Did you hear the one about the Cathay Pacific pilot who did a gear-up control tower flyby in a brand new Boeing 777? It happened on January 30, shortly after the airline took delivery of the plane at Boeing's manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington. The incident generated some buzz, but the pilot made one crucial mistake: he pulled his Top Gun stunt while the boss was on board. Now he's been canned.
A Cathay Pacific Airways captain who picked up a new 777-300ER airliner at Everett's Paine Field last month has been fired for buzzing the airfield before heading home to Hong Kong.
The celebratory flyby, reportedly just a few dozen feet above the runway, surprised the senior airline officials who were on board, among them company Chairman Christopher Pratt, according to the South China Morning Post.
The Hong Kong newspaper reported that Capt. Ian Wilkinson lost his job for violating company guidelines requiring prior clearance for such maneuvers.
Industry publication Flight International reported Monday that Wilkinson was the airline's senior 777 pilot. Cathay Pacific was taking delivery of its sixth 777-300ER, and the plane carried 50 to 60 people when it swooped past the airfield with its landing gear retracted.
The plane may have been as low as 28 to 30 feet off the ground, an unidentified Cathay Pacific source told the publication.
Whoops. Here's a crude YouTube of the low pass, for the curious, but follow the link below for an even better video:
(Hat tip: Rick O.)
LINK:
VIDEO: Cathay Pacific 777 low-level flypast: Watch the withdrawn video (Flight Global blog post)
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(IMAGE: Above, 777 flyby by Matt Cawby/Seattle Times)
I don't understand the controversy. I see the jetliner come in low over the tarmac, and then regain altitude. It appears perfectly controlled and safe, if extraordinary.
Posted by: chromal | 27 February 2008 at 04:44 PM
Awesome post, dood.
"Senior pilots" have been responsible for their fair share of crashes, huh?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_disaster
1994 Fairchild
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVaAVN94sTs&feature=related
Posted by: Jim | 27 February 2008 at 08:34 PM
The type of low pass wasn't out of line with the FAA, it was out of bounds of the airline's rule book. Nothing inherently wrong with a low pass and apparently the airline allows them. It's just that before a pilot does one they get approval from the main office. Low passes are mainly done at air shows.
A low pass that IS considered an acrobatic maneuver is one that at the end of the low pass the pilot abruptly pulls up into a very steep, straight up climb. Lots of fun but the FAA definitely frowns upon it. A professional aerobatic pilot can get a waver or approval from the FAA for airshows though. The Cathay Pacific pilot here did not do this type of maneuver though.
Posted by: Dean | 29 February 2008 at 08:31 AM