Pilot in Hot Water for Allegedly Using Plane as Flying Pulpit

Talon News / GOP USA ^ | Feb. 10, 2004 | Jeremy Reynalds

[prairiebreeze]

NEW YORK (Talon News) -- A pilot asked passengers on an American Airlines flight to raise their hands if they were Christians, telling them they were "crazy" if they weren't, some of the passengers said Monday.

Passenger Jen Dorsey told CNN, "We were just at the beginning of our flight. The pilot came on to greet everyone and give his comments for the morning, and he said he'd recently been on a mission trip, and he'd like all the Christians to please raise their hands."

Also speaking on CNN, passenger Karla Austin said the pilot commented, "'If you are a Christian, raise your hand.' He said, 'If you are not, you're crazy.'"

Dorsey agreed that the pilot had called non-Christians "crazy."

Another passenger recalled a similar experience in an interview with WCBS-TV in New York. Amanda Nelligan told the station the pilot said those who did not raise their hands were "crazy."

Austin said no passengers raised their hands.

The pilot asked passengers to look around at each other and use the flight wisely or "just sit back and watch the movie," Dorsey said.

The airline is investigating reports about Friday's Flight 34 from Los Angeles to New York, a company spokesman told CNN.

American Airlines said that if the incident were true it "would be against our policy."

In a statement, the airline said, "It falls along the lines of a personal level of sharing that may not be appropriate for one of our employees to do while on the job."

American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said the pilot, whose name has not been released, denies using the word "crazy." CNN reported he told the airline that he had recently returned from a mission trip and was encouraging people to use the 4-hour plus flight to speak with other passengers about their relationship with God.

"American Airlines apologizes if anyone was made to feel uncomfortable by the comments of this pilot," Wagner told CNN.

Wagner declined to say whether the pilot has been grounded while an investigation is under way. The man, a senior pilot with the airline, did not fly again over the weekend, Wagner said.

Wagner would not say if the pilot had been scheduled to fly this week.

The result of the airline's investigation will not be made public because it is an internal matter, Wagner told CNN, adding it will be "handled internally according to American Airlines procedure."

Passengers were "shocked," said Austin, adding that some reached for their mobile phones and others used the on-flight phones.

"Just given the history of what's happened on planes in this country, anything can happen at this point. So we weren't sure if something was going to happen at takeoff, if he was going to wait until JFK to do something... But there was definitely [an] implication there that we felt that something was going to happen," Austin said on CNN.

Passengers complained to the flight attendants, who relayed their concerns to the cockpit. They were reassured that they had nothing to worry about on the flight, Austin said.

Attendants also told passengers they had contacted airline officials about the matter, she said.

About 45 minutes into the flight, the pilot apologized -- but his apology focused on the crew, not the passengers, Dorsey said on CNN.

"He came on and said, 'I want to apologize for my comments earlier. I think I really threw the flight crew off a little bit, and they are getting a lot of flack for the things I said. So I want to apologize to my flight crew,'" she said.

Wagner said the pilot offered to speak after the flight with anyone who wanted to discuss his comments.

Austin said on CNN that on her way off the plane she told the pilot "he should be ashamed of himself."

"He just nodded and looked to the ground, and that was it," she said.

[EggsAckley]

LOL!

[ken5050]

well, at least the pilot is sober.....

BTW, my all time favorite airline pilot story is years ago, at LaGuardia in NYC, when the pilot of an Eastern Airlines jets..( told you it was a while back) after sitting on the runway for 4 hours waiting for take off clearance...said the hell with it..opened the door, jumped down, walked across the runway to the parking lot, and drove home...

[EggsAckley]

See what I mean? LOL!

[EggsAckley]

LOL! But did they let the passengers off? Usually they won't.


How do we KNOW the pilot was sober.........?

[Homer1]

He should have asked that any Muslims on the flight raise their hands..

[D Rider]

I object to this. His job is to get me safely to my destination, not proselytize.

It was the nosedive and spin, while he screamed "REPENT! REPENT!" that actually got him into trouble.

[EggsAckley]

LOL!

[ken5050]

This was at the time whenthe delays at LAG were horrendous....also, because the airport is so small, there is NO room for the planes to turn around and return to the gate..the only reason for doing so is because of a lack of fuel to complete the trip..

[jim35]

"...A pilot at 30,000 feet starts it up, and where can we go? Out the window? You ARE scary..."

So just exactly what should we prohibit a pilot from talking about? I mean, aside from Christianity. Any other topics you are afraid to be within hearing range of? Draw up a list of the topics you are offended by, and submit them to all businesses which employ people who deal with the public, so that we can prohibit them. I'd hate to see you forcibly exposed to words that don't suit your temperment. If we're successful, then we can make democRATS obsolete! Who needs governmental prohibition on free speech, when you've got business to do it for you?

[John H K]

This specific article may not have been posted previously, but about 20-30 articles with the same basic info about this story have already been posted.

[EggsAckley]

You are severely damaging your case. I suggest you get back on your meds. It's your kind of ranting that turns people away from religion, and doesn NOT make it look attractive. You, sir or madam, are a KOOK.

[John H K]

"If you are a Christian, raise your hand.' He said, 'If you are not, you're crazy" is CASUAL CONVERSATION?

If he'd asked all the Mormons to raise their hands, encouraged all the non-Mormons to talk to them about the LDS church, and said if you aren't LDS, you're crazy, would you have been fine with that as well?

[whattajoke]

The pilot had a captive audience unable to a) respond to the stupid pilot or b) leave. He also had an audience in a flying bomb who are currently sensitive to religious differences and issues, particularly because 19 assholes ostensibly used their religion to kill 3000 innocent Americans a few Septembers ago.

On the other hand, if I go into your store and you start annoying me with your particular take on a 2000 nomadic desert myth, I can say, "thanks, but no thanks," and take my business elsewhere. Preferably to some place where I can buy what ever it is you sell without a bible lesson.

[conserv13]

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking...in case of rapture, this plane will be unmanned. Hope you'll fly with us again soon"

[Theo]

American Airlines apologizes if ...

Huh? What is it with all these non-apologies lately? "I apologize if you're an idiot. I apologize if you're a hyper-sensitive little prude. I apologize if...."

[Yardstick]

LOL -- I knew there'd be a graphic on this thread.

[EggsAckley]

Very well put! Thank you.

[Who dat?]

Seems to me like the pilot, given that he has everyone on the flight's life in his hands, should be concentrating on flying the airplane,…

Seems… meanwhile the pilot is involved with “flying” the plane during about a 10 minute window immediately before, during, and after takeoff, and then again immediately before, during, and after landing. The rest of the time is spent on housekeeping duties and can easily be filled by chatting or napping.

My dad flew transports in the Air Force (commercial too, later) and said that when they ferried people between CA and the Marshall Islands they’d freak out when they’d walk up to the cockpit (no door) and look inside (especially on the trip back).

They’d see that they’d covered the windows with newspapers to block out the rising sun, and everyone was literally asleep. Captain, co-pilot, and navigator all sacked out. They’d sleep for 5 and 6 hours at a pop too.

So the next time you’re comparing salaries just remember that the Greyhound bus driver has to remain awake and alert for the *entire* trip (or at least his segment of it) for you to arrive safely. The pilot does not and often is not.

[codyjacksmom]

AMEN! What is the problem here? It's not like he preached the "whole"flight. He mentioned it. He didn't force it down anyones throat. I bet if there had been any kind of problem on the plane, the passengers would be thankful that they had him for a pilot. In other words"Thank God"!

[jim35]

"...You, sir or madam, are a KOOK..."

You mean, a member of "Keep Our Own Kids Safe?" No, that's the anti-soccer group hailed by El Rushbo. Oh, I know. A person of the Christian faith. Righto. I'm definitely one of those kooks. My whole object is to turn atheists away from religion. So far, so good. Oh, I also like to offend people within earshot who may overhear me when I mention anything from the Bible. And, BTW, I'm a "sir," but there's no need to be formal.