Yeah, I was less than perfectly clear. I was trying to say busting a FAR is not a criminal offense(and thank God for that.) You might get your license suspended or even permanently revoked, but you won't do time or have any criminal record.

As far as popping the slide, was it the safest thing he could have done? No. Was it criminally reckless? I don't think so. Its not an either or thing - he can be less than perfectly safe, without crossing into criminal conduct. If he looked out the window to check then he did not act without regard for the safety of others. So props to the guy with the head injury.

Should he return to FAdom? No. I understand and empathize with his desire to. But no. He's done. Stick a fork in him. Move on. There are (much) better opportunities for him elsewhere.

I'd guess that people view his 'heroism' in direct proportional to how they themselves have been treated by their jobs. If you're miserable where you are(or ever have been) you probably think "Yeah, that guy has a brass pair. I wish I could just walk off like he did." If you have been fortunate enough to have never been in that kind of situation, you've probably got a lot less sympathy for him.

I don't feel sorry for him at all. He manned up, made a decision and executed with style. He 'crossed the line' eyes wide open. I'm only disappointed he asked for his job back.