You shouldn't talk about your job at a Bar
 

Why you shouldn't talk about your job while drinking at the bar. And always pay in cash.

Co-pilot tests positive for alcohol before SkyWest flight from Bemidji airport | Bemidji Pioneer


I once had a FA tell me she didn't like pilots from a certain base because they were too anal about drinking rules... Good way to ruin a multimillion dollar career darling.

Sometimes we need a little reminder... If you need help Home

What I thought OO pilots were utterly perfect people?

Hope the FO keeps his job...

Legal limit is .04 or less and no consumption of any alcohol within the previous 8 hours. It appears those regulations were met. Some companies require no consumption of alcohol within 12 hours - that may be a bit close in this situation but I dont know what Skywest's policy is on that one.

Not trying to say what happened is okay by any means, but from a legal stand point, what can be done?

Yeah I'm wondering is OO 12/10/or 8 hours?

Mine is 10 and I know a bunch at 12

Apparently this guy was trying to be like Denzel Washington in "Flight"... No good.

I think you meant to title this thread "Why you should be a responsible professional and play it safe with alcohol when you're an airline pilot with dozens of lives in your hands."

Who do you work for and are you guys hiring???!!

All joking aside, it's staggering how many people do not understand that, yes, the FAA rule is 8 hours. But that doesn't mean that you can consume an entire case of beer and be ok to fly in that time.

Why you shouldn't talk about your job while
 

OO limit is .02

So he made the news by breaking no regs and not endangering anyone. Awesome.

PSA is 12 hrs and zero tolerance I think. Man I need to move to a diff company!! Can't even use mouthwash without worrying about breathalyzer!

Why you shouldn't talk about your job while
 

Sounds like he will not be in any legal trouble, only work trouble.

Legal no - he should no have to worry about jail time or fines. However, if Skywest has a zero tolerance policy and a .02 limit, he will get fired and with that on his record, never work another airline job again.

Being under the FAA limit of .04 but over the Company limit of .02, he "should" be able to enter the HIMS program, if Sky West has one.

It doesn't say when or where the crew was "intercepted." As long as it was before entering the aircraft, the FO might have just gotten the biggest break of his or her life.

Edit -- nevermind, missed the post stating that the limit at OO is .02.

Kinda depends on a whole slew of factors, and this scenario has played out multiple times before at some of the places I've worked. And how SKW deals with it may NOT be how some others deal with it, but here's one possible way;

Management/HR/Chief Pilot: "Hey, you broke a company policy, we can't have that. We'd like to be generous and suggest you submit your resignation."

"Co-pilot"/FO: "But I didn't break an FAR".

Management/HR/Chief Pilot: "Ok, fair enough, we'll fire you. And it'll be on your record that you were fired from an air carrier. So we'll tell you AGAIN, we'd like you submit your resignation, but it's your choice what you'd rather have".

and 8 hours applies at OO

The HIMS program is available to Skywest pilots. If I were him I'd be looking into it.

Not sure what a union has to do with it but OO does have a HIMS program.

Whether it's available to a pilot group is usually dictated by the pilot group's union, or the airline's management. Not all non union carriers participate. Then again, neither do all union pilot groups. For instance, SWA doesn't participate. Nor does Virgin America.

This is based off info I found on the HIMS program website. I did look it up though, & corrected my previous post.

Who administers these breathalyzer tests when someone suspects a positive? Is it the local authority or a dedicated "airport breathalyzer" maintained or sanctioned by the FAA?

I hear about technical dismissals all the time because the unit wasn't calibrated, etc. Forwarding the results seems rather non-custodial to me.

It should always be some kind of law enforcement, airport police, etc.


I'd say that paying in cash isn't enough these days. Just don't do it or ever get yourself close to that situation these days. There are cameras EVERYWHERE now. If you are paying in cash to be on the safe side, you are probably on camera.

Multimillion dollar career? As an FA? :rolleyes:

I'm always amazed at crew members that drink at the hotel bar and blabber their mouths about what they do for a living. Come on folks, be creative and come up with an alter ego. When I'm on layovers and enjoying some adult beverages (within company and FAA regulations of course), I most definitely do not tell people I'm an airline pilot. ESPECIALLY if you are drinking at the hotel you are staying at.

In the past I have been a traveling health insurance salesman, journalist, jacuzzi salesman, professional photographer, etc. Pick something you have some knowledge about and have fun with it. Do NOT under any circumstances tell people you are a pilot for Christ sake. Maybe 30 years ago it would have been fair game.

There are only about 5-6 overnights I do on a regular basis. The van drivers, desk clerks and bartenders all know who we are. There's a bartender at happy hour on one of our overnights who knows what I drink and hands it to me as I walk up without having to order.

I can make up stories for the random hotel guests I meet on overnights, but if a van driver or desk clerk sees me drinking within 8 hours they know exactly who I am, what I do, and they can look up when I have to fly on most of my overnights.

Yeah but was she hot?

And many of the regulars can spot us when we walk in the door.

"A middle aged guy, a 20 somthin' guy, and two young gals walk into a bar. An old barfly looks at his watch and says, 'Hey, you guys are half an hour late.'"

I agree, there are certain people and situations where people know who you are. Its all the more reason to be extra cautious. In my previous post I was refering more towards random folks at the bar that you may encounter and strike up converstations with.

Hope she was worth it.

In any event- be safe out there.

We don't fly under part 91 rules.

My bad. I'm drunk.

Why in the world do you feel the need to put out incorrect information if you are not sure about what you are talking about? SWA and SWAPA do participate in HIMS and have for a great many years.

shoelu,

I'm sorry. I really am. I initially didn't see the contact info for SWA on the HIMS website. I just looked again and now realize I missed it. My mistake. :o

Look again.

I did. Check the previous post again.

No worries, no big deal. I just see so many things stated as fact that folks take as gospel. I'm sure it wasn't intentional. The only reason it touched a cord is because I recently flew with a guy who has spent probably the last decade attempting to help pilots who wanted and needed some help. A great guy and really dedicated volunteer putting his heart and soul into the HIMS program.

That's good to hear. I think many pilots take a lot of our peers volunteer time for granted. I can certainly appreciate said individuals efforts. His donated time and effort deserves kudos. :)

How hard is it to not show up to work drunk? If you want to get wasted, do it on your days off.

Regional pilots get days off?