More Virgin Woes
 

This is in the "could happen to anyone " category but it looks like DAMP testing might possibly put an end to celebrating anything on an overnight.

Virgin pilot found over the limit before commercial flight loses appeal

Gone are the days of 8 hours BTT.

Not not really. It has always been the case that the "eight hour rule" did not allow one to be "seriously smashed" and expect to fly eight hours later.

CIVIL AVIATION REGULATIONS 1988 - REG 256

Intoxicated persons not to act as pilots etc or be carried on aircraft
(1) A person shall not, while in a state of intoxication, enter any aircraft.

Penalty: 5 penalty units.

(2) A person acting as a member of the operating crew of an aircraft, or carried in the aircraft to act as a member of the operating crew, shall not, while so acting or carried, be in a state in which, by reason of his or her having consumed, used, or absorbed any alcoholic liquor, drug, pharmaceutical or medicinal preparation or other substance, his or her capacity so to act is impaired.

Penalty: 50 penalty units.

(3) A person shall not act as, or perform any duties or functions preparatory to acting as, a member of the operating crew of an aircraft if the person has, during the period of 8 hours immediately preceding the departure of the aircraft consumed any alcoholic liquor.

Penalty: 50 penalty units.

Clearly the media reporting must be taken with the usual SAXA iodised shaker, but it was reported that he had lost his job and would not be working for Virgin ever again.

I thought one part of the DAMP framework was to offer counselling and opportunity for treatment and subsequent recovery? Why did this not apply?

Only if you're female, or possibly from a disadvantaged ethnic group.

White male Anglo Saxons are burnt at the stake.

Desevedly so IMHO, but it should be the same result regardless of who you are.

Everyone knows the rules, He did have a lot to drink for someone that had an 8am sign on. The skies are better for it.


"The pilot would give evidence that he'd had two vodka, lime and sodas, shared a bottle of red wine, and another three glasses of wine, before going to bed at 10pm the night before".

Agreed and yes the pilot deserved disiplanery action taken against him.

How may of us have participated in this behaviour in the past? This could happen to any of us - for those who drink.

The media spin this **** up for all the wrong reasons.

The punishment is certainly very excessive IMHO, it does absolutely nothing for the pilot's recovery. With the recent accidents involving pilots with mental health issues, it's high time that this knee jurk behaviour by operators and the non aviation savy legal eagles get their priorities in order to fix the problem, not take the blame game response! Very unprofessional and childish.

The pilot is flying again with another airline.

He was busted by CASA according to the article, which I would imagine means you are gone.

Interesting that the judge has ruled that they consider the Breathalyzer to be infallible as opposed to the Police who have to put you on a spectrometer to get a conviction.

I would suggest that if you got done over the limit you would have to get a blood test done ASAP to have any way of getting out of it.

I sure hope they don't take the same line with the drug testing as that one has been proven to be not as reliable.

That's why I have bought a breathalyser.

I don't have a drink on every overnight. But every now and then the mood strikes me for one. I always have best intentions and don't set out to get blotto but you just never know.

The breathalyser is my insurance policy.

Unless you have the calibration checked regularly, I wouldn't be totally relying on it.

The more expensive breathalysers are pretty accurate. I've got one I leave in the car and if I'm ever near 0.05 I simply won't drive.

The amount of people I see getting into their cars after a few to many drinks these days staggers me.

Home-use breathalysers used to be fairly inaccurate but it looks like some models may now have accuracy levels approaching that used by DAMP testers and police. Might be some pretty cheap assurance?

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/bes...-breathalyzer/

There is no way you can self-assess BAC which is why most pilots just used the 8 hour rule in the days before DAMP testing. I would guess thats what the Virgin pilot did. The fact that he is now working for another airline demonstrates that CASA don't just take your license away and that Virgin were a bit harsh IMHO. As I said it could happen to anyone except if you didn't have anything to drink at all on an overnight which would seem to be the only guarantee that you had zero BAC. For those who do like to have a drink then at least the home-use breathalysers are some form of mitigation.

The story of one man who plumbed the depths and rediscovered himself, with the help of a management you probably won't find today.

Home

He has a post on Pprune about the event.

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/2...-pilots-3.html

Megan ...it is great reading for sure,his honesty and account are truly worth reading.....met lyle whilst riding his Jumpseat .....a true gentlemen in the cockpit as well