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]

as natural as breathing......? Lady, if you come and sit down next to me and start getting in my face about God, do you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna get up and leave. Right to privacy, and all that.

[atlaw]

It is readily apparent that you view Christian persecution as synonmous with separation of church and state. That is not persecution. You have every right, and unfettered ability, to vocalize your beliefs, and for you to pretend to martyrdom makes a mockery of true persecution.

There is today an unprecedented rise in very visible Christian speech and presence. In Houston, where I live, the Compaq Center, formerly an NBA stadium with seating for 16,000, is now a Christian Church, with plans to expand the seating capacity. There is a Church or a preacher on practically every street-corner, a Christian broadcasting station (radio and television) on practically every other frequency, and a Christian bumper sticker on practically every other car. The "Left Behind" series is a run-away best seller, the President feels perfectly free to speak about and advertise his Christianity, and it is a defacto prerequisite for public office to proclaim some version of Judeo/Chrisitan belief.

You want to be a victim, so you proclaim yourself one, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

[Modernman]

and that's pretty much it.

How about important sports scores? I know I'd want to know what the scores were if I had money on a game.

[OldFriend]

Considering 19 religious fanatics murdered thousands of Americans one would think that the pilot of all people would be sensitive to the stress passengers encounter when flying.

[California74]

Everybody says stupid things sometimes, don't they? Having the best of intentions, they say things they may regret, or that are misunderstood. Even George W. Bush. ("Bring 'em on!") That doesn't mean the pilot can't fly the airplane anymore than GWB would make bad judement in another area such as national security.

[Modernman]

No, it's rude for other people to prohibit Christians from publicly espousing their religion.

Do you believe that it is appropriate behavior to discuss your religious beliefs with perfect strangers, at any time, in any place? Common courtesy dictates that you do not use your power (such as the power held by this pilot) to espouse your views to a captive audience, especially when a reasonable person would know that people are nervous about flying these days and that anything out of the ordinary might really frighten people.

If this had been a muslim, I would have been very shocked about it, because we're at war with muslims. That would have been inappropriate on a completely different level, one of patriotism. Any other religion would have been ok, though.

That's the inherent weakness in your position- you have no problem with hearing this pilot's Christian message because it does not bother you. You are bothered by a Muslim message, however. What about those passengers on the flight who might be bothered by a Christian message?

I'm not against what this guy said, I'm against the context in which he said it.

[Modernman]

Should I begin burning my copy of the constitution now, or wait until these new restrictions actually take place?

There is no government involvement in this case. This guy is not being charged or investigated by the government. The only issue here is whether he violated the rules set down by his employer. This is not a 1st Amendment issue.

[EggsAckley]

You're avoiding the whole point, just to advance your own agenda. His statement wouldn't have been "offensive and scary" had he made it at the right moment. Saying that to a captive audience at 30,000 feet is what made it offensive and scary. Saying it on the ground would have made NO ONE upset.

[Born Conservative]

I'm not against what this guy said, I'm against the context in which he said it.

Several people have tried on this thread to point out this concept to jim35, but I don't think he's willing to accept this as a plausible explanation as to why this event shouldn't have happened.

[EggsAckley]

"Bashing Christians????" Who the hell is bashing Christians? YOU are doing all the bashing, you and your fanatic ilk, you are bashing anyone who doesn't like what the pilot did.

[LizardQueen]

The pilot is free to do any kind of religious recruiting he wants to ON HIS OWN TIME.

As the acting pilot, however, he represents the company and unless he works for Evangelical Airways and promoting religious discussion is part of his job description his behavior was completely unprofessional.

And frankly, the last thing I personally am interested in is playing 20 questions with the airline crew at 20,000 feet while crammed into a flying beer can, and having just been nearly strip-searched just for the privilege of boarding said flying beer can. At that point I want to sit down, shut up, have the crew shut up and fly the damn plane while I work on the crossword puzzle (if someone else hasn't already completed it).

I don't care what the topic is, it would be just as ridiculous for the pilot to ask all Republicans, vegetarians, Democrats, Wiccans, toupee-wearers, Atkins practioners, or what have you to raise their hands and make themselves available for questioning.

His sole responsiblity is to get the plane safely to it's destination, not to play "religious cruise director" to a group of people trapped in flying can for 3 hours.
The guy let his religious zeal overcome his common sense and should be called on the carpet for it.

The only reason you are in favor of what he did is that you agree with his religious views. If he were Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist you'd be screaming against him even louder than the rest.

LQ

[Modernman]

Someone comments that you'd be crazy not to be a Christian, so you'd get "nasty or confrontational?" Sir, in my opinion, you'd be crazy not to be a Christian. I could

How would you react if someone told you that you were "crazy to be a Christian" or that "you're crazy not to be a Muslim" or that "You're crazy not to be homosexual?" Not well, I imagine. Calling perfect strangers "crazy" is an incredibly rude thing to do, no matter what your motivation.

[LizardQueen]

Tim Wagner, an American Airlines spokesman, said yesterday the pilot had not meant to imply that non-Christians were crazy but was referring to "the people who had stuck up their hands at the risk of embarrassing themselves".

This just makes the entire thing weirder.

LQ

[SJackson]

Considering 19 religious fanatics murdered thousands of Americans one would think that the pilot of all people would be sensitive to the stress passengers encounter when flying.

We appear to be in a minority.

[prairiebreeze]

I'd point out that Bush said a 3 word phrase in answer to a question. The pilot picked up the microphone, clicked it on, and went into his discourse.

Yup, we all say things and use poor judgement sometimes. I'll bet that about now, this pilot maybe wishes he'd used better.....

Prairie

[EggsAckley]

Not a minority. It's just that the fanatics are fast and loud today. Tunnel-visioned bunch of kooks, aren't they?



heheheh.

[Modernman]

Several people have tried on this thread to point out this concept to jim35, but I don't think he's willing to accept this as a plausible explanation as to why this event shouldn't have happened.

A professional pilot should have known that a lot of people are afraid of flying, especially since 9/11. He should also know that anything unusual coming from the cockpit, whether a religious sermon, uncontrollable sobbing, or maniacal laughter, is bound to freak people out. Whatever his intentions here, he should have known that some passengers would have been confused, worried or scared by his behavior.

As a professional pilot, charged with the well-being of his passengers, as well as a supposedly good Christian, his priority should have been the safety, physical and mental, of his passengers. In this regard, he failed spectacularly.

[OldFriend]

Notice my tagline.

[LizardQueen]

He should also know that anything unusual coming from the cockpit, whether a religious sermon, uncontrollable sobbing, or maniacal laughter, is bound to freak people out.

I probably shouldn't have laughed at this but I couldn't help it, ::lol::.

LQ

[Modernman]

I probably shouldn't have laughed at this but I couldn't help it, ::lol::.

"Umm.... Folks, this is the pilot speaking. If you haven't made peace with your creator, right about now would be a great time to do so. Thanks."