Aeroflot says drunk pilot 'no big deal'

[OVERLORD_CHRIS]

[quote][quote]

[JBaymore]

[quote][quote][quote]

[Slotback]

And besides they have a point, after you put all the info into the Mission Computer, or what every civilian jets have, the plane will fly it self, while the pilot sucks down some fresh pure oxygen getting sober.

An aircraft may be on autopilot while in cruise, but that doesn't mean that flight crews don't have responsibilities. Alcohol affects judgment, it reduces attention, and slows reaction speed. There is a reason why you shouldn't drive while under the influence, and pilots drinking during, or prior to flying should not be tolerated.

If something were to happen mid-flight, wouldn't you want your flightcrew to be able to react accordingly?

Pilots have been flying drunk since the 60's, and Russian pilots have been notorious for this. But the guy was hung over, not plastered, from the night before. Pure Oxygen does wonders for your hang over, according to many pilots I know. It's not like they drink on the plane....as far as we know.

Aircraft are not pressurised with pure oxygen.

[expat]

And besides they have a point, after you put all the info into the Mission Computer, or what every civilian jets have, the plane will fly it self, while the pilot sucks down some fresh pure oxygen getting sober.

An aircraft may be on autopilot while in cruise, but that doesn't mean that flight crews don't have responsibilities. Alcohol affects judgment, it reduces attention, and slows reaction speed. There is a reason why you shouldn't drive while under the influence, and pilots drinking during, or prior to flying should not be tolerated.

If something were to happen mid-flight, wouldn't you want your flightcrew to be able to react accordingly?

Pilots have been flying drunk since the 60's, and Russian pilots have been notorious for this. But the guy was hung over, not plastered, from the night before. Pure Oxygen does wonders for your hang over, according to many pilots I know. It's not like they drink on the plane....as far as we know.

Aircraft are not pressurised with pure oxygen.

True, so just put on the O2 mask that is found in all cockpits and suck.

Matt (Who has poured a fast jet pilot or two into the cockpit (in his distant past) after a summer ball or two)

[Hagar]

And besides they have a point, after you put all the info into the Mission Computer, or what every civilian jets have, the plane will fly it self, while the pilot sucks down some fresh pure oxygen getting sober.

An aircraft may be on autopilot while in cruise, but that doesn't mean that flight crews don't have responsibilities. Alcohol affects judgment, it reduces attention, and slows reaction speed. There is a reason why you shouldn't drive while under the influence, and pilots drinking during, or prior to flying should not be tolerated.

If something were to happen mid-flight, wouldn't you want your flightcrew to be able to react accordingly?

Pilots have been flying drunk since the 60's, and Russian pilots have been notorious for this. But the guy was hung over, not plastered, from the night before. Pure Oxygen does wonders for your hang over, according to many pilots I know. It's not like they drink on the plane....as far as we know.

Aircraft are not pressurised with pure oxygen.

Aircraft are pressurised with compressed air. I don't think that's what Chris meant. Some pilots have been flying under the influence of alcohol since the early days. Whether you like it or not, flying & drinking have always gone hand in hand, especially with combat pilots on active duty. During WWII most of the BoB fighter pilots took off with a hangover & used a whiff of pure oxygen from their face mask to clear their heads. Nobody could blame them for that as they could be killed at any moment. This tradition carried over to the peacetime air forces & airlines after the war as the pilots that survived became senior officers & airline captains.

Regulations & detection methods are stricter now & it might not be so easily covered up. I'm not accusing all airline pilots of flying under the influence of drink or with hangovers by any means but please don't think that being an airline captain makes one a paragon of virtue.

[OVERLORD_CHRIS]

And besides they have a point, after you put all the info into the Mission Computer, or what every civilian jets have, the plane will fly it self, while the pilot sucks down some fresh pure oxygen getting sober.

An aircraft may be on autopilot while in cruise, but that doesn't mean that flight crews don't have responsibilities. Alcohol affects judgment, it reduces attention, and slows reaction speed. There is a reason why you shouldn't drive while under the influence, and pilots drinking during, or prior to flying should not be tolerated.

If something were to happen mid-flight, wouldn't you want your flightcrew to be able to react accordingly?

Pilots have been flying drunk since the 60's, and Russian pilots have been notorious for this. But the guy was hung over, not plastered, from the night before. Pure Oxygen does wonders for your hang over, according to many pilots I know. It's not like they drink on the plane....as far as we know.

Aircraft are not pressurised with pure oxygen.

Aircraft are pressurized with compressed air. I don't think that's what Chris meant. Some pilots have been flying under the influence of alcohol since the early days. Whether you like it or not, flying & drinking have always gone hand in hand, especially with combat pilots on active duty. During WWII most of the BoB fighter pilots took off with a hangover & used a whiff of pure oxygen from their face mask to clear their heads. Nobody could blame them for that as they could be killed at any moment. This tradition carried over to the peacetime air forces & airlines after the war as the pilots that survived became senior officers & airline captains.

Regulations & detection methods are stricter now & it might not be so easily covered up. I'm not accusing all airline pilots of flying under the influence of drink or with hangovers by any means but please don't think that being an airline captain makes one a paragon of virtue.

That is exactly what I meant: Mask and bottles have pure oxygen, helps get rid of hang over.

And Back in the day you had to be crazy to get into plane with JP-4 and fly it, that's why a lot of pilots drank to calm the nerves or ease them selves.  

Was it right? NO!
Does it still happen? YES!

Would I fly on the plane? Yes! I'm sitting in the back drinking, the pilot(s) are sitting up front sobering up.

The last time a 100% no drinking pilot had issues, they had to make and emergency landing because he the co pilot went crazy and started talking to him self, and was unresponsive to the AC, the flight attendants had to pry him out the cabin and restrain him in a seat.