Houston Pilot Suspended For Slurs, Swearing Over Air Traffic Radio

[japanam]

Well, I think this link speaks for itself...........

Houston Pilot Suspended For Slurs, Swearing Over Air Traffic Radio - Houston News Story - KPRC Houston (http://www.click2houston.com/news/28313662/detail.html)

[PT6A]

Maybe it was the Southwest uniform shorts that got this guy fired up! They only look good on a few........
:}

[weasil]

I just listened to the recording and all I can say is ... :mad:

Here's a transcript...

Air Traffic Controller - (ATC) "United 242, you (center up)"

(Stuck microphone begins) Southwest Pilot: "Well, I had Tucson to Indy all four weeks and, uh, Chicago crews…11 out of 12 …there’s 12 flight attendants, individual, never the same flight attendant twice.

"Eleven (expletive) over the top (expletive), (expletive) homosexuals and a granny." (silence)

"Eleven. I mean, think of the odds of that. I thought I was in Chicago, which was party-land."

(Possible attempt to interrupt by ATC)

Southwest Pilot: "After that, it was just a continuous stream of gays and grannies and grandes…" (off mic from his copilot - inaudible)

Pilot answers: "Well I don’t give a (expletive). I hate 100 percent of their (expletive)."

"So, six months, I went to the bar three times. In six months, three times." (Another possible attempt to interrupt by ATC)

"Once with the granny and the (slur against gay people), and I wish I hadn’t gone."

"At the very end with two girls, one of them that was part do-able, but we ended up going to the bar and then to the crew at St. Louis, and all these two women wanted to do was, one wanted to berate her sister and the other wanted to bitch about her husband."

"Literally, for three hours, me and the F.O. (First officer). When that was done, got back to my room, I’m like why the (expletive) did I stay up?"

ATC: "OK, whoever is, uh, transmitting, better watch what you’re saying."

(Tones beeping)

Southwest Pilot continues: "They’re still both (inaudible), you know what I mean? I still wouldn’t want anyone to know if I had banged them."

(Tones beeping)

"So, I mean it was a complete disaster for six months."

"Now I’m back in Houston, which is easily where the ugliest base is. I mean it’s all these (expletive) old dudes and grannies and there’s like maybe a handful of cute chicks."

ATC: "OK, someone’s got a stuck mic and, uh, telling us all about their endeavors. We don’t need to hear that."

(Stuck microphone episode ends)

(Silence)

(Five seconds later, other commercial pilots check in with controllers)

"Uh, Houston, Skywest 6285, we're (gives numbers for his heading) ...and that was not us."

ATC: (Chuckles) "Skywest 6285, Houston Center: Roger, Climb and maintain flight level 360."

Skywest pilot: "360, Skywest 6285….And they wonder why airline pilots have a bad reputation."

(ATC calls another plane with instructions.)

(Aircraft answers)

ATC: "Number 7 Hotel Bravo: (gives instructions) Final 240."

Aircraft answers "7 Hotel Bravo.....And it wasn’t us either." (beeping times 2)

ATC: 'Roger, I didn’t think that was you." (Recording ends)

[fernytickles]

Wow!

I wonder how the mic got to be stuck?

[SassyPilotsWife]

Inflated ego perhaps ?

I see that they complained about grannies but not trannies :)

Wonder if his soon to be X wife and house are located in a community property state :) :ugh:

[RWEDAREYET]

Hopefully he isn't married.....but regardless....if he does keep his job and the F/A's find out his name.....he might as well find a new career....not going to be a friendly work environment.....

[lambourne]

Southwest Pilot In Cockpit Rant Identified - Video - KPRC Houston (http://www.click2houston.com/video/28351945/index.html)


Would appear this fella has a wife and lives in a neighborhood called "Pilot Knob Estates":D:cool::eek: This is almost as good as a guy named "Weiner" emailing pictures of his own....

Have to wonder how his quality of life will be now that he has been outed by his fellow employees. Also, the Southwest folks appear to be trying to throw dirt over the decision to only suspend him.

[175Ranger]

He's a very good guy and hasn't said anything I haven't heard from the FAs themselves, only they're much more brutal. He screwed up, admitted it, was disciplined and has tried to move on. Reporters tried to make it more than it was and showed up at his home. Pretty much fallen off the public plate.

The transcript was obtained by the station via a FOIA of the FAA. Who told them to ask for the transcript is a mystery and IMHO very poultry poop. While pilots are very competitive by nature I would hope when it became personal we would stop piling on. Maybe I'm still looking for Nirvana after 28 years of flying.

[japanam]

@175Ranger

If you say this Captain is a good guy, I for one will take your word for it. I really don't think anyone here is trying to "pile on" per se; although there is something to be said about "professionalism", it could have happened to any of us. (Knock on wood).

Anyways, it was a story I found on the net and thought it was something to share on this forum.

One more thing on my mind; just because a percentage FAs may make similar comments, or even worse, that still doesn't give us the right to do the same does it?

[737-NG]

Hope that was not a break of the sterile cockpit rule though that could be the worse!

[175Ranger]

The Piling on wasn't necessarily on this thread but I've read several others that have been very "holier than thou" about this and continue to beat a dead horse.
It was not below 10k'. IMHO, the Flight Attendants' Union (TWU556, I think) has opened themselves up to a lawsuit for their president's activities in the persecution of this pilot, and I think there is a law firm which agrees with me.

[Blueskiesforevermann]

..........

[MungoP]

This guy has every right to voice his opinion.. check out the first amendment.. whether others agree or disagree with his views is totally irrelevant. The stuck mike was a piece of faulty technical equipment and not his responsibility. If his career suffers in any way I would hope that he would find a lawyer who would take on the company, the FAA and any union deemed responsible for any fiscal loss.

[weasil]

they should be roasting the person who leaked the recording...

The Texas news program that first broadcast this story stated that they obtained the recording directly from the FAA by filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
You should know though that most ATC frequencies in the US and the recordings of them, are available on the internet. Do a google search and you will quickly realise why we should always watch what we say on the radio or in the flightdeck (just in case of stuck mic).

[DownIn3Green]

Same thing happened to me once when I was an ATC'er...On relief plugged in and didn't realize my hot mike was on...

It can happen to anyone....

[westhawk]

Better treat every cockpit (or more politically correct flightdeck if you must!) conversation as though it were being actively monitored. It very well could be. Even without a stuck mic, your conversations still might be less private than you think. Not much of a technological challenge at all, given the capabilities of devices already installed in modern aircraft. Digitizing audio and storing it becomes cheaper and easier every year that goes by

Surveillance of the workplace (and everywhere else) seems to be observably more prevalent as time goes on. Ironically enough, the common justification for such action seems to be for the "protection" of the very people whose privacy rights erode daily.

All that said, it's only out there as the result of his own error. (and some busybody who leaked the audio!) The beeping on the audio may have been the stuck mic warning tone the radio generates when it's been transmitting for more than a specific time (30 seconds in many aviation radios.) In any case, he has nobody but himself to blame for any embarrassment he might suffer.

This WN pilot might seem a "good guy" to his companions, but quite likely sounds more like a loudmouthed frat-boy lout to those who don't know him so intimately. Even if I might agree in principle with his assessment of SWA FAs, I am still sorry to have had the dubious priviledge of hearing his rant, especially in a public forum. Though not a safety concern like drunk pilots, it's still not a great boost for the image of the profession. Unfortunately for him, public exposure will almost surely assure that his punishment will far outweigh the seriousness of his misdemeanor.

[Badgeman]

This is a good commentary on this situation.

Pilot Rant Against Gays Older Women and Fat Flight Attenants Defended.wmv - YouTube