Corporate pilots and mistakes
 

After seeing the NWA pilots be crucified by the media, I got to thinking... what if it were a corporate aircraft? You never hear about gulfstream captains flying drunk, but I'm sure some slip through the cracks. I wonder if this were a gulfstream, would the same media attention been generated? And if the same media attention would not have been generated, would these pilots likely still have their licenses? Just something to think about.

It would have been 10x worse. It would have been some "evil corporation" and their "evil gas guzzling bizjet".

-mini

You wouldn't hear of it unless the company released that info, which honestly they probably wouldn't, but might have a pilot still lose their job.

At least that's what I'd think.

I honestly don't know how these NWA guys could've been that negligent, or "distracted," but for me it's going to be hard to find an excuse that's justifiable.

First of all lets be clear! Anything could happen to any of us on any given day. Without this understanding we are nothing more than accidents waiting to happen. As far as the original posters thoughts, perhaps corporate pilots, while subject to the same lapses in judgment are better at policing themselves and keeping internal problems internal. We dont have to go through TSA so maybe some drunks slip through the cracks but we also have better internal dialogue amongst pilots and management. So If I fly with drunko on one day I might either talk to him or bring it up with the chief pilot on another day. (better internal dialogue when everybody knows everybody) Also we fly with the doors open so we dont read the news paper, look at porn or log on to our computers for non-essential things. I could go on all day but airlines and coprporate flying are worlds apart. We must all do a better job of dicipline in the flight deck to avoid the big mistakes.

well the airlines fly 150 people at a time, but we fly the movie stars, the sports heroes, CEOs etc.... what if a G-V crew did that with say Michael Jordan in the back? what a circus that would turn into....The media would ride that pony until dropped

Impossible. Gee-whiz pilots don't make mistakes. Duh.;):D

-mini

You are correct, the media would be all over it. In my 18 years of corporate flying, I don't know of any corporate guys getting caught drinking on the job but it would be a media freenzy if they did.

On the other sideof the subject, as you know corporate pilots don't have to deal with terminals and plans full of hundreds of people. Would this have lessened the exposure over the years and not allow them to get caught?

I don't think you would hear about it at all if it happened in a corporate jet.

DING DING DING.

You'd have the HMIC telling the offending crewmember "You're fired!" and that'd be about the end of it.

One thing I miss about corporate flying is that, unless someone wants it, the spotlight isn't on you.