Airliner pilot jailed for drinking

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

Then why is the car limit so high and the flying limit so low? Intoxication is intoxication. If you can still handle a car without problems then I don't see why you should be unable to fly an aircraft. Both require you to be fully alert and able to control your body.
I think it's an arbitrary limit that doesn't necessarily reflect on your ability to control a vehicle.
Don't get me wrong, I don't condone intoxicated driving or flying, I just think that the punishment is too high in this case. He had the intention to fly but ultimately didn't. So he was punished for intending to fly with a comparatively low amount of alcohol in his blood. I find 9 months in prison too much for that. Suspend his license for 2 years or something. You'll be hard pressed in Germany to be sent to jail for 9 months for beating the crap out of somebody and here someone gets a sentence like that although no one has been injured.

frankly, its not about whether he can handle it.

It is whether or not he exhibits the ability to exercise personal self control and exhibit the responsibility expected from someone in a position such as himself.

He exercised poor judgement, he knew the legal limit, no matter what the limit, how high, how small, he exceeded this limit. he made the grown man's decision to exceed it. and people, especially federal authorities on the matter, chief pilots, passengers and airline executives expect pilots to be capable of better decision making

additionally, consider the liability exposure. If he even so much as ran into an incorrectly placed baggage cart and this resulted in the death of a handler, or an injury of a passenger - the A#1 thing they will always do is drug test the whole crew... bam... over the limit captain. you just exposed the airline to hundreds of millions of dollars in liability