Pilot refuses full body scan loses job

[Scout26]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/politics-15749652/pilot-refuses-full-body-scan-22579959

I have a friend who's a pilot for Murecan Airlines. 

He tells of when asked by the TSA drones to remove his shoes, he asked; "Why?" 

Answer:  "We have to make sure you won't hijack the plane." 

[Jamisjockey]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/politics-15749652/pilot-refuses-full-body-scan-22579959

I have a friend who's a pilot for Murecan Airlines. 

He tells of when asked by the TSA drones to remove his shoes, he asked; "Why?" 

Answer:  "We have to make sure you won't hijack the plane." 

Ah, yes....the zero tolerance generation.....

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

his choice  his consequences

tough job market

[Viking]

Ah, yes....the zero tolerance generation.....

Moar like zero intelligence.

[vaskidmark]

his choice  his consequences

tough job market

Agreed.  And he admitted when the story first broke that he expected to be jobless.

In spite of which, I respect him for taking a stand at last.  Don't know what made him decide enough was enough, but he is drawing attention to the kabuki that is TSA/Homeland Security for commercial air.

stay safe.

[Boomhauer]

Try and fight the Feds, and you will lose every freakin' time...

Agreed.  And he admitted when the story first broke that he expected to be jobless.

In spite of which, I respect him for taking a stand at last.  Don't know what made him decide enough was enough, but he is drawing attention to the kabuki that is TSA/Homeland Security for commercial air.

The man literally threw away the sun. Getting to be a commercial pilot is not an inexpensive endeavour, unless you have the .mil giving you a boost (and then you are paying for it with the dedication of your life for the duration of your commitment)

[BridgeRunner]

Try and fight the Feds, and you will loose every freakin' time...
The man literally threw away the sun.

I think he probably knew that :/

Whether he lost depends on how you define losing.

That Chinese dude in front of the tanks probably was very aware of how squashable he was too.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

please  comparing the two goes beyond reaching


can anyone here come up with a good reason to check a pilot?
i think "straight " folks thinking is too limited.

[MicroBalrog]

That Chinese dude in front of the tanks probably was very aware of how squashable he was too.

The Chinese dude lived.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

and put so much more on the line as to make the comparison laughable

[GigaBuist]

can anyone here come up with a good reason to check a pilot?

To verify he's not carrying any weapons onto the plane for a hijacker.  They might have blackmailed him, have his family hostage, etc.  The weapon might not be for the plane he's on, so he'll do it to keep him or his family safe and the hijackers take down another plane.

[MicroBalrog]

So... wait.

Are you implying that protesting against full body scans is somehow stupid?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

To verify he's not carrying any weapons onto the plane for a hijacker.  They might have blackmailed him, have his family hostage, etc.  The weapon might not be for the plane he's on, so he'll do it to keep him or his family safe and the hijackers take down another plane.

yup  or he could be a home grown looney

or we need to check the pilots to keep the bad guys guessing otherwise we make a guy in a pilots uniform the conduit dujour. heck so long as you have id i doubt they are checking duty rosters  i could be off and haul in material.  junior needs to find a new job.  maybe someone can help him out.

[freakazoid]

The Chinese dude lived.

Well he didn't get ran over by the tank at least, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Man

There are several conflicting stories about what happened to him after the demonstration. In a speech to the President's Club in 1999, Bruce Herschensohn—former deputy special assistant to President Richard Nixon—reported that he was executed 14 days later; other sources say he was executed by firing squad a few months after the Tiananmen Square protests.[2]  In Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now, Jan Wong  writes that the man is still alive and is hiding in mainland China. Other commentary has also insisted that the men who pulled him out of the tanks' way were not the secret police, but rather concerned civilians.

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

To verify he's not carrying any weapons onto the plane for a hijacker.  They might have blackmailed him, have his family hostage, etc.  The weapon might not be for the plane he's on, so he'll do it to keep him or his family safe and the hijackers take down another plane

.






Let's treat everyone as a criminal first then let them prove their not. Wait, we are doing that already.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

precondition of employment  don't like it? get walking?  i can't figure this guy.  was he not cutting it? never gonna get the other seat and is setting up for a shot at a retirement settlement?   or just spent too much time on the internet and committed to a cause?

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

Thought he "opted out" of a new process and that made TSA mad. So they asked him to remove his shoes, which he claims he has never had to do.

So while I agree with you on don't like it, walk away. I can't see the TSA actions being in the right here. They got pissed that he chose to opt out. And proceeded to make his day miserable. But hey. At least he didn't hijack a Plane

[doczinn]

precondition of employment  don't like it? get walking?

Really? It was in his contract? Doubt it. Try again. Why must you try to tear the man down for standing up for his principles?

Oh, wait, because you do that to everyone.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

he opted out on full body scan  they offer a pat down as alternative .he said no and took his football and went home.  i used to take young managers to a sink full of water . tell em to stick their hand in   then remove it.  "thats the kinda hole you will leave in this organization "

was this kid raised on mars?   he comes off as a fool .  hes like a doctor who complains about washing his hands

[doczinn]

hes like a doctor who complains about washing his hands

Your analogy is, as always, inapt. And inept.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Really? It was in his contract? Doubt it. Try again. Why must you try to tear the man down for standing up for his principles?

Oh, wait, because you do that to everyone.

does anyone have access to the types of stuff a pilot signs to work? i would guess his contract was worked over by at least 2 teams of lawyers  the companies and the unions.   i worked as a caterer at the general aviation side at national/reagan and we all signed stuff that specified we had to dance the security dance or get walking. trying to pretend a pilot didn't know what the deal was gonna be is amusing  as was his landshark trying to call the pat down search a strip search.

  if he had wanted to avoid the scan i'd not make fun of him. they give you that option.  the third choice is a career change and that is his choice. hes subject to the whizz quizz randomly and physicals as well. all part of the job

[doczinn]

trying to pretend a pilot didn't know what the deal was gonna be is amusing

Perhaps he did know, but that's not what you claimed. You claimed it was a precondition of employment.

Wonder how long the guy's been a pilot? Think it might be longer than they've been doing body scans? So how could something that wasn't in place when he took the job possibly be a precondition of employment? Or do you think there's a clause in his contract that states that he will submit to any procedures the TSA deems necessary? That's possible, but more likely it just says "security screening." He isn't refusing to be screened.

Either way, he's standing up for his principles (and common sense) and you attack him for it. As you've done to so many others before. Perhaps it's difficult for you to understand?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i've seen him interviewed  hes not old enough to have been doing this before these security
conditions were in place .  the body scans are new and they give him an opt out.

He isn't refusing to be screened.

but he is   and trying to call being patted down a strip search ain't flyin either
we'll never know since its a confidential personnel matter but i'd love to know more about him.  how long hes been flying  how hes done on check rides etc

[Boomhauer]

I looked up the guy in the FAA database, and if he's living in Memphis, TN as alluded to by his going into Memphis Intl for 4 years without going into the body scanner, then I think I found him.

His cert information includes a Flight Instructor certification that expired in '05 and was not renewed, and a commercial cert that's date of issuance is '09 (which I'm guessing would be the date of issuance for the latest update, not when it was first issued). This would fit in with the timeline of starting work in '05 for the airline and working for the airline for 4.5 years. He's got Second in command privileges only for his type rating in an Embraer regional jet.

[MicroBalrog]

precondition of employment  don't like it? get walking?  i can't figure this guy.  was he not cutting it? never gonna get the other seat and is setting up for a shot at a retirement settlement?   or just spent too much time on the internet and committed to a cause?

Oh god, not people actually having a cause.