Skywest crew caught drinking, not thinking

Nick said:
This is one thing that I don't understand most of the time.

If it's for the purposes of dodging the usual aviation questions, I get it. Saying plumber or trucker is kind of like changing out of uniform on a deadhead flight. Just blend in and you won't hear "what's your route??"

But if I'm down at the hotel restaurant having dinner and a glass of wine or two and some damsel walks in and plops down at the table across from me and after a few minutes, asks, "what brings you here?" No offense to the people that make it their trade, but I am not telling her I am a plumber.

I suppose that's also the potentially skewed view of an unattached person.
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Why not? You do facilitate in the free motion of fluids in and around metallic tubes
 
IM SAFE should be applied, as should the rule of thumb about being in a condition to pass your medical when you board the A/C.
 
SpiraMirabilis said:
Because some companies put them in the same binder before or after the GOM doesn't make this so. In fact it is not.
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The first part I know is true. I can't say for certain that the specs are part of the GOM, thats just what I was told by our POI, which doesn't really mean a whole lot.
 
If you've ever been to Bemidji (I lived there 2 years when I went to grad school) in February, and it's a balmy -30 F outside, drinking is a good way to kill time.
 
Shiftace said:
If you've ever been to Bemidji (I lived there 2 years when I went to grad school) in February, and it's a balmy -30 F outside, drinking is a good way to kill time.
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So is knitting. One has the potential to get you fired from your job and one has the potential to put your man card in jeopardy. I personally know which one I'd choose.

Somebody touched on this before, but there are a TON of alcoholics in this industry. I'm not saying either of the crewmembers in this case were (I don't know them personally so I have no idea) but I've flown with a lot of guys (and gals) who are. When drinking becomes an out for dealing with boredom, you know you've got a problem.
 
BobDDuck said:
So is knitting. One has the potential to get you fired from your job and one has the potential to put your man card in jeopardy. I personally know which one I'd choose.

Somebody touched on this before, but there are a TON of alcoholics in this industry. I'm not saying either of the crewmembers in this case were (I don't know them personally so I have no idea) but I've flown with a lot of guys (and gals) who are. When drinking becomes an out for dealing with boredom, you know you've got a problem.
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And I think that kind of like the saying where "aviation won't end a marriage but it will end a bad one quicker", I think that of course a flying schedule with layovers away from home would never cause alcoholism in anyone however it would make it a lot easier for someone with a tendency for alcohol dependence to head down that road vs. if they had a more traditional schedule of a M-F/9-5 job.
 
Bumblebee said:
keep in the undisclosed bag....that one reason to be FFDO.
or your leatherman...jus'sayin'
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Eh. That's totally the wrong reason for being in the program and I think it's a damn shame that so many guys signed up for it just for that benefit.

I digress though.
 
BobDDuck said:
When drinking becomes an out for dealing with boredom, you know you've got a problem.
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When drinking becomes an "out" for dealing with ANYTHING... you know you've got a problem.

There is NOTHING wrong with having a few drinks now & then (provided you don't show up to work with it in your system) but if you find yourself NEEDING a drink to "relax" or NEEDING a drink because you've had a "bad day" then you need help. Your brain is becoming reliant on the chemical process going on when you drink and it will not get better unless you make the effort to stop the habit.
 
Yes it was at my previous company. Chapter 7.

Most companies won't give you exact copies of what they've sent through the FAA for approval.
 
A few things need to be clarified in this thread.

With drug and alcohol incidents companies have A LOT of latitude on how to handle them. If one is fired for a drug/alcohol incident, so long as the testing was done properly, no arbitrator is going to overturn what the company does. Even though he was in the .02 to .04 range, it quite frankly, doesn't matter. Skywest or ANY company union or nonunion can do as they please with this pilot. You guys can argue what the FOM says or doesn't say, if the FOM is regulatory (it is BTW), etc. The bottom line here is he blew a .035 and Skywest can do as they please.

With that said, companies who have HIMS programs that allow for the rehabilitation Pilots who have alcoholism, give an avenue for Pilots to recover from their disease and work in the program to cure themselves. Pilots who go through the HIMS program come out as model professionals and are model employees once they recover from their 'bottom'. It is very easy for companies to fire pilots for their transgressions due to their disease, but the companies who allow remorse from their employees who make mistakes due to their disease, accept rehabilitation through the HIMS program, and accept the employee back once cured are the companies we should all want to work for. If a pilot does not accept that they have a problem, yes this Skywest Pilot in this incident does have a problem, or they can't get through the program, then the companies hands are tied and they need to let the individual go.

Finally, the union will not 'save' a pilots job if they have an incident like this. I know Skywest is non unionized, but even if they were, their union through a HIMS Program mentor would just lay out the facts the pilot, explain what the HIMS program is, and tell the pilot the only way to for the INDIVIDUAL to possibly be reinstated in his job is to go through the HIMS program. The HIMS program is incredibly difficult to get through and is a complete lifestyle change for those that go through it.

I hope Skywest has a HIMS program and they allow this pilot to be rehabilitated from his disease, that this pilot accepts his problem, and he is able to seek treatment and protect his future.

One more thing, be nice to van drivers (tip them) and hotel staff. If we as flight crew members are more approachable and amicable to the hotel staff they can help keep these types of incidents out of the news. For example, if the hotel staff told the Captain that they saw the Flight Attendant and First Officer drinking less than 8 hours to show time, or the First Officer had 20 beers from noon to 7 PM, etc., the Captain can approach the crew members to keep them at the hotel, and then he can start the conversation with the First Officer about the HIMS Program. However, if hotel staff views us as arrogant Aholes, then they may just go to the authorities.
 
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