Lest anyone of you believe that the new movie, Flight, bears any resemblance to the real world, ALPA has released a statement defending its pilots:

“Hollywood dramas can make riveting entertainment and a compelling character study may sell tickets, but fiction on a movie screen doesn’t represent a profession in the real world.

“The more than fifty thousand ALPA pilots in the United States and Canada embody the highest possible standards of training and professionalism.

“These standards are borne out every day, as we safely transport hundreds of thousands of passengers and tens of thousands of tons of cargo across the country and around the world.

“We all enjoy being entertained, but a thrilling tale should not be mistaken for the true story of extraordinary safety and professionalism among airline pilots.”

I admire how they carefully ignore the number of incidents in which pilots have been found to be intoxicated and about to pilot an aircraft over the last 5 years.

Dear Pilots:  The history of Hollywood has made it clear that what goes on in that movie is sheer fantasy.  Should anyone in the public think that a pilot could be that drunk and pull off a recovery like that, well, you wouldn’t want them flying with you anyway.

Your professionalism is already well known and the public knows that pilots both in North America and across the world act with care and are trained extremely well (except the guy in China who managed to fly without a license).  There is no need to be paranoid that people might think that that is an ordinary reality.  I have a suggestion:  Get out and see a movie and relax.

Filed under: Trivia by ajax
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