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Warning. What you are about to read may keep you from ever climbing in an airplane again. A pilot was locked out of a JetBlue cockpit and the Las Vegas-bound plane diverted to Texas because the man was acting all crazypants.
Everyone is fine, including the passengers who restrained the unruly pilot as they say he yelled scary threats like "bomb" and "we're going down." Thank goodness! But it certainly makes you wonder, doesn't it? Why is everyone who says they're afraid of flying still talking about terrorists?
Shouldn't we all be more worried about pilots who are off their rocker? I'm not trying to send people into unnecessary hysteria here, but let's talk common sense. Boarding a plane means you put your life in the hands of the two people in the cockpit -- the captain and the co-pilot. What happens next is up to them.
Most of them are professionals who will get you there safe and sound. I grew up with a commercial pilot, and I trust him implicitly (at least when it comes to flying ... his taste in music on the other hand ...). But it's stories like this one out of Texas today that leave me wondering why people spend so much time talking terrorists and less on the people who have carte blanche access to airplanes!
The JetBlue pilot is now in federal custody after he had to be escorted off the plane in Amarillo, Texas. He was described by ABC as the plane's captain, meaning he was the head cheese in that cockpit. I can only imagine what would have happened if he didn't get up to go to the bathroom, and the other fast-thinking pilot hadn't hit the lock and arranged to land. Maybe it would have been fine, but maybe not.
Point being: the TSA can swab down as many wheelchair-bound toddlers as they want to ensure no bombs make their way onto airplanes. But all it takes is one cuckoo for cocoa puffs pilot who just broke up with his girlfriend and sees no reason to continue to live, and we're done for ...
So, are you still up for a trip in the "friendly" skies after this pilot's meltdown?
Image via Moto@Club4AG/Flickr
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
