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I think the headline in this story is misleading. It should read "Two American West Pilots Charged With Drinking Before Flight."

The breathalyzers for both of these pilots was .08 according to news reports I have read today. That is not drunk.

Still, the pilots broke one of strictest rules in aviation - the "24 hour" rule. Even if they were caught having just one beer 12 hours before the flight, it is enough to cost them their jobs. All pilots have this drummed into their heads - that there is a zero tolerance policy for drinking alcohol 24 hours before your flight. It may be a dumb rule but nevertheless, that is no excuse for breaking it. Pilots are very highly compensated and they get plenty of "down time" between duty cycles to hit the bars all they want. So it looks like they made their own beds here. They will probably never work in the business again. Time to polish up that resume and get a new career.

Pilots are glorified truck drivers anyway. It is so easy to pilot a plane that even 13-year-olds can master it. Any stewardess can learn to be a good pilot. But many pilots can never be a stewardess - they just don't have the patience to put up with all the crap that a stewardess has to put up with.

Pilots are glorified truck drivers anyway. It is so easy to pilot a plane that even 13-year-olds can master it. Any stewardess can learn to be a good pilot.

Then why don't the airlines just get their pilots off the street? They could really save some bucks.

Still, the pilots broke one of strictest rules in aviation - the "24 hour" rule.

You do not know what you are talking about. There is no such thing as a "24 hour rule." FAR Part 121 is the governing law, and most airlines use a way more conservative 13 hour rule. Even in the old days it was "eight hours bottle to throttle". 24 hours. Your ignorance is showing.

Pilots are very highly compensated and they get plenty of "down time" between duty cycles to hit the bars all they want.

Are you professionally ignorant, or are you just talking to read yourself? Pilots to NOT have "pleanty of down time" between duty cycles. Once you begin a trip you are governed by FARs which permit an AVERAGE of 12 hours off between 14 hour duty periods.

Few airlines waste money sitting people on a layover when the FARs do not require it. Pilots are glorified truck drivers anyway. It is so easy to pilot a plane that even 13-year-olds can master it. Any stewardess can learn to be a good pilot.

No you have lost credibility. You say: 1. Pilots are highly compensated. 2. Anyone can do their job. Question then, what kind of idiot would NOT try to get the job? How dumb are you that you are NOT an airline pilot? Flying Microsoft Flight Simulator is not the same as .8 Mach at FL390 with Level 5 TRWs on a dark night. Sheesh... And, what pray tell is a "stewardess" - WHO ARE YOU? Have you even FLOWN as a passenger in the past 20 years? There is no such thing as a "stewardess" and hasn't been for 25 years.

You are misinformed. The FAA alcohol rule is 8 hours, not 24. As for your statement that "it is so easy to fly a plane that even 13 year olds can master it", I'll advise you that when I went thru USN flight school from 1982-84, the wash-out rate (flunk-out rate) was nearly 70%. All students were college graduates, many from the USNA. We even had an MD from the University of Michigan who wanted to eventually become an astronaut, but he did not make it thru.

The breathalyzers for both of these pilots was .08 according to news reports I have read today. That is not drunk.

I thought the FAA max allowed is .04%, though I would think all airlines have a zero tolerance rule. The reason it is so low is that at higher altitudes, even in pressurized aircraft, the air has less oxygen concentration which makes alcohol much more of an impairment. Someone somewhat sober on the ground may make really stupid mistakes once they get one mile up.