Originally Posted by
baseball
True hat story:
An assistant chief pilot (once upon a time), saw a pilot talking on his phone in the boarding area for his flight. The crew was awaiting an aircraft.
The ACP asked: "where is your hat?" Captain replied: "it's in my bag."
ACP replied: "why is it not on your head?" Captain replied: "My head doesn't fit in my bag."
ACP replied: "you are relieved of flying duties for the day. Go home." Pilot did so.
ACP informed crew scheduling. Crew scheduling cancelled flight as no Captain was available. ACP was relieved of his ACP duties.
That sounds very much like another instance in IAH about 20+ years...when the London flight cancelled.
Around that time my hat challenge from the local EWR hat nazi, when I walked to the gate podium for our PDC (DC-9). I had a terrible sun burn from a day before - hence no hat. An ACP demanded I return to the plane and wear my hat to the podium. When I asked the ACP if he was DC-9 qualified, since the choice of putting that hat on my nearly blistered pate would require an immediate sick call for me....he did a very military about face and strutted his little arse back down to the CPO warren.