Cathay pilot 'sacked for Top Gun stunt'
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Firing the fleet captain, is this done to keep CX out of the heat because they might investigated? I find this all a bit odd. When you are a fleet captain with a good reputation, you well know what is allowed and what isn't. Firing the guy because the info was on internet seems odd, then why didn't they fire him upon arrival?
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The Lear pilot would have been Clay Lacy. A legend. If I had the tinyiest fraction of his capabilities I would be a so much better pilot than I am now. Dammit!
I've taken a Boeing out of PAE before but I was honestly more worried about local traffic from numerous airports in the area than looking good for a photo op.
These runway passes were traditional in years past on delivery and retirement flights but lately they seem to generate a lot of trouble for everyone. It's just not the good old days anymore I suppose.
"Negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full..."
Last edited by Airbubba; 26th Feb 2008 at 14:59.
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Cool
nicely flown. i would do the same thing given the chance. 
It is unfortunate that the insurers and bean counters are now controlling the skies. This job aint what it used to be.
It is unfortunate that the insurers and bean counters are now controlling the skies. This job aint what it used to be.
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One B777 $279,000,000 
One fired Capt $325,000
Having your Company aircraft on the front page of the Seattle Times, 700,000+ hits on on YouTube and mentioned in almost every publication online and in print:
PRICELESS!
One fired Capt $325,000
Having your Company aircraft on the front page of the Seattle Times, 700,000+ hits on on YouTube and mentioned in almost every publication online and in print:
PRICELESS!
Keeping Danny in Sandwiches
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Non revenue flight;
Private airfield;
Surely the chief pilot authorised himself.
Hong Kong CAA; get a life.
Cathay management; stand up for your pilots, I hardly think that the publicity did Cathay or aviation in general any damage. Just tell the CAA that the CHIEF Pilot authorised himself.
Fly pasts like that bring a joy to aviation, for gods sake we get that close to the ground twice a flight.
Private airfield;
Surely the chief pilot authorised himself.
Hong Kong CAA; get a life.
Cathay management; stand up for your pilots, I hardly think that the publicity did Cathay or aviation in general any damage. Just tell the CAA that the CHIEF Pilot authorised himself.
Fly pasts like that bring a joy to aviation, for gods sake we get that close to the ground twice a flight.
PPRuNe supporter
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Non revenue flight;
Private airfield;
Surely the chief pilot authorised himself.
Hong Kong CAA; get a life.
Cathay management; stand up for your pilots, I hardly think that the publicity did Cathay or aviation in general any damage. Just tell the CAA that the CHIEF Pilot authorised himself.
Private airfield;
Surely the chief pilot authorised himself.
Hong Kong CAA; get a life.
Cathay management; stand up for your pilots, I hardly think that the publicity did Cathay or aviation in general any damage. Just tell the CAA that the CHIEF Pilot authorised himself.
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I’ve been watching this whole thing from kick-off with mounting disbelief. I’m now sure that I’ve wandered into a parallel universe where a completely safe and slow speed fly-by, a bit of harmless fun handled by the Chief Pilot on a new aircraft pick-up, has resulted in him being fired. An airline where this sort of thing happens has BIG internal problems which will become very much external ----- one day. 
How do I get back to planet Earth. It’s bloody sickening here.
Dreamland, What 'stuff'?
How do I get back to planet Earth. It’s bloody sickening here.
Your winding us up right, I hope you don't actually operate in the states, you need a waiver to do that stuff.
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Snore......
What I find most disturbing from the armchair theoretical pilots is that they seem tho think that:
- Had it been pre-approved;
- Had the folks in the back revised their will;
THEN, the very same fly-by would have been SO MUCH safer!
Nothing bothers me more than someone who thinks not having permission is equal to "unsafe". Nothing scares me more than someone who thinks having permission is equal to "safe".
I guess the passengers will never be truly safe until they finally remove the pilots from the airplanes. Then the rules will never get broken... right?
Felix
- Had it been pre-approved;
- Had the folks in the back revised their will;
THEN, the very same fly-by would have been SO MUCH safer!
Nothing bothers me more than someone who thinks not having permission is equal to "unsafe". Nothing scares me more than someone who thinks having permission is equal to "safe".
I guess the passengers will never be truly safe until they finally remove the pilots from the airplanes. Then the rules will never get broken... right?
Felix
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Nice bit of flying but remember all the other aces who rolled and flew low with their aircraft did not have the internet to contend with. If you don't want to become a one day media celebrity with no job a little caution would be advised.
Pilots have been fair game for years so why set yourself up as a target in this high tech age of rolling news desperate for stories.
Been flying for 40 years and "Aviate don't Deviate" seems to be the best advice around.
AA
Pilots have been fair game for years so why set yourself up as a target in this high tech age of rolling news desperate for stories.
Been flying for 40 years and "Aviate don't Deviate" seems to be the best advice around.
AA
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Should I sit as pax one day in a plane in emergency, I would pray that the captain would be a capable one, and not only a "push button".
Good luck in your new life Captain.
Good luck in your new life Captain.
Curious but with this thread im just having a strange feeling of Deja-Vu..
And BTW....as someone wisely said before here, I'll bet if he had thought it was about to end his career, it would have been a lot lower than that..
Cheers Captain...Great Display
And BTW....as someone wisely said before here, I'll bet if he had thought it was about to end his career, it would have been a lot lower than that..
Cheers Captain...Great Display
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While respecting that much of this discussion is way above me, surely a decision to cross a picket line is a purely personal one and shouldn't be held against him? I could understand this if it was a strike regarding a safety-related issue, but in this case, presumably he strongly disagreed with the position taken by the union and chose to ignore it.
I imagine it would take a lot of soul-searching before any decision to cross a picket line could be made. Whether that decision is right or wrong is a completely different matter and can only be judged retrospectively.
As I said, I have no experience in union matters but is it still the case that a decision made decades ago can still be held against someone?
Cheers,
Dave.
Controversial, moi?
A friend of mine was an ace pilot and his performance in anything with wings was a joy to behold.
He's dead now. Killed doing an fast flypast. He misjudged it and killed himself and his passenger.
Ace pilot though and impressed everybody with his superior skill and ability to do things to impress people.
Great idea low flypasts, especially in an airliner with unsuspecting passengers. I bet the pilot is very skilled too. He certainly impressed people judging from the adulation expressed here. I am sure he never makes errors of judgement either, just like my friend didn't....well he only made one error.
He's dead now. Killed doing an fast flypast. He misjudged it and killed himself and his passenger.
Ace pilot though and impressed everybody with his superior skill and ability to do things to impress people.
Great idea low flypasts, especially in an airliner with unsuspecting passengers. I bet the pilot is very skilled too. He certainly impressed people judging from the adulation expressed here. I am sure he never makes errors of judgement either, just like my friend didn't....well he only made one error.
Low fly by
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Say again, over....rewriting of wills and increase in insurance coverage will not make the flight any safer but if Mr Murphy catches up with Mr Ego Ace, then it will save families of victims lots of grief.
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Ah, new aircraft, senior management pilot, low flyby, inappropriate company paperwork if any, unsuspecting passengers................ what reminds me of Habsheim 1988?
Insurance companies have better memories than I. I imagine that after Habsheim the clauses for insurance coverage of "display" manoeuvres might have changed somewhat.
It may well have been that the manoeuvre so lovingly recorded was uninsured. There may well have been a clause in the insurance policy saying what happens in that case. It is very unlikely to be a rebate.
Pilot vs. management is a simplistic take. In today's world, those with an influential stake in company behavior are far more than the employees alone. The management might well have had its hands tied or risk an explosion in expense.
PBL
Insurance companies have better memories than I. I imagine that after Habsheim the clauses for insurance coverage of "display" manoeuvres might have changed somewhat.
It may well have been that the manoeuvre so lovingly recorded was uninsured. There may well have been a clause in the insurance policy saying what happens in that case. It is very unlikely to be a rebate.
Pilot vs. management is a simplistic take. In today's world, those with an influential stake in company behavior are far more than the employees alone. The management might well have had its hands tied or risk an explosion in expense.
PBL
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I am not a pilot, but I have been a manager at for years. I do not understand the mentality to sac your lead person over something like this. He was obviously skilled enough to do this. If you have to discipline him, do so. But to publicly fire the guy makes no sense......unless there was prior history or he asked permission and it was denied, and he did it anyway. But from an overall safety perspective, I did not see that flyby as any more dangerous than most. I am more afraid of the message it sends to the rest of the troops and the morale issues it could cause.
If you want to see an unsafe flyby, the third aircraft in this flight seems to fit the bill. The only thing he doesn't do is close the gate as he leaves. And I bet he is out there somewhere flying passengers or freight right now.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJGVXpunZ_4
Patrick
If you want to see an unsafe flyby, the third aircraft in this flight seems to fit the bill. The only thing he doesn't do is close the gate as he leaves. And I bet he is out there somewhere flying passengers or freight right now.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJGVXpunZ_4
Patrick