fadec

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/pilots-arrested-glasgow-airport-before-16695014

Just saw this.

Excargodog

One has to wonder if the recent spate of intoxicated pilots will do to the HIMS program what the Germanwings tragedy did to the FAA plan to allow the use of antidepressants by aviators. Hopefully these people getting accused are NOT already in the HIMS program.

PhantomHawk

The FAA had already eased up on SSRI’s before GermanWings.

As for the HIMS comment, I completely agree.

bamike

Not a 121 pilot but I’m curious, why not just call in sick or fatigued if you’ve been drinking. Is there any reason they took the risk of showing up to the airport and getting caught?

oldmako

The number of times that pilots have been hauled off planes and arrested, or at least made the headlines and THEN were released and exonerated is significant. I'd prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt before assuming that the press got this one right.

Zenofzin

There is no good reason, especially considering the UK has a much more restrictive law and BAC level. Loss of income and jail time in a foreign country should be a pretty strong deterrent.

Deafguppy

Totally agree. But when you’ve been drinking, your judgment is affected, just when you could really use it.

jtbost

Guys. As a retired United and former flyer of this very route, please remember that the standard in Scotland is 0% blood/alcohol. You really have to know your own body as you can cut off well within the United rules and still blow above zero. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt until more info surfaces.

Zenofzin

Think it’s .02%. In the UK it wouldn’t be advisable to have even a drop of alcohol within 12hrs. You are correct, they could have been under the US limit, and everyone processes alcohol differently. Hopefully for their sakes it wasn’t an egregious offense.

Zenofzin

One standard drink (which is considered any drink containing 14 grams of alcohol) will increase your BAC by a maximum of 0.02, based on your body size, gender, and other factors. Within about an hour, your blood alcohol concentration would be at almost zero. The problem usually comes when you drink at a faster rate or otherwise drink several alcoholic drinks at once (like taking several shots). Your liver cannot process alcohol that quickly, causing it to accumulate in your blood and leading to a higher BAC. For the average person, it only takes about three or four drinks in one hour to reach a BAC of 0.08.

“Given the general rule, if your blood alcohol content is at the limit of 0.08, it would go down to 0.065 after one hour. It would take roughly five hours and twenty minutes for your body to completely metabolize the alcohol and eliminate it from the body. That’s also why it can be dangerous to drink too late into the night. If you have a high enough BAC, you may still actually be drunk when you wake up, which can still be a real problem if you have to drive to work. Those who have been binge drinking can have alcohol in their systems for over 10 hours.

Breathalyzers can detect alcohol within 15 minutes of your first drink and can continue for as long as the alcohol is in your system. Coffee, cold showers, and “sleeping it off” will not sober you up”