 "Aw, c'mon, man, I can fly this baby in there! Why, I used to drive a big 18-wheeler, for heaven's sake! Let me try! Let me try!" |
Posted on 08/14/2024 8:10:19 PM PDT by logi_cal869
Passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines flight bound for Jackson Hole, Wyoming, were miffed last week after the pilot explained over the intercom that he could not land the plane at their destination. Instead, the flight was diverted to Salt Lake City.
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“Hey, I’m really sorry folks, but due to me not having the proper qualification to land in Jackson Hole, we need to divert to Salt Lake City, Utah. We’ll keep you posted on the next steps,” the pilot explained.
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After the flight diversion to Salt Lake, the Reddit poster said the pilot offered no further explanation and simply left the plane.
“[T]he pilot got off the plane (in a walk of shame since his bag was in the overhead in the back of the plane lol) and then a new pilot from Salt Lake City got on the plane and we flew into Jackson,” the passenger posted.
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The Jackson Hole Airport is at an elevation of over 6,451 feet and is framed by the Teton Range, soaring more than 13,000 feet in elevation. Experienced pilots report the approach as “tricky” because of frequent downdrafts and windshear, combined with a short runway.
The complexities of landing at JAC earn the airport a Special PIC (pilot in command) qualification for the airport — in place since 1990 — as well as a SAAT level 4 rating, requiring a more experienced line check airman sitting copilot.
Each individual airline has its own standards of training requiring varying minimum hours of flight time.
Many qualified captains with thousands of flight hours may not meet company minimums behind the wheel of a particular aircraft or flying into certain airports with ceiling and visibility minimum requirements.
(Excerpt) Read more at cowboystatedaily.com ...
Density altitude not only affects the performance of the engines, but also the performance of the wings. You had good reason to be nervous about the takeoff.
"Aw, c'mon, man, I can fly this baby in there! Why, I used to drive a big 18-wheeler, for heaven's sake! Let me try! Let me try!" |
Not only did the pilot know he was unqualified, but so did Alaska Airlines.
The FAA should sanction them both.
The scheduling and assignment of pilots was probably done by a DEI hire. Anytime there is an error of this type, I’m assuming a DEI hire is involved unless proven otherwise. And, I’m not even going to read the entire article to find out if I’m wrong.
DEI is just “affirmative action” with a fancy name
Yep, those who live near the coasts, especially the densely-populated East Coast, often just can’t envision what distances are like in the west. I live in Denver, and we’re the largest city within a 600 mile radius. Jackson Hole is very isolated as well. I always laugh at people I know who live on the East Coast who think of a 40 or 50 mile drive as a big trip. Out here we have some stretches of highway that don’t have a town or even a gas station for as much as 150 miles. And those wide open spaces are what I love about the west.
Now if someone could just get rid of the locust swarms of liberal Californians that have descended upon us, that would be fantastic. My wife wanted to move to Montana, but I had to tell her that they’ve already infected that state as well.
“...you pop over the mountain and descend pretty quickly...”
“Tower - this is Bravo829. Did you say Jackson -— WYOMING!?”
Flew into Jackson Hole a number of times. Wouldn’t want to be some pilot’s first time.
Wouldn't want to give the idea I'm a pilot.
It's also not a matter of him "chickening out". The rules are set by the FAA, if he breaks them then the company will incur a heavy fine and the pilot will likely have action taken against his license, he'll lose his job. It's pretty cut and dried, if the weather is below the requirements then you divert to an alternate.
It's hard to find affordable help these days.
I live in a part of the country where a three hour drive is a nothing burger.
I live in a part of the country where a three hour drive is a nothing burger, so I hear you.
Does that ‘autopilot’ come with a POTUS 44-operated blow-up valve???
Agreed.
Better to admit your limitations than lie and die.
I wonder if that's the Front Range in action?
I missed a flight once and rented a car driving from O’Hare to Geneva NY in record time. Hubby and I who were once avid flyers will not set foot on an airline ever again unless it goes back to being a pre 9/11 meritocracy.
The 99% minority TSA was the beginning of the end (got my hat and coat stolen at Liberty in NJ) and now this.
Missed a connecting flight due to a BIPOC flight attendant who couldn’t be bothered to show up on time (CP time?) and had to spend the night at Ft Lauderdale airport with every 30 minute announcement blasts about how wonderful the diverse mayor is.
We now drive to Biloxi from upstate NY every Mardi Gras. We don’t miss having to endure endless layovers since, unlike Asian airlines, the airlines and airports have slack standards. Thank goodness we are both self employed seniors with the ability to do so.
Watch VASAviation and Real ATC on YouTube. There are rules broken every minute of the day especially after DEI took hold.
His flight plan was labeled secret and only authorized to open once in the air.
Good on the pilot.
I have always wanted to get on the flight attendant intercom and casually say “No need to panic, but does anyone know how to land a plane?”
Knowing that airport was his final destination, I question why he accepted the flight in the first place.
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