Is This A SWA Pilot?
 

I'm new. I joined expressly for the purpose of asking for advice on a certain instance that is happening to me currently.
Have you seen that TV show Catfish?
For the last 3 months I have been talking with a Facebook friend that I don't know, but we had some aviation friends in common. He has tons of photos, all over the world, great looking guy, seems like fun.
Anyway, the deeper I dig, the less his story lines up.

His story: He is a cpt for SWA, late 30's early 40's, on a 4 day on 3 day off schedule. Has worked for the co for over 10 years.
When he talks about flying, the stories seem to line up so I am sure he is somehow in aviation, def a pilot, (private at least).
He doesn't have his last name on FB, is really suspicious of who is out there and says that SWA encourages their pilots to keep their information confidential. I took a stab at his last name to find him on the FAA site, and nothing came up except for a dispatcher/private guy with a similar name.
When I confronted him about it, he said you can have your info kept confidential on the FAA site too.
We were supposed to meet, but after all the things that don't line up, I am not confident that I should.
There is a photo on his FB page of him in a uniform, on a plane, but it was before he was with SWA (according to him) when he flew with a different airline on an MD-80.
He has sent me photos of his licenses (there were about 5-6 cards) but too far away to make out what they said or if they were his. He has sent me a photo of the bottom of his crew badge (It said Crew, which according to him, is a pilot for SWA) and the photo from his photo ID, but he refuses to tell me his last name, or send me random photos of himself. I told him to send me a photo of himself in the cockpit, and never got anything.
Anyway, I am pretty sure he is totally impersonating a pilot (and a military pilot at that as he said he was in the Air Force Reserves) and although at this point I am not really interested in meeting him, I am getting sort of worried.
I have lots more details, but this is getting too long.
We have spoken on the phone, so I know it is a "he" .
I suggested we Skype but he never agreed to it.
I am just wondering a couple of things:
1) Can you keep your info confidential on the FAA Airmen Registry site?
2) Anyone work for SWA know about the "Crew" badge being only pilots?
Every pilot I know would not fault me for being cautious having met someone on the Internet...(I was a f/a for years which is how he found me on FB in the first place, through a friend who is no longer on FB and I have lost contact with her)
My theory: This guy works for SWA in some other role, and is impersonating a cpt. Could he get in trouble for this??
I have done as much investigating as I can. But how weird is this??

I hope this allowed to be posted? I am being vague on purpose and do not plan on posting anything identifying.
He did send me his info that he said he pulled up on the FAA site:

Address is not available



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Medical

Medical Class: First, Medical Date: 7/XXXX







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Certificates

AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT

Date of Issue: 4/22/XXXX

Certificate: AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT

Ratings:

AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT

AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND

COMMERCIAL PRIVILEGES

AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND



Type Ratings:A/A-320 A/B-737 A/B-757 A/B-767 A/DC-9

Is this a joke?

Dude, you're strange!

I'm sorry, what exactly is strange about this? Some guy that is impersonating something that he is not, and potentially putting me and my family at risk because who knows if he is some psycho?
Me coming here and asking for honest advice on if these things could possibly be true or not true?
Thanks so much for your helpful response.

You're asking complete strangers on the internet to validate your gut instinct? Does it matter that the person you're asking about is a pilot, or not?

In all honesty, it wouldn't have. But the fact that everything is potentially a lie is alarming to me as we definitely were headed toward wanting a relationship with each other.
I can see this forum isn't where I will find answers to the 2 questions I had posed.
I guess this is the point where I walk away from it and whoever this person is, without getting the answers I wanted from him or anyone.

Anyway, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.

Thank you for your honest advice. I totally agree about Facebook. We did at one time have friends in common but again, not the best place to meet.
I guess eHarmony is better.

LOL!

I will give the truth on this guy.
First, he is probably a flt attendant, so he has a crew ID
Second, if he is hiding all of his info, he is married
Third, why would you want to even know this guy...he is out of touch with reality. Trust your instincts and run!!!!
Good Luck

I've seen the show. DEMAND he take a self photo of him in uniform holding today's USA Today.

There is no way to easily fake that. If he says he can't get a USA today, he's not a pilot.

Well Actually, he could go to any Uniform Tailor and buy a Pilot uniform, most don't check IDs and then he could buy a USA today..... Wait a minute, if he actually buys a USA Today with his own Money instead of getting one from the Seat back Pocket or from the Hotel Desk, he is definitely an Poser. :D

To Flyinfashion: In all seriousness, listen what Vagabond said. (she is a woman BTW). Trust your instincts, as they are usually right. Even if this Gentlemen (and I use the term loosely) is telling the truth about being a Pilot, he sounds like a Dirt Bag. Do your self a favor and hit the Ignore Button and stay away. Take Care

If you want to know the whole truth remember this:
we men never lie right after sex.;)

Ask him to see a picture of his Shrine, complete with wall map of the world, full of pins at every place he's ever landed. If he doesn't have a Shrine with a wall map, he's definitely a Poser! And look for signs of kittens in the background, a true SWA Pilot giveaway.

And watch out for this guy:

Her: "Sorry, I don't do that on the first date!"

Him: "How about on the last?"

But as one old Capt. told me when I was a newb:

"Anyone who would screw a Flight Attendant is just too lazy to jerk off..."

That advice has kept me out of trouble for years!

fixed it for ya.

Im waiting on pins and needles to hear how all this shakes out. Personal guess? Married with kids, who the hell cares where he works.

Plausible

Plausible. Airlines generally don't want their pilots putting themselves out in public unless it's a company-coordinated PR event.

Wrong. You can opt to not have your home address appear, but your name, medical, and ratings will appear.

Plausible.

I would not have sent anyone pictures of my licenses and badge...that could be a security violation. But you could easily make photoshop fakes anyway.

I would also be very leery of sending an anonymous stranger my personal info on the internet, unless it was via some sort of "validated" social site like match.com. I would be even more leery about sending pics of me in uniform on my current employer's airplane.


Only your address can be restricted.

Flight attendants also have CREW badges...at least at the airlines I've worked for.


Yes, he could get in trouble, fired I'd imagine.

But if I was in his shoes I would be cautious too...probably prefer to meet in public before disclosing too much personal info. For all he knows you could be some hairy 55 year-old pervert named chuck, a nigerian scammer, or a teenage russian hacker.

But if in doubt go with your gut.

You need only ask one question to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Does he enjoy killing kittens?

I'm a female (and a furloughed FA) and gut instinct is he's creepy AND married. At my old airline ground reps/mechanics had crew badges as well. As a woman, you know your instincts are usually right, so go with it. Good luck! :)

Poser: Maybe
Pilot: Maybe
SWA Pilot: Maybe

Married: Definitely

Chances she'll meet him anyway: Definitely

no offense, but it wasn't him putting you and your family at risk, it is you for 1. having a facebook "friend" that you've never met before and 2. wanting a date with said friend after all these inconsistencies and needing to validate it. He seems like he is nuts or an *ss too the way he responds to your questions, move on there are other fish in the sea...

we have a winner :)

Here's the deal. If he is a real life SWA captain that is reason enough to stay away from him. SWA hires directly from the prison system. No criminal conviction, no job at SWA. All SWA captains are known carriers of rare and hard to cure STD's, and are required to posses a servants heart, presumably in a jar of formaldehyde, in their flight bag, at all times. Heck they even brag about it in their inflight magazine. "Our employees have a servants heart.".

Maybe if he is a SWA captain he's just trying to collect another heart for his jar? Probably didn't think of that did you? He'll be all nice and sweet and then just as you think it couldn't get and better, out comes the company issued hatchet and WHACK! Another heart for the jar. I think they get a bonus if they have more than one servants heart... I'm not even going to get into their required yearly dead kitten quota!

BUT

In all seriousness this guy sounds like a complete fake and anybody who does that kind of thing on the net to get attention is going to be a LOOOOOOSER!!! Do what you want but my advice is to get away and stay away from this guy!

Wow, thanks for all the advice!

The truth is that I have been kind of riveted by the fact that someone would make up so much about their lives.
He literally knows everything about being a pilot for SWA, and yet he can't send me any tangible proof.
I get not wanting to risk your job, but he sent me a photo of his "FO and his FO's girlfriend sitting in the cockpit" that he claims he took.
He's sent me photos of just the cockpit.
He's sent me links of ground crew "taping him leaving BUR" or wherever, over YouTube. Of course, you can't make out whoever is actually taxiing the plane...

Pretty sure he isn't married, because at one point we talked on the phone every night for at least 2 hours.
Before things just didn't line up...

As far as the Facebook thing, I think it's a generational thing. I add people I have only met once. I have over 900 "friends" on there, some I have meet through online forums such as this one.... It's how we communicate now. It's not uncommon for people to meet that way.
I suppose with meetings such as this, it is probably not uncommon to find plenty of trolls either.

But again, more than anything, I just want to get to the bottom of who the heck this guy even is.

Oh and according to him, Crew badges at SWA are only pilots. F/A's have badges that say "In Flight" something or other and line guys/mx/dispatch don't get the same badge or any, I think??

I hate kittens. I really should find a SWA pilot, IRL.

Is This A SWA Pilot?
 

Pretty sure we should be warning him about this woman. If you can tell he's being that sketchy already and you 1. Still want to meet him and 2. Are asking about it on an online forum, you're nuts and his life is in jeopardy. Meet people in real life

LOL. I am not nuts. But I am sure it is easy across a computer screen, to call someone nuts.
Love it.
I have reverse image searched this guy too, and nothing comes up. He has over 1000 photos on his Facebook page, tons of him. I have been friends on FB with him since 2008.
When I went through my divorce last fall, he private messaged me and told me if I ever wanted to date, that he would love to take me out.
We did have at least one person in common, but she is long gone and not on Facebook anymore.
Anyway, I love all these responses.
Coming to a forum was literally my last ditch effort. I felt if I could get some answers to some of the details he has given me, it might help determine if he was legit or not.
Anyway, thanks for the nuts comment, that was awesome. I am sure if I was your daughter you would be saying the same thing.
Lastly, people don't meet IRL where I live. This city is too big, and people are too crazy....these days lots and lots of people meet online.
Weird that you would say that, since you are active on an online forum...um, what do you think this community is?
hahaha!
Thanks though!

Please don't go....it would be nice to have another female on here! :)

you realize pilots spend those 3-6 nights a week in hotels or crash pads, away from their wives, and can talk for 2 hours at night right? :D And his wife might be a nurse on the night shift the 2 nights he is home.

Heck I'm married and if I wanted to I could easily call you all times of day/night that would make you think I'm single.

FlyIn Fashion, let us know how many PM's you get from these pervs on APC asking you to be their FB friend, after telling you you are nuts ;)

Peel back the layers, one by one through good questioning (as you are doing). Remember, how you start is usually how you continue and how you finish. There is a lot of fog surrounding this situation. If he can't answer basic questions, then he might be hiding something, or might be the cautious type.
None the less, I think you already know what to do about this situation.

Okay, big increase in chicklets here, won't be long before they'll wanna put up curtains, flower pots, n'stuff...

One more is a "big increase?" AFAIK, there are a grand total of 3 (of course there are probably others who don't admit they're females or are just lurkers). :)

BTW, would you mind if I light a vanilla candle or two?? ;)

33% is a big increase..Yes,no? The candles are okay, just put them out by the gazebo.....

Oh yes, a gazebo! Love it....;)

Ah Jesus. Is Tim Martins at it again???

I had to look up what IRL meant...I feel old suddenly.

It hadn't even crossed my mind re: being married! That would be crazy!

I'm not going anywhere, I love the smell of vanilla candles :D

Last night I emailed him that he needed to send me tangible proof he is who he says he is. He sent me a photo of his hotel room.

Um. Thanks?
Lol!!!!

No offense but how do you know he actually knows what he is talking about when claiming to be a SWA pilot. You do not seem to have that much aviation knowledge in that area.

You also seem to be stalking him as much as he is probably being dishonest about himself.

"Stalking" is a strong word. Many, if not most, females like to follow up on their intuition. Her suspicions are probably right and she is just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'd love to know the outcome of this story....

Whatever happened to chatting somebody up in a bar???

And quite a list of type ratings for a 40 year old guy, much less 30. If he has been at WN for at least ten years, and certainly no reason since to gain additional types...he must have been hired at age 30 with 737, 757, 767, DC9, and A320 type ratings.

Not many 30 year olds can say that....cool.