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Bob,
I agree that this thread has regrettably gotten off the beaten path, but I did want to answer your question:
Would I, as an airline pilot, turn in another pilot I felt was under the influence in the cockpit? Absolutely. Would I have flown with a Captain like that when I was still a First Officer? Absolutely not.
I'm sure there are members of our ranks which would try to cover for someone in similar circumstances, but I think that's largely a thing of the past. Most of the guys I know would not tolerate it.
The case you cited where a flight was cancelled had nothing to do with egos: a passenger inquired in a tongue-in-cheek manner about the sobriety of the pilots loudly and in front of other passengers. The Captain (justifiably in my opinion) chose to immediately request breathalyzer tests for both him and his F/O for their own protection in case there was any doubt in anyone's mind as well as to deal with the possibility, however remote, that the comment was repeated within earshot of anyone in a position to report the incident to the FAA. This kind of stuff can end careers and we take it pretty seriously.
My ego is not the reason I chose to respond to some of the stuff that was offered to the group here. It was simply setting the record straight. When I read something that I know to be inaccurate or misleading, I speak up. Though I have a lot of experience, I'm still a work in progress as pilot. I still learn from my mistakes as well as those of others and pick up new things from the guys I fly with all the time. It's the guys who think they already know everything that scare me.
Regards,
Skip Slater
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