check this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f19kP9LRnvY) out. Looks like he's had another opportunity :)

[Capetonian]

Wonderful. Another reason to fly Orange! An airline that employs a guy like this and allows him to do this gets my vote and money.

[aviatordom]

I had a feeling it would be this Captain just by looking at the title of this thread!

Fantastic stuff, must relieve stress and encourage a good mood for pax and obviously he encourages them to wake up and pay attention to the safety demo

However, I must ask, why did this captain cause a stir?

[Nicholas49]

Because some don't consider his extroverted style to be "professional" :)

Have a search and you'll maybe find the old thread...

[Alsacienne]

Wonderful. That's how it SHOULD be done.

[LogieBear]

Wonderful! Reminds me of flying with Southwest Airlines a few years ago. The First Officer welcomed all aboard with 'Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard this flight to LAX. We have on board today a 93 year old gentleman who is flying with us for the first time.' (Loud cheers) Please welcome aboard your Captain......! On arrival, the Captain announced, ' Welcome to LAX and hope that you have had an enjoyable flight with Southwest Airlines. If you have not, thank you for flying Delta'! Good humour which PAX appreciate and very professional too.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Who was the BEA Captain who flew in the Scottish islands years ago and used to dance up the isle playing a flute?

[Talkdownman]

Captain Welford?

[olivermbs]

Certainly gets the passengers attention, thumbs up from me :ok:

[onetrack]

As me old Sgt used to say... "there's one in every troop!!" :suspect:

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Captain Welford?

Yep, that rings a bell. Thanks M. Apparently the opposite from "laughing-boy Carter" who I was warned about when I started at LL!

Trying to think of the 1-11 Captain who was always so cheerful. First words on Approach were always "Morning all".. Could be Captain French??

[Boss Raptor]

that sort of staff/customer interaction is absolutely prices both in commercial terms and in staff pastoral terms...I thought this 'how the industry used to be' had long gone...I am more than happy to see it continues a least with this Captain...

I have an ex Big Airline Captain very similar who gets bored and comes out to help with the tea/coffee service (clearly not on a UK acft), also helps clean the plane, prepare the cabin etc.

PS. If this guy is ever out of work he can call me anyday... :)

[Rob Courtney]

One of the best Ive heard to date
YouTube - Funny pre-flight announcement (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCX2JjqLOGk&feature=related)

[ACARS]

Once on a SN flight out of BRU the captain came on as he advanced the throttles and said "Let's go". Made a few SLF laugh.

[Economics101]

On a Ryanair flight out of Dublin to Stansted a few years ago, as we entered to runway, a distinctly South Afrocan voice from the cockpit over the PA: "Cabin crew, prepare for blast-off".

Take-off seemed quite normal to me.

[Mr A Tis]

Heathrow director, yes the BA/ BEA 1-11 skipper was Capt Alfie French, always chirpy every day a pleasure to listen to. Never got to fly with him though :-(

Monarch used to have a 757 Capt who on lining up, used to do a PA " This is it boys & girls, here we go"

There was also a Britannia cc who used to say on the life jacket demo that there was a light to attract sailors.

Happy days, before flying got boring.

[simonchowder]

Actually id rather the bloke in command concentrated on doing what he is paid to do and not prat about playing the court jester , i wouldnt expect the guy driving my train or bus to do a double act so why the guy in command of the aircraft?, some may feel flattered the captain is trying to entertain them ,not me im afraid id rather he spent any spare time he has preparing for the task in hand.

[Mr A Tis]

He / she is NOT trying to entertain you, they are trying to get yr attention in a positive way. :ugh::ugh:

[compton3bravo]

Oh you miserable git simonchowder, cheer up life is too short.
I remember coming back from a jolly to the Open Golf at Troon on a BA B737 to Gatwick from Prestwick and the senior cabin crew welcomed us all back to Gatwick the gateway to historic Crawley!

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

It's probably just as well some pax don't see what goes on "behind the scenes" with aircrew or air traffic controllers! It's perfectly possible to have a great deal of fun, if you have a good sense of humour, and do a very professional job.

[Bealzebub]

I am not sure this is going to find much of a receptive audience on a "spotters" forum, but at the risk of being a "party pooper" Simon does have a very valid point.

The opening youtube clip, is without doubt quite amusing, attentive and well delivered. From a professional pilots viewpoint, my first thought was "where does he find the time to do this?" Normally, by the time the last passengers have boarded we are becoming time critical on the departure slot, it is hard enough to get a decent "welcome aboard" P.A done, never mind doing a stand up routine at the front of the cabin.

Without doubt humour is a tool to be used carefully and advisedly. There are times when it has a place and times when it most definitely doesn't. Similarly there are those that are skilled in its use, bearing in mind the previous sentence, and those who are not. Given the subjectivity of both the performer and the audience recipient, it is usually best reserved for those occaisions where it is appropriate and likely to be well received.

Whilst "everybody loves the maverick," the truth is that most of the functions of an airline crew are either laid down by statutory obligation, and or are required to follow a standard operating format. As boring as that might appear, it is done for a whole host of safety related reasons. The professional approach may tread the middle ground, but the passenger who has just been bumped from an earlier flight, not got his requested seat, and generally feels mishandled, is unlikely to appreciate the flight crew extending their own personal brand of humour.

Going back to my safety related reasons. The pre-flight period isn't a vacuous gap waiting for time to push back. It is a time for the crew to make various preparations and checks / cross checks prior to departure. For the Captain it is a time when clearances are being obtained, calculations are being done, bugs are being set, briefings need to be done and understood, charts and plates extracted and checked etc. etc. Mistakes do get made and the raison d'etre for you both being there is that they are picked up and corrected. None of that is happening effectively whilst one or other is giving a stand up routine in the cabin.

Then there is the (albeit rare) possibility of a serious incident occuring where investigators, managers, lawyers, regulators et al. sit and carefully dissect the communications and procedures that were employed by the crew prior to the event. In those circumstances the professionalism and accuracy as well as adherance to standard and emergency procedures is what will matter. "humour" in these situations will become very unfunny indeed.

I recall some years ago a European 767 that hit a radio mast after taking off from a Venezuelan airport. Fortunetaly and despite severe damage, the aircraft returned to the departure airport with no injuries to the crew or passengers. Some of the passenger statements collected by the accident investigators drew reference to what a a "good guy" the Captain was, as he had been singing and dancing on the bar at their hotel the night before. Presumably that had no bearing on the accident, but you begin to see the problem.

The job is a professional job. Captains will use their own skill and judgment to ensure that all the requirements of their job are satisfied to the best of their ability. They will also be aware that other people look to them for leadership, reassurance, and example. Different people will employ different methods of achieving this and those methods may in themselves be subject to modification as time evolves or as a situation warrants. Some people have a skill or attribute that makes them uniquely good at an aspect of the job, and as perhaps in this case that is one that they occaisionally choose to employ. However it is a completely wrong perception to assume that the absence of maverick or unusual behaviour shows lack of professionalism or due diligence in the vast majority of pilots or crew.

[mmitch]

Judging by his opening comments he was flying passengers home who had been held up by the 'Ash cloud' Perhaps he was using his skill to calm down any irritated people and fill in a time delay?
mmitch

[Bealzebub]

Yes, perhaps he was.

[samaviation]

Great video, every pilot is different, for some if they weren't making a funny joke you would know that something is wrong. :ok:

[smudgethecat]

Reminds of a time i was sat on the flight deck during a turnround chatting to the crew and the capt was giving us the full low down on some hostie he had nailed when there was suddenly a frantic hammering on the flight deck door it turned he had inadvertantly left his radio switched to PA , the crew said the had never seen the paxs so attentive during a capts brief, ...priceless !

[Capetonian]

I was once on a LH 747 out of DFW and there was a severe storm with icing. DFW does not have a huge capacity for de-icing due to the rarity of the event, so there was a significant delay. The Captain's announcements were entertaining, informative, and useful and seemed to be appreciated, judging by the applause he received, by the entire aircraft, including the business class cabin where I was seated.

Bealzebub has made some very valid points, and whilst I appreciate that there are few things more critical than the safety of an aircraft and its passengers, there can still be a place for humour.

[Nicholas49]

As the original poster, I wanted to take the opportunity to reply. Bealzebub, following your comments I have the confidence to express my true opinion on this. (Without the fear of being castigated).

If I had been on that flight, I would not have appreciated his routine. Clearly, the circumstances of the flight were somewhat unique. I assume that the aircraft, crew and most passengers on board had been stranded for up to a week and this was the first opportunity to come home. So it was not a "normal" flight. I imagine this is why he was not working to a 25-minute turnaround and had time for the stand-up routine.

That said, it would not have made me laugh. It would not have instilled confidence in me. If anything, it would make me think: we have an ego here.

I certainly hope the First Officer received more professional treatment on the Flight Deck. Again, it is a personal opinion, but I do not think it is particularly clever to make a colleague, a professional pilot, the butt of your joke.

Joking about the destination and patronising passengers (I am fairly sure that some DO watch the safety demonstration actually) etc. is not wise and only serves to undermines one's authority (at least among the more savvy passengers), As Bealzebub says, there are safety implications.

I have flown many times on easyJet. I think they are a great airline. I have heard and appreciated dry, funny comments from several captains, but this one, for me, goes too far.

Nick

[One Outsider]

The crew did not look particularly amused either.

[redsnail]

I fly professionally and passenger a lot.

Knowing when to use humour to get a message across is very useful.

The type of passenger you have, what the purpose of the flight is and so on.
I suspect that he's diffused what could be a very stressy time for the FAs and for the pax. They had probably been hit with a CTOT that was causing more delays. Pax may (and probably were) quite nervous about flying at that time with the so called ash cloud wreaking havoc.
The FAs have probably been on the receiving end of some abuse too. It's not uncommon.

As for making people watch the Safety brief? Good on him. I don't know what life jackets are fitted to the old GB airways fleet. I am familiar with the A319 fleet and they are different to the B737. (Yes, some Boeings are still being used by easyJet in Luton)

Using his FO for a "laugh", well, that's maybe a dodgy one but we don't know their crew dynamics on that day.

This captain clearly loves his job, uses humour to good effect and gets (most of) the passengers "on side".
Well done. :D

[Chrisbowe82]

I'll always remember coming home from ACE a few years back on a TCX 757, sat there at the holding point with a captain clearly happy to be going home for the evening, keeping us all amused with his dismay at the lack of nudists on the beach at that time of the day.

Later on he comes back on the PA to point out the sunset to the left and says "When I was at school I painted a picture just like that sunset. Art teacher said it was over the top and you'd never see a sunset like that. I'd love to him to be onboard now just to prove him wrong! Ha" Very random but gave me a laugh, nonetheless.

Followed it all up by likening a bit of rough air over France to running traffic wardens over... did say he was going on holiday in the morning though during taxi in. Was definitely in the holiday spirit!

[clunckdriver]

Just what one needs deadheading home after a brutal day, some bloody clown yacking away on the PA, it might come as a suprise to some but most pax want to be left in peace and quiet, to sleep/read/catch up on work, or do any of a hundred things other than have this stuff forced upon them, after all they are a captive audience and cant just leave! I know of at least one charter outfit who no longer D/H crews on Westjet for this very reason, hate to be the party pooper but survey after survey confirms these feeling to be those of the majority.

[smudgethecat]

Quite agree, if i want to listen to a bloody comedian on a flight i will listen to the big yin on my i pod, the guy in charge should stick to what he is paid to do, ie fly the aircraft, as for people on here being hugely impressed by the capt saying over the PA "this is it boys and girls here we go" .. ffs get a grip.

[Linerider]

There is a place for some charisma when dealing with passengers, but this announcement was not it. You have to remember in this job that public perception is very important. If you behave like a clown in the cabin, the passengers will assume you behave the same way in the flight deck.

How would you feel if you went to hospital and the doctor came in the room larking around and generally playing the fool. It doesn't inspire confidence does it.

Look at the body language of the cabin crew, they are obviously very embarrased by the Captain's performance.

Some of the passengers laughed - that doesn't mean the Captain inspired trust in them. They just thought he was funny.

[Wycombe]

Only a few days ago I was "entertained" onboard the VS20 whilst taxying out at SFO by the Capt (name recalled, but withheld) assuring us that he was joined in the Flight Deck by Brigadier ...... and Field Marshall ....made me chuckle anyway.

Funniest I've had have been with 216 Sqn RAF, but at least one should probably not be broadcast here (and won't mean anything unless you've been to the South Atlantic anyway!)

[learjet50]

Captains P/A

For god sake you lot get a life there are comics/clowns in all sorts of jobs.

We have quite a few in Westminster

Get a life and enjoy things they dont happen very often in life now a days

would you prefer the Crew to be like u lot (Boaring and miserable)


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