Jet Blue pilot who was removed from cockpit told officials he'd had 7 or 8 drinks

[Demovictory9]

AJet Blue pilot was removed from a plane's cockpit in Buffalo on Wednesday morning after a TSA officer told authorities that he appeared "impaired" while passing through security, authorities said.

The pilot, James Clifton, 52, was taken into custody after registering a blood-alcohol level of .17, a Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokeswoman said.

Clifton told authorities he'd had seven to eight drinks before getting on the Fort Lauderdale-bound aircraft, the spokeswoman, Helen Tederous, said.

Clifton submitted to the test after telling police he needed to get his gun from the plane's cockpit, Tederous said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/jet-blue-pilot-who-was-removed-from-cockpit-told-officials-he-d-had-7-or-8-drinks/ar-AAUxy1F

[WHITT]

1. Four Times The Legal Limit

Yikes!

[cstanleytech]

5. I would rather have him flying drunk than Trump back in office with the launch codes though.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Not a necessary choice. And not an excuse. . . . nt

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Is There A Legal Limit For Pilots?

Other than zero, that is.
For driving, the limit is 0.08. Is that 0.04 for pilots?
If so, I'd think it should be none!
The majority of pilots are working when they're flying. Drinking on the job seems it should be an absolute no.

[sheshe2]

2. He ...

Clifton submitted to the test after telling police he needed to get his gun from the plane's cockpit, Tederous said.

WTF!

[obamanut2012]

6. Many pilots carry sidearms

They are called A Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO), which is a "...commercial airline pilot who has been trained and licensed to carry a firearm to defend the aircraft against a hijacking attack."

I know about them because a friend's husband is one for a major airline.

[North Shore Chicago]

3. So glad he

was stopped from flying that plane! This may be the intervention that is needed.

[Skittles]

4. armed and drunk

[BlueTsunami2018]

7. Probably does it all the time.

You’d be surprised how often you see airline personnel slamming down drinks in airport bars.

[Wicked Blue]

8. I worked at a small airport many years ago. Saw quite a few pilots drinking.

While working for a car rental company in the early 1970s, I was horrified to see pilot after pilot bee-lining for the airport bar between flights. Some of them invited me to join them for drinks, but I refused.

This made me afraid to set foot on a plane for many years.

[MissB]

9. I have a sibling that is a pilot

They fly a large private aircraft for a well known Hollywood person. They take alcohol consumption seriously- won’t touch the stuff for two days before any flight.

Their job is such that they’re often in another country for weeks at a time. The flight crew can usually wander about, but they can’t easily pop into a pub or similar watering hole because of the nature of their job- the plane owner often has last minute plans that need to be accommodated.

I’ve never asked, but I assume the compensation is good.

So I guess I’ve always assumed that pilots are like my sibling and don’t go around slamming down drinks before being responsible for many lives.

This story is disturbing!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. To feel a need to drink that much then... he must be an alcoholic. . . . nt

[Chainfire]

12. Any person who gets stewed before going to work is most likely and alcohoic.

Anyone who can have that alcohol blood level and still function is a very experienced drinker. Usually, alcoholics get away with being drunk at work for a long time before they are caught, so this was, most likely, not his first time flying high...

I am an alcoholic that has been dry for 20 years or so, (I stopped counting) and I never went to work drunk. The man is ill enough to risk his life and the life of all of those in his care because he couldn't face life sober. I damn the man for doing that, but I pity his condition. I hope that he wakes up and faces himself, but he should not be allowed in a cockpit ever again, for even if sober, he can't be forgiven for playing so recklessly with other people's lives.

I hope he gets better.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Had A Friend Like That

Drank black russians until he passed out, but never drank & went to work.
Missed some days (not many), but never went to work gassed.
He quit drinking in the 80s.

[kwolf68]

14. Hope he has a good backup plan

for a job.