This is your Captain Sleeping

[Long Look]

I have never heard of this happening on a trip to Abaco, but I am sure there are some great stories out there. I know every member of my family has that one flight to Abaco that they remember.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7635169.stm

[Patty&Rudi]

As a pilot, it amazes me that it was a 45-minute flight... I am pretty sure I could manage to stay awake for 45 minutes.

Here is a comment from a Continental friend:

This article from the AP indicates that they were suspended and also fired from their jobs. I suppose they are cleared to go back to work since their suspensions have expired, but I'm almost certain their airline careers are over. Perhaps the one pilot could use a remedy for sleep apnea.

[two rock reef]

I believe it was 1979. My mother and I were returning from Hope Town on Mackey Airlines. We took off from MHH and a short flight to TCB. When we arrived at TCB we were asked to disembark from the plane and wait on the porch. We observed the crew lowering one of the 4 engine covers, I believe the plane was a DC-6. They tinkered around for a while and then started taking nuts and bolts off of the gangway for the plane. They sent one man over to where the old burned down terminal was to look for whatever. A newly married couple noticed this activity also and the bride said she was not going to get on the plane. The groom said he had to be back at work, she replied go ahead! The captain noticed this situation, and came over to reassure us. The bride was hysterical and said she would go on the next plane. The captain told her the next plane was in 3 days! They completed whatever they did and proceeded to board the plane. The captain was seated with his window open and my mother (who was a private pilot at the time) asked him if everything was OK as we walked up the gangway. He replied, " I would not be sitting here if it was'nt". Needless to say, It was a very quiet flight to Florida and the bride was on the flight.

[DrRalph]

In October 1960 my grandfather took our family on a Windjammer cruise of the Northern Bahamas (http://www.drralph.net/BahamianStory.html). We flew from Cincinnati to Miami, spent the night in a motel, then boarded a Chalk's seaplane the next morning, bound for Bimini. Grandpa had a fancy new Super8 movie camera and asked the pilot if he could sit next to him in the copilot's seat. The guy said 'no problem,' and away we went. We were watching Grandpa film like crazy when all of the sudden he turned and started shaking the pilot: the guy had fallen asleep and was actually nodding forward. He woke up easily, and casually told Grandpa that on most flights he could usually sneak in a quick ten minutes, again 'no problem.':eek:

Wonder if those boys on that Hawaiian deal had gotten into the pakalolo patch before the flight?:confused:

[PELLUCID]

Fingers crossed, I've had nothing but uneventful flights in the islands.

A few years ago one of my boy scout crews arrived in Fort Lauderdale Exec for the charter flight to Marsh Harbour. The agent sent them out on the tarmac to the hangar, where the pilot and co-pilot were scratching their heads.

Seems the plane was in the back of the hangar. In front of it was another plane, and the crew had forgotten to close the crossover valve between the wing tanks the night before. Overnight, the fuel had drained over to one tank, and now the plane had one wingtip on the ground and the other too high to clear the hangar door.

The pilot said "Let's try having the entire scout crew climb on the upper wing to see if it will balance." Sure enough, it worked, so the pilot and co-pilot pushed the plane out with the scouts riding on the wing. Then they were able to get their own plans from the back of the hangar.

After that, the flight went off without a hitch!