Last of The Real Fly Boys

Keith Hardy · 02-26-08, 04:53 PM

In this world of political correctness I totally take my hat off to this guy, the most senior Cathay Pacific Pilot who got fired for this stunt that had the applause of the CP directors, that is until the FAA (or whatever the Authority is called) found out about it...

I must have been an amazing wheels up spectacle..

Salut!

YouTube - Cathay Pacific Very Low Flyby of 777-300ER

Ron Earp · 02-27-08, 11:39 AM

Ooops. That cost him.

Airline pilot fired for buzzing Washington airfield - CNN.com

David Morton · 02-27-08, 12:13 PM

Yes - He's probably on the 'A' list so at least about $1/2 million per year and the retirement provident fund he'd planned on. Plus his boat being built in Taiwan with the helideck wont be paid for now. And - probably won't get any bj's for a while. Not such a smart arse really.

Ron Earp · 02-27-08, 03:52 PM

Looks like it is Class B down to 1100 or 1800 ft where is was...he was under 1100 ft for sure, I guess he wasn't granted any free-flight VFR huh?

SkyVector.com - Aeronautical Charts - Flight Planning

Freewheel · 02-27-08, 05:36 PM

Reminds me of the 2 most dangerous words in aviation;

"Watch this".

Impromptu flying displays are a major hazard, by nature less well thought out than planned and approved displays. It's only a matter of time before coming to grief from this sort of thing.

Classic rogue behaviour, particularly among senior staff, who juniors will admire and emulate. No surprise it brought dismissal - a much happier result than what would been inevitable had it gone unpunished.

Display flying carries greater risk than regular flying, but consider and mitigate the risks with proper planning - we have rollcages and wear helmets in our race cars don't we?

Dave Bilyk · 02-28-08, 07:54 AM

Freewheel, some good points in there, but it was awesome too.

Dave M, "probably won't get any bj's for a while" ??? what? from the stewardesses? I wasn't aware of this pilots perk

Im definitely in the wrong job

Keith Hardy · 02-28-08, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolodymyr

Freewheel, some good points in there, but it was awesome too.

Dave M, "probably won't get any bj's for a while" ??? what? from the stewardesses? I wasn't aware of this pilots perk

Im definitely in the wrong job

At least not while he is attempting a low fly past anyway....

David Morton · 02-28-08, 08:50 AM

Perhaps I should explain my previous. About 1/3 of ex-pat Pilots who leave the UK already married end up in the divorce courts. It's a bit stupid in a way because the salary that gets divided 50/50 is the bigger, overseas tax avoiding one. The said guy goes on the remarry a locally based 'hostie'. For them, the locals, its still a sort of big money thing - sod all to do with 4 rings on the sleeve. Them that don't fall into the trouser snake trap and keep their first, or the wife they left the UK with, often buy these huge 'sunseeker' type boats made locally in Taiwan and at the end of their time in HK sail off into the sunset. Well, not quite true, they sail back into the Med via Suez and deliver the boat to a new owner, having sold it before they leave HK.
Senior Pilots in Cathay and Dragonair are invariably on the A pay scale, which was the only pay scale until a reduced payscale was brought in for newly hired pilots and was called the B scale. I think there is a C scale now as well.
Bj's (aka sexual entrapment) are a hazard of long haul flying in the far east. I suppose it goes with the territory. Berlin was a very similar situation to HK - before 'glasnost' and the wall came down.
If a pilot can afford to throw it all away like this guy did, he must have a load of dosh already saved up but I very much doubt it.
I imagine he was ex Royal Navy. Little or no brains to think it through.

Pete. · 02-28-08, 05:00 PM

Quick David take cover, I see a gunboat on the horizon.

Doug Clark · 02-28-08, 11:07 PM

I though buzzing the field when taking delivery of a plane was compulsory?

During my time at Dunsfold it certainly seemed that way.

Rick Muck- Mark IV · 02-29-08, 06:37 AM

Perhaps he was upset as they had cut his necktie?

BenL · 03-04-08, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark IV

Perhaps he was upset as they had cut his necktie?

Is there a tradition of cutting the necktie to mark an occasion? Last year I was watching something on NASA TV and I noticed someone in the background getting their tie cut.