I have just returned from a OneWorld Round-the-World trip, and very enjoyable it was.
One of my flights was AA4461 from New York (JFK) to Washington (DCA) on Friday 3 September, and I am still trying to come to terms with what I experienced.
I have travelled across USA at least once a year for the last 30-odd years, so I am no stranger to the obesity crisis across that country, but I never expected to see it on display in the coughpit of one of their leading airlines. Now it is difficult to describe in words the immensity of the captain of our American Eagle flight, but he was so massive that he would have even turned heads in any Walmart, where such waddling behemoths are a regular feature of the aislescape. My good wife, an American herself and so much more experienced than I am at assessing the mass of such bounteous blubber, placed him between 375 and 400 pounds. Let’s say about 175 kg. And he looked all the more astounding, being decked out in the AA uniform as he was. Two things are certain: First, AA did not pull this uniform off the rack, but had it especially tailored, and second, they won’t be using Fat Dave, as I shall call him, in their promotional material. He hardly cut the image of a John Travolta in uniform.
I did take note of Fat Dave’s real name from the in-flight announcements, but I shall not use it here, lest this post be dismissed as an attempt at personal humiliation.
I confess to having been quite shaken, whether rationally or not, at being committed to Fat Dave’s care, but my wife humoured me with the suggestion that even if he did survive the taxi out to the runway without suffering a heart attack, the small plane (an EMB with 1,2 seating arrangement) would never be able to get airborne. (In fact, we did get airborne and had a smooth flight, although the landing was quite heavy – which I am prepared to accept as coincidental!!)
Upon arrival at my in-laws’ home near Washington, we related the story of Fat Dave, and I commented that I was sufficiently upset at my safety being put in the hands of a pilot I considered to be unfit for duty that I had briefly considered leading a passengers’ revolt. They expressed great relief that I had not pursued such a course, because it could have exposed me to a charge of discriminatory behaviour!!
And this made me reflect upon the justification, if any, for my reaction. Was I simply being prejudiced, like those who opposed female piolts and black pilots? Does the physical condition of the pilot matter at all? Are tests done on pilots’ fitness and agility? (In my opinion, the only physical test that Fat Dave could confidently pass would be lifting a Big Mac from the table to his mouth.) I suppose my concerns boil down to (A) his heightened exposure to cardiac arrest and stroke, (B) the impossibility of moving him from his seat in the event that he suffered such a crisis during flight, (C) his total lack of agility if needed to handle some in-flight incident, involving for instance an unruly passenger, and finally (D) the real possibility of him being unable to pass through an emergency exit hatch.
I intend to write a letter of complaint to American, and I will post here their reply if/when it comes. But the thought occurs to me that many of you experienced travellers and airline insiders will have observations to make about this situation which could provide valuable content to my letter. So I invite you to contribute however you see fit, including telling me that I am concerned over nothing and being driven by prejudices, if that is your view.
Thanks,
Cocitus 23
One of my flights was AA4461 from New York (JFK) to Washington (DCA) on Friday 3 September, and I am still trying to come to terms with what I experienced.
I have travelled across USA at least once a year for the last 30-odd years, so I am no stranger to the obesity crisis across that country, but I never expected to see it on display in the coughpit of one of their leading airlines. Now it is difficult to describe in words the immensity of the captain of our American Eagle flight, but he was so massive that he would have even turned heads in any Walmart, where such waddling behemoths are a regular feature of the aislescape. My good wife, an American herself and so much more experienced than I am at assessing the mass of such bounteous blubber, placed him between 375 and 400 pounds. Let’s say about 175 kg. And he looked all the more astounding, being decked out in the AA uniform as he was. Two things are certain: First, AA did not pull this uniform off the rack, but had it especially tailored, and second, they won’t be using Fat Dave, as I shall call him, in their promotional material. He hardly cut the image of a John Travolta in uniform.
I did take note of Fat Dave’s real name from the in-flight announcements, but I shall not use it here, lest this post be dismissed as an attempt at personal humiliation.
I confess to having been quite shaken, whether rationally or not, at being committed to Fat Dave’s care, but my wife humoured me with the suggestion that even if he did survive the taxi out to the runway without suffering a heart attack, the small plane (an EMB with 1,2 seating arrangement) would never be able to get airborne. (In fact, we did get airborne and had a smooth flight, although the landing was quite heavy – which I am prepared to accept as coincidental!!)
Upon arrival at my in-laws’ home near Washington, we related the story of Fat Dave, and I commented that I was sufficiently upset at my safety being put in the hands of a pilot I considered to be unfit for duty that I had briefly considered leading a passengers’ revolt. They expressed great relief that I had not pursued such a course, because it could have exposed me to a charge of discriminatory behaviour!!
And this made me reflect upon the justification, if any, for my reaction. Was I simply being prejudiced, like those who opposed female piolts and black pilots? Does the physical condition of the pilot matter at all? Are tests done on pilots’ fitness and agility? (In my opinion, the only physical test that Fat Dave could confidently pass would be lifting a Big Mac from the table to his mouth.) I suppose my concerns boil down to (A) his heightened exposure to cardiac arrest and stroke, (B) the impossibility of moving him from his seat in the event that he suffered such a crisis during flight, (C) his total lack of agility if needed to handle some in-flight incident, involving for instance an unruly passenger, and finally (D) the real possibility of him being unable to pass through an emergency exit hatch.
I intend to write a letter of complaint to American, and I will post here their reply if/when it comes. But the thought occurs to me that many of you experienced travellers and airline insiders will have observations to make about this situation which could provide valuable content to my letter. So I invite you to contribute however you see fit, including telling me that I am concerned over nothing and being driven by prejudices, if that is your view.
Thanks,
Cocitus 23
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