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Female WestJet pilot posts passenger's sexist note on Facebook

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The female pilot of a WestJet flight from Calgary to Victoria is venting steam on Facebook over a sexist note one of her male passengers left her on an airline napkin. (news.ca.msn.com) More...

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zcolescott
Zachary Colescott 30
I say good for her for being able to respond in a way that maintained her composure and integrity. Some people need to grow up, evolve, and get out of the dark ages.
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PhotoFinish
PhotoFinish 4
Welcome to the real world. A woman can ve just as good a pilot as a man. Piloting skill Shoukd br thR only criteria in the hiring of pilots. Gender should not br an issue in the least.

I can accept an argument that more men on average will have better visual spatial and hand eye coordination skills. Also that more guys are interested in piloting planes than women interested in doing so.

But I wonder, if girls play video gamesand sports at close to the same levels as guys of similar age, will the visual spatial, hand coordination, and vocational interests change to move closer.

While there have been dramatic changes in gender ratios of many professions in the last several decades, the gender balance in piloting has resisted change as drastic as many other professions.

I wonder why. Gender and piloting would make for an interesting sociological investigation.

The guy is still a jerk.
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preacher1
preacher1 6
In 2013, 3 female Captains here in the Valley, RETIRED off of major airlines, 1 off SWA and 2 off of UAL. Never so much as a scratch on a plane or anything detrimental in their file. They were 30 and 40 year vets. They started when it was totally a man's world. Numbers have increased since those days but they were just flat good. They had sexist remarks, I'm sure, not only from pax but from the flight deck.
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btweston
btweston 12
I do enjoy it when someone says something wildly sexist and then says, "Sorry, not PC," as though they are the poor victim of some evil, oppressive force.

How about not being a jerk? That might solve most of your problems.
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flyingj481
flyingj481 27
Next time he can make the 14 hour drive in peace in his car. Maybe he can come up with a proverb for that too.
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onceastudentpilot
tim mitchell 8
Some say that women make better pilots than men...My last instructor was a woman, the flying pilot of my last commercial flight was a woman which did a great job bringing us back home from IAH to CLT (the last two male United crews made us all feel like we had been shot out of the air) and who can argue that Patty Wagstaff isn't one of the best aerobatics pilots living.
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PhotoFinish
PhotoFinish 3
There already is a popular perception that women make better teachers. So saying that women make better flight instructors fits right in to that preconception.

We should help each person best use their one individual skills (regardless of gender). Often times, some get too preoccupied with gender ratios, which too often is misplaced energy.

With numbers of female pilots so low, I'm sure female pilots would be to see more of their own cohort out in the field every day. Having more lady pilots would make their own experience better. Their presence on the flight deck would be less an anomaly. Women pilots still work is a male dominated world. Larger numbers of women pilots would mitigate some of the gender based adverse experiences, such as the one reported in this article, and even some that may come at the hands of their own colleagues.

I will refrain from making making statements about which gender makes the better pilots. It is certainly possible that the best pilots may be women. There are certainly historical contributors to why more men have been better pilots or at least why they've been more pilots. But the historical contributors may change over time.
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WALLACE24
WALLACE24 0
Women are quite smart. Instead of going and getting their pretty asses shot they let testosterone crazed men do it. They let men get the job and die young from a stressed caused heart attack. Can they fly the fighter or do the job? You bet they can. Therefore I submit they are now dumbed down! It's a joke-----REALLY.
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cblair0608
cblair0608 7
Westjet was correct for not replying to such a ridiculous note. People have no time for that stuff. I know many female pilots and if they can pass the re-current training every 9 months (and the sweatbox/hotbox) then that is good enough for me. I can only imagine the mentality of the individual who wrote that.
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MikeMohle
Mike Mohle 6
Her comment about "not needing cocks anymore" was classic. Good for her!
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glabady738
Galen Labady 10
I don't know why he's complaining because she landed his plane safely and did her job correctly. Women fly just as good as men.
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skuttlerats
Jeffrey Babey 5
Just another idiot trying to get his 5 minutes of fame....he got it.
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btweston
btweston 7
No, I think he was just an idiot.
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CaptainFreedom
CaptainFreedom 4
It would be nice to hear the perspectives of female pilots on this thread....hint hint :)
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TXCAVU
Elizabeth Robillard 21
The plane doesn't care what gender you are, Can you fly the plane and manage the systems?
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CaptainFreedom
CaptainFreedom 5
We'll put...i do believe that men tend to have bigger egos, which can of course be deadly in aviation. I also think that women are exposed to a lot of bs which is subliminal and goes unreported. The attitudes in younger generations gives me hope that this issue is becoming less prevalent over time.
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PhotoFinish
PhotoFinish 6
Younger generations have much less prejudice than earlier generations in just about every measure. And the prejudice appears to decrease increasingly by each younger year of birth.
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WALLACE24
WALLACE24 2
Why do you think that is?
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PhotoFinish
PhotoFinish 2
Who knows. But study after study consistently shows it to be true on average fairly universally, everywhere. You'll have regional variation and individuals who are outliers. Eg. There are neo-nazis and suicide bombers. But most young people are much less prejudiced that the generation before them. This is true everywhere, US, Europe, Iran, Russia, etc. So not just liberal societies but in more repressive societies and just about every place in between.

Much violence associated with discrimination will still be perpetuated by young people (as most violence is).

As for the reason, your guess is just as good as the next guy. Sociologists probably also have true own guesses.

I'd say since you asked is the interconnectedness of the world. This interwebs thingy that we're all using to communicate with each other and exposing us to all sorts and lots of opinions likely has a lot to do with it. People are less insular and parochial. The younger a person is, the less the discriminatory they are.

Won't do away with war, geopolitical interests and the rest any time soon. But it does suggest hope for the world. Even in the roughest environments, just wait a generation and each society will be less discriminatory.
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preacher1
preacher1 3
Simply put for the exact question, they haven't grown up around them. Our early generation, Women didn't vote or drive, got married, had kids, stayed home barefoot and pregnant.
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CaptainFreedom
CaptainFreedom 3
Looks like Adam S has left the building. Good riddance.....and thank you flightaware.
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coele1
coele1 3
... There are two sides to free expression of opinion. As far as I am concerned, this is the downside :-)
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falcon1073
Michael Sanchez 5
Just terrible!
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preacher1
preacher1 5
Sad part about this whole thread, and including myself, is that we have all jumped on the bandwagon of HOW IT OUGHTA BE. There is probably not a one of us that wouldn't turn our heads upon seeing a woman pilot, just simply because there are not that many of them. If we sat down beside one in the pointy end, we would probably be a little uncomfortable, as with anyone we had not flown with, until we got a feel for how they did things, but would probably just accept it as a sign of the times and keep our mouths shut, regardless of personal feelings. If she could do the job then more power to her. Tis not for me to lump her into a one size fits all position. It takes a special person, male or female to master the pointy end of a big machine. There are set out qualifications that are not gender specific but if anything, they are harder for a woman to master because of the gender thing. Regardless of personal feelings, there is a respect to be had for that mastery. The feelings need to stop there rather than brought on out in a sterotyped, demeaning manner.
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Paterfamilias
Denis Sullivan 3
If she couldn't do the job she wouldn't have been sporting 4 stripes and sitting in the lefthand seat to begin with. What stupidity on the part of that passenger.
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flyingscotno1
flyingscotno1 2
What a idiot that passenger is, to leave a nasty message. As the job is so male dominated you still notice if you have a female pilot, but apart from that it makes no difference to the flight and job they do.
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mrbill767
mrbill767 2
Obviously one's religious beliefs these days have no seat at today's table. I don't see anything in the Constitution eluding to the idea of "freedom FROM religion. One might disagree with the passenger but it seems that most who disagree really have no basis for their position other than emotion. As an aside my experience with female pilots has not been very good. Out of perhaps a dozen female pilots I've flown with commercially, only 3 perhaps 4 would I consider captain material. That's out of 26 years flying commercially. However, my experience in the USAF was completely a positive one. Every female was a great stick. I think it was about 4 out of 4.
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WeatherWise
WeatherWise 2
This sexist loser needs the green laser treatment. Maybe he'll see things more clearly.
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Surfstud31
Mike Lanza 2
Hard to imagine a note like that in this day and age. Kudos to the pilot for her calm and cool in handling the matter. Gender has nothing to do with one's ability to be a good pilot. Wonder if that note would've been left for Amelia Earhart as well? Lol!
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Paterfamilias
Denis Sullivan 2
Some people would actually feel uncomfortable, and would wonder if a female could do the job? You don't get those 4 stripes and a place in the lefthand seat unless you CAN do the job. Period.
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smitheroons
Alice Smith 2
"The airline goes on to say it has 1,118 male pilots and 58 female pilots, and that WestJet Encore has 96 male pilots and 10 female pilots."

I had no idea the numbers were so grim. That's barely over 5%. I knew it was a male dominated profession but I had not realized to what degree.
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stevooz
steve rogers 2
in that case this idiot should stop flying altogether , does he not realize that a very large number of female engineers put together those planes that he flies on , tell him to take a tour of a boeing or airbus plant next time he wants to open his mouth
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tduggan2010
Tim Duggan 3
What's really at work, here, is the bogosity of abrahamic-based religion.

Note the writer's reference to "Proverbs 31". This is the thought of a sick and twisted mind, and unfortunately this type of "thinking" is all too common. It is sad to see it rear its ugly head, even in Canada.
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preacher1
preacher1 4
In the Jewish religion, all is based on the Old Testament and such was the role of a woman, as is still evidenced by Mosaic law today. Even in the New Testament, raised as a Jew, Jesus was sort of limited to the customs of the times and a lot of those were customs of men and not God's. There are a lot of things that have evolved nowadays that don't violate God's law. The go against older customs of man. This is one of them.
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WALLACE24
WALLACE24 -4
Seems to me that Muslims are more inclined toward this thinking than Christians. That's just me though.
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LGM118
LGM118 6
Depends on which ones you talk to. I've met many Muslims who had very progressive views about sexuality, and I've met Christians who hate womens' rights. It's not about the religion, it's about the people.
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WALLACE24
WALLACE24 2
It certainly doesn't have to be about religion but it can be. Apparently this guy tied it into a religious thing with the Proverbs comment ( at least religious for him). If any of my reading is correct in most Muslim dominated countries women are something of a second class citizen. Guess he just needs to check out the pilots first next time. His Bad.
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LGM118
LGM118 5
And in most Christian dominated countries women were second class citizens too. No, we haven't had a good old fashioned theocracy since the renaissance (waxing nostalgic for the Dark Ages!), but the Western World, for all its enlightening, still has a lot of problems.

Case in point: In over 20 states, rapists can sue their victims for custody of children. Let's not even get into the debacle that contraception and abortion rights have turned into. Griswold v Connecticut (right to use contraception) was less than 50 years ago, Roe v Wade was 40 years ago and remains one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions because we have a sizable portion of the country that actually wants us to go back to the Dark Ages when it comes to womens' rights.
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WALLACE24
WALLACE24 0
Absolutely. Government involvement never changes the minds of people one bit on any given issue. It only makes a law that one side loves and the other hates. We won't even get into Constitution interpretation. Lol. What's right today may be wrong tomorrow and vice versa. One sexist more or less makes no difference except to the lady pilot. A couple Jack Daniels and she might even find it humorous.
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THRUSTT
THRUSTT 0
A couple Jack Daniels, and she might be in love in the morning...
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preacher1
preacher1 0
You're being sexist. LOL
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preacher1
preacher1 1
Don't know that much about the Muslims because you hear so much about Shariah Law, but you are entirely correct about people. This note is a good example of that. Lots of times, the message of Love Thy Neighbor gets overridden by human emotion
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LGM118
LGM118 2
"Shariah law" is more or less a myth. The Middle Eastern countries are fairly openly (at least abroad) cynical about it. Nobody in the Saudi government has any real illusion that any of the religious stuff is about more than maintaining government legitimacy.

Resource-producing countries tend towards non-democratic government because their revenue is mostly from exports and sales, not from tax revenue. They also have little need for social services since labor is often cheap and doesn't need to be skilled. The Middle Eastern theocracies have a lot more to do with oil than they do with Islam when it comes for why they do what they do.
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preacher1
preacher1 3
You are pretty correct. It's all about making money for those in power and they are realistic about that. In regards to this WestJet female pilot, if she earned her wings, she can probably handle that thing as good or better than a man and I can't really blame here for being pissed at the comment. I have to admire her for being as gracious as she was in her reply. LOL
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Gmach
Bri Mac 1
Was that note a direct translation from the Arabic?
Just another refugee embracing their new countries customs and leaving their prejudices back in the 12th century, where they come from.
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LGM118
LGM118 3
I did some quick Google searches, and the guy who left said note was not only a jerk, but a jerk with no understanding of theology or his own religion. I'm no expert on theology, so if a theologian comes in, I'll defer to that person.

Proverbs 31 has two parts. The first is basically advice that one King Lemuel received from his mother. It's pretty entertaining if you read it a certain way. His mother basically says that kings don't drink, but should totally make sure that the peasants are kept drunk so that they forget how miserable they are.

The second part of Proverbs 31 is more or less a definition of a "good" wife/woman. Notably, it basically says that women should be valiant and more or less militant. Yes, it's heavily implied that they'd also be wives and mothers, but the gist of Proverbs 31 is that they're supposed to provide for their families on some level.

So yeah, basically the passenger on that Westjet flight is an idiot who wants to tell people how to live their lives based on misinterpretations of minor aspects of his "religion"
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btweston
btweston 3
What? A fundamentalist misquoted the Bible in order to justify his whacked out worldview? No way... That never happens.
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LGM118
LGM118 1
I did some quick Google searches, and the guy who left said note was not only a jerk, but a jerk with no understanding of theology or his own religion. I'm no expert on theology, so if a theologian comes in, I'll defer to that person.

Proverbs 31 has two parts. The first is basically advice that one King Lemuel received from his mother. It's pretty entertaining if you read it a certain way. His mother basically says that kings don't drink, but should totally make sure that the peasants are kept drunk so that they forget how miserable they are.

The second part of Proverbs 31 is more or less a definition of a "good" wife/woman. Notably, it basically says that women should be valiant and more or less militant. Yes, it's heavily implied that they'd also be wives and mothers, but the gist of Proverbs 31 is that they're supposed to provide for their families on some level.

So yeah, basically the passenger on that Westjet flight is an idiot who wants to tell people how to live their lives based on misinterpretations of minor aspects of his "religion"
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preacher1
preacher1 2
I'm not a real theologian but I'm a thinkin' that was King Solomon. I have never heard of a King Lemuel. The guy is still a jerk.
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preacher1
preacher1 6
My apologies, as we are both right. King Solomon is basically the author of Proverbs but the words of a King Lemuel are quoted by him. LOL But the guy is still a jerk.
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erik1010
erik1010 3
It's truly sad that this day in age someone is this naive and arrogant.
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WALLACE24
WALLACE24 2
Maybe he wants to BE a woman???
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egad
James Hodges 1
Sometimes the truth hurts .
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Windval
Rob Kemperman 1
What she does in her off time is her choice
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PeterFairlie
Peter Fairlie 1
http://globalnews.ca/news/1186193/female-westjet-pilot-receives-sexist-note-from-passenger-no-place-for-a-woman/
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Jlemke
John Lemke 1
I just love the pilot's comment. This guy that left this note is a jerk. I wonder if he feels the same way when he orders a coffee purchase and is served by a female. You women pilot's go for it and keep flying us safely to our destination's.
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Gmach
Bri Mac 1
“
Was that note a direct translation from the Arabic? Just another refugee embracing their new countries customs and leaving their prejudices back in the 12th century, where they come from.
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JCMIA
James Carlin 1
In the words of Weird Al - "another one rides the bus".
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embrj145
Marcelo de lima 1
Men have failed to recognize that Women is just of if not better capable of doing any job Men do, and yes they have already, just look around,having said that and at the risk of being categorized sexist as well, there are somethings to consider, at the same time Women conquered their space in society, the ability to fight for their rights and passions, we can not deny that the family aspect of the society has declined,Kids are abandoned,left for the school educators to take care of them or nannys or grandparents,ever wonder why so many kids bullying or killing themselves or worse killing other kids? marriages no longer last, they're just a peace of paper,like a contract that can be broken at anytime, it may not have anything to do with the fact that women has left the home to conquer their space, heck this woman pilot may not even be married or have kids or intend to have one, these are just things to consider, i am not a follower of the bible , because a lotta things i can't comprehend, but it does say something about the woman being submissive to the Men, i don't agree with it, but perhaps there is a reason behind it and one day we will all know.
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preacher1
preacher1 1
Half truths or half scriptures cause a lot of problems as far as the Bible goes. That particular word about submission is there but you need to go on and read the rest of the story and you will find in context that men are supposed to treat their wives as themselves and be the protector so it does not put the woman in slave status.
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armonica
armonica 1
Welcome to the world. Gender doesn't matter. Plenty of twits out there. Men get questioned as well about their ability. He's clueless. Just do your job, remain professional. Don't take it personally.
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PhotoFinish
PhotoFinish 1
This discussion comes at an opportune time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okFKnjfA_uE
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KenClutter
Ken Clutter 1
This man is lost in todays society. It's about training, knowledge, and skill. NOT GENDER.
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Ilaakster
Donald Pungowiyi 1
Just imagine if Amelia Earhart read this, Oooo I bet sh would be pissed. lol
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Av8nut
Michael Fuquay 1
Why is he quoting the Bible in Proverbs 31? Verse 11 says “In her the heart of her owner has put trust.”

Maybe this guy should've had his trust in this woman.
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bernard5810
Bernard Morin 1
Good for you! Some of the best pilots I had the pleasure to fly with were women...there is no place for that kind of behavior anywhere in the modern world.

Captain Bernard Morin
Air Canada retired
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adrianuscornelisse
Adrianus Cornelisse 1
I thought that such religious filth only happened in the southern USA. I am disappointed that this decease still exist in Canada. I really thought that our education system had eradicated this deplorable immorality from our belief systems. Just like the plaque some criminals will keep this alive. He is lucky I was not on that flight.
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dwcason60
David Cason 5
Not sure I follow your rationale - "such religious filth only happened in the southern USA." That comment is ALMOST as stupid as the passenger's.
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dnorthern
dnorthern 2
David,
Thank you for your response. His comment "such religious filth" was both inappropriate and uncalled for.
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adrianuscornelisse
Adrianus Cornelisse -1
There is nothing more than to wish that I could agree with you. Please refer to my reply to David Cason.
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adrianuscornelisse
Adrianus Cornelisse -1
I wish I could agree. Elected Republicans trying very hard to pass legislation in the Southern States to take away the right of how a woman can control HER body. All in the name of the religious right. If they succeed, a woman becomes a slave of society. Back to the middle ages.
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preacher1
preacher1 2
Although he may have quoted Proverbs, his comment has nothing to do with religion, one way or other. It is strictly an attitude and personal belief, for whatever reason, and he used that for justification. That same attitude is why you see less that 5% female on the WestJet pilot roster. He is just one that chose to put it in writing. No telling what is being thought by many. A female pilot is still minority enough to turn heads but based on comments here, that's as far as it needs to go. She has not only all the training to complete but all the BS of being a female in a male dominated profession. Getting thru all that makes her a Saint in my book.
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adrianuscornelisse
Adrianus Cornelisse 1
Very well said.
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mikemalin44
Mike Malin 0
A professional pilot would just suck it up , smile and get on with flying .
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GregMaynard
Greg Maynard 1
Gee it doesn't look as if you're smiling and getting on.... instead you must say your two cents worth Michael. Oh thats right you are righteous and ontop of things where you don't care much of others rights except yours. How about you give us your cell phone # or email address or even better mailing address so we can all send discreminating notes to you. How about we discreminate against your stature or lack thereof. And then after oh so many annoying gestures top it off by calling you at 2 am and whisper suck it up buttercup
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TXCAVU
Elizabeth Robillard 0
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

“The cockpit is no place for a woman”

WestJet Airlines pilot Carey Steacy had just wrapped up a flight from Victoria to Calgary when cleaning crews brought her a note, written on a napkin, left behind by one of the passengers.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2573502/The-cockpit-no-place-woman-Outrage-male-passenger-leaves-sexist-note-aimed-female-pilot.html
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CPAIR007
JASON AWID 0
gotta love social media .....
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devsfan
ken young 0
Why bother to call attention to this nonsense. By making this public, the neanderthal is encouraged.
How is this "news"?....
Social media....sometimes its evil.
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EdgarA84
EDGAR ARREOLA 0
he is just an idiot frustrated because he was never able to get he's own pilot license
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speedbird347
Derek Vaughn -1
Women should be able to do anything they want and they make good pilots; however they have no business on the frontlines of ground combat.
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preacher1
preacher1 2
Well, there are probably some that are or want to be but I think the American Public has an aversion to seeing one shot or blown all to hell.
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speedbird347
Derek Vaughn 0
It's just plain wrong
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mariofer
mariofer -2
So the passenger had the right to express his feelings and the Captain had it too. Isn't that what free speech is? MOVE ON!
We as a society in North America have become so complacent with our success that we have nothing better to do than complain and argue about things like these. Maybe that is why our economies and society values are on the proverbial Death Spiral. hhmmm that is what took out the Roman Empire wasn't it?
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[This poster has been suspended.]

GuamPilot
Michael Wendt 8
I am a commercial pilot with over 28,000 hours. I am also a Caucasian male who was born and grew up in Indiana.

If you want a "solid" pilot you are looking at the wrong labels.

I've flown with more than 1000 different pilots. The number women in my 'top 100 best pilots' are a very high percentage. There is only ONE woman in my 'bottom 100'.

Emotions? I've worked many days with men who can't get their head into the job because of their emotions.

I've flown with excellent pilots who were minorities, and or foreign, and or religious, and or atheist, and or military, and or civilian, and or straight, and or gay, and or fill in the blank. None of these labels determine if a person will be a good or bad pilot.

Do I agree that being a mother is the highest honor for a woman? Yes, but I also believe being a father is the highest honor for a man. And I've observed over the years that what a man or woman does for a living has no bearing on whether they are a good or bad mother or father.
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tduggan2010
Tim Duggan 3
I would give you a thousand, or ten thousand "Thumnbs Up" for that post, if I could.

(Of course...talk is cheap...but, you have earned respect, and that is priceless).
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preacher1
preacher1 2
yep
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[This poster has been suspended.]

GuamPilot
Michael Wendt 1
I took my first flying lesson in 1977 and started at a commuter airline in 1980. Yes, women pilots were even more rare than now. But sad to say, women pilots are still rare. As are minorities. I've never understood why so few women and minorities start flying lessons.

I have always encouraged everyone I talk with to consider learning to fly. And while I strongly disagree with 'affirmative action' I have told women and minorities that for the foreseeable future, they will have a hiring advantage.

Every flying school I've visited has been very accommodating to women and minorities.

But I must admit, once you are working with pilots you will find a sadly high number of misogynists. For what it's worth, they are not better pilots.
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preacher1
preacher1 1
I'll save you scrolling clear up to the top for one of my post's yesterday but this about sums it and now it's time for my nap.
"In 2013, 3 female Captains here in the Valley, RETIRED off of major airlines, 1 off SWA and 2 off of UAL. Never so much as a scratch on a plane or anything detrimental in their file. They were 30 and 40 year vets. They started when it was totally a man's world. Numbers have increased since those days but they were just flat good. They had sexist remarks, I'm sure, not only from pax but from the flight deck."
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tduggan2010
Tim Duggan 4
You are indeed a vile Human being. Let's hope that you haven't yet, and will never procreate...because your genetic material is no longer wished to be part of the Human genome.
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preacher1
preacher1 4
I guess if you'd have wrote the note, she'd have answered you in the same way. I agree that emotion is most often associated with women, but all of us are different. I have seen many men that turn out basket cases when undue stress comes along. She went through the same qualification testing that the men do for that position and one hopes that WestJet put her in that seat because she met those qualifications and not to satisfy some gender quota.
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btweston
btweston 3
You... Can't possibly be serious.

Home schooled?
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btweston
btweston 2
Ok, then you're just an idiot.
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preacher1
preacher1 2
O-o-o-o-h, maybe you need the nap now.
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CaptainFreedom
CaptainFreedom 3
and men aren't emotional?....lol I would say that perhaps we just internalize our feelings more than women, who release theirs on a regular basis, which seems more healthy to me in the aviation business....men will 'contain' their emotions until they no longer have the capacity to continue doing it, at which point you get a 'Mt. St. Helens' type of eruption....fights, alcoholic rants, and extreme violence are generally (not absolute, everyone) associated much more with men than women. I don't want to be a pax on a flight where the emotional container of someone on the flight deck is full and ready to erupt.
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preacher1
preacher1 4
My personal opinion is that you sound like a really uniformed, pompous ass. I have about 40 years and buku's of hours in the pointy end behind me, and I can tell you that everybody gets pissed every now and then, regardless of gender. That's my opinion and I am entitled to speak it, whether you agree with it or not
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CaptainFreedom
CaptainFreedom 2
Adam, I've never seen preacher get angry like this. That's quite an accomplishment on your part.
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btweston
btweston 4
No. The idea that women can do a job is not "PC crap." You are an idiot. Sorry, not my fault.
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btweston
btweston 2
...On what basis do you make that statement?
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preacher1
preacher1 2
"respects pilots". Pilot is a generic term and not restricted by gender. I have flown 135 big iron all my life, and at times feeling like warmed over dead when I came on board and having the CEO in the jump seat right behind me, acting like a back seat driver and questioning my every move. When you have that all the way from FSM to the old Kai-tak, you are a bundle of nerves and at times have a good cry when you get to the Hotel.
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btweston
btweston 2
Don't worry. You're grammar has been so screwed throughout this discussion that we didn't even notice.
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preacher1
preacher1 3
Nice to see I ain't the only one you pissed off today.
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preacher1
preacher1 1
Yeah, but look up there at Tim too; he didn't really have any kind words to say.
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btweston
btweston 3
No, I'm attacking your point of view. It is toxic.

What happened to you, anyway? Are you goofing around or... Where are you getting this stuff? Why must you announce your sexual insecurity in such a manner?
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preacher1
preacher1 3
Well, a big part of my raising was in SW OK and North TX and I have lived in Western AR since the early 70's, and though basically retired, am still very capable of opening a can of whup ass on some one, so just c'mon
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preacher1
preacher1 3
Nah, I don't take a nap during the day. Can't sleep at night if I do. I understand where you are coming from, feeling wise though. The female pilot thing, sad to say, does turn some heads even with so called normal folks though because as in many male dominated professions, they are still too few of them. I think gender discrimination has gone out the window but a lot of the women will not put themselves through what it takes to get there. As far as being a pilot, the training is rigorous enough itself, and to have that same attitude about women coming against them is just another battle to be fought. As far as your other comment about automation, we aren't in disagreement on that. The biggest problem I see there is that it should be used as a tool and not a crutch. You still need to know how to FLY THE PLANE. I personally like to hand fly out and in, to and from about 10 grand at least, with full thrust going out. Problem is, 121 bean counters have discovered fuel savings and such, requiring reduced t/o thrust and auto at as low as a grand. Pilots have to do it if they like their jobs. Captains can override preplans and take on extra fuel if needed, but knowing they'll have to explain it to somebody that don't know the pointy end from the back end is generally too much trouble.
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THRUSTT
THRUSTT 2
That's a lot of writing there old man, you're gonna need a can of Ensure and a nap...
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CaptainFreedom
CaptainFreedom 2
His male 'anger container' is fuller than when he got up this morning. I think it's risen from 1% to 3% full :)
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preacher1
preacher1 1
Nah, I'm in good shape. LOL
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THRUSTT
THRUSTT 2
Where is that? Hitchcock???
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TumblingBear
Rob Harrison -5
The note was tasteless, the reply even more so. I have flown with women pilots, good and bad; I have flown with male pilots, good and bad. But based on the snippy, vulgar response, I wouldn't want to fly with her either.
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preacher1
preacher1 5
I don't think her note was tasteless at all. Actually I thought she was very gracious. You are as bad as him to prejudice flying with her, based on a remark rather than her gender.
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btweston
btweston 5
So what would you recommend she say?

"You're right. I don't belong in the cockpit. Your analysis of the situation is spot on. Thank you."

No, she shouldn't have said that. She should have called the guy a fucking retard, but didn't.
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Gmach
Bri Mac 1
She represents the new flight deck attitude that operates as a crew regardless of gender or rank....you are clearly part of the old elite "my way or the high way" school. It was that arrogant "knowitall" attitude that has killed hundreds of innocent pax. around the world. You should read "A Tail of Two 747's"....took place in Tenerife....remember that?
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THRUSTT
THRUSTT -1
She made a mistake posting a response like that public, in uniform with the company name...
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btweston
btweston 5
I think that people should stand up for themselves more often. If her company is not behind her one hundred percent in this situation then they are wrong. This guy acted like a moron and deserves to be called out.

Why should we be afraid to speak our minds in situations like this? It's not like she tried to equate homosexuality with bestiality in a widely read publication or anything.
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preacher1
preacher1 1
She should have stood up for herself as she did and that is good; she lucked out that the company supported her. There is such a thing as a customer and the public and they could just as easily not have.
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THRUSTT
THRUSTT 0
There's something called professionalism. If you respond in an unprofessional manner, then you do it without the uniform or company pics. etc...
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preacher1
preacher1 2
It could have backfired if the company had not supported her, but they did. It really would not have meant anything though if situation was not fully explained.
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PhotoFinish
PhotoFinish 1
One might say that in the name of prudence. Bi WestJet was very supportive if her. Guess not all airlines are created equally.
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