"Flight".....The movie and Reality

OK, I give.  After numerous questions about this movie, I finally was able to watch it after downloading it to my DVR.  I watched about half of it before turning it off and going to bed.  I am very sensitive when it comes to alcohol and drug abuse in our industry.  I and 99.9% of every airline pilot are professionals and very strict rule followers when it comes to procedures, checklists and safety.  It is ingrained into our DNA the moment we start flight training.  For those of us who have prior military experience, even more so.  Certainly, there have been those who have been caught and when it happens, they get a lot of publicity since airline crew are so highly scrutinized.  Occasionally, you will learn about other transportation professionals who were caught drinking or abusing drugs (train, bus, ship drivers for example).  Addiction is a non discriminatory disease and education, training and environmental development makes no difference.    BUT..........remember folks, this is Hollywood, NOT reality.  Several points:

1.   We, like many professions are subject to random drug and alcohol tests.  Just last week, between flights, I was subjected to a breathalyzer and urinalysis.  Whip Whitaker would never have gotten to become a senior captain at an airline, because at some point in time, he would have been caught.  Could he have escaped through sheer luck and been able to avoid any screening?  It is possible, but not likely.  Peers would have brought his behavior up to a chief pilot, who would have addressed the issue right away.   Drug and alcohol abuse by a crew member is taken VERY seriously and addressed immediately.  If caught, they are fired.  If they self report, they are given treatment.

2.  Jokes about the pilot drinking as you board or after you are on board ARE NOT FUNNY.  You might as well be joking about a bomb being on board.  I was once standing in the cockpit door greeting passengers drinking a soft drink in a cup with ice when a boarding passenger said, "I hope that's just a coke."  I looked at him with a very serious look and told him, "Sir, we don't even joke about that."  He was taken aback and a bit upset, but frankly I didn't care.  What if the passenger behind him had overheard that remark and didn't realize that he was making a joke?  Suddenly one passenger has a "suspicion or a doubt."  If that issue is raised and rumors begin or it is mentioned to a fight attendant, I am walking off the plane and going straight to the testing facility.  The flight is delayed while another pilot is found and my reputation, my profession, my livelihood is intact.  Joking about the pilots drinking when you are on the airplane is not funny nor wise.  Needless to say, I don't even drink water in view of passengers anymore.  In fact, on the few occasions when I make my PA to passengers standing in the aisle, (which I do when there is an unusual delay and I want to be sure that the passengers understand what is going on) now I make sure that my hands are visible to the passengers so they don't think I am pulling a "Whip Whitaker," and pouring myself a cocktail while I talk to them...sheeesh!  

3.  Can an airliner really fly "upside down?"   Of course.  While not a fighter jet or an aerobatic airplane, airliners ARE airplanes and can fly inverted.  We practice getting out of this condition (known as an unusual attitude) in our annual simulator sessions.  When Boeing introduced the 707 and was demonstrating its capabilities to potential buyers at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) gathering in Seattle, when it was a prototype and before it became the backbone of most airlines, the test pilot Tex Johnson actually "rolled" it.  I have a link to the video below.  The boss of Boeing was not pleased, but they certainly sold a lot of 707's. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra_khhzuFlE   Now, the odds of this actually happening on an airliner are extremely remote.  There was an accident off the coast of California where a jack screw failed on an Alaska Airlines flight.  That fatal crash spurred significant changes in the maintenance of elevator jack screws.

4.  Taking off with a line of thunderstorms in front of you is stupid.  I don't care how well you can read a radar, you don't fly through a thunderstorm and try to "find a clear area," behind it.  That is a recipe for disaster.  Often times, radar will mask a tornado, hail or more severe weather in area that appears clear. If we see an area of storms, we avoid them.  Staying on the ground until it passes is the most prudent thing to do and is what we all do since most storms move very quickly.  Will there be some turbulence as we bypass a storm?  Possibly, but it won't be severe like it would be inside of an area of thunderstorms.

5.  Most portrayals of airline pilots in the movies are incorrect (except that we are all handsome) ;-).  Much of the dialogue on the radios they show are not realistic and we don't sit there constantly staring out the front gripping the yoke (flight control).  We also don't fall asleep and turn over all responsibilities to the other pilot.  We do drink coffee to stay alert, and get up to stretch.  Staying alert, sharp and maintaining situational awareness while we are flying is paramount and that is why there are two of us and we will never be replaced by a computer.

So, as you watch these movies, be entertained and know that much of what you see is fictional and unrealistic as it has to be, otherwise you would be bored.  Flying is hours of boredom punctuated by rare moments of excitement.  As my Navy CO used to say, "Boring is good."