Time to buzz the tower!

QUOTE

Cathay Pacific pilot fired for 'Top Gun' tactic

Posted: February 26, 2008, 1:36 PM by Scott Deveau
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A Cathay Pacific Airways pilot has been fired after he performed an unauthorized "fly-by" with the airline's chairman and 60 other VIPs onboard, according to a report in Flight International.

The incident took place on Jan. 30 shortly after Cathay took possession of their new 777-300ER from Boeing in Everett, Washington.

After takeoff, Captain Ian Wilkinson brought the aircraft around again to the airfield and made a low-level fly past with the plane's wheels up - a maneuver that requires approval from the flight control tower, which the pilot failed to secure in advance.

The Top Gun-style fly-by, which apparently brought the plane within 8.5 metres of the runway, was caught in these photos and on this video.

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/f...un-tactics.aspx

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greekturkish/tiphat.gif

I can see doing this in jetfighter but in a big plane like this is just asking for trouble. greekturkish/shakehead.gif

There's not many things you can physically point at to describe the word "skillful" but I guess that plane at that time would be just the right object greekturkish/clap.gif

i would raise this pilots salary and made him a pilot-icon