SOMETIMES YOU JUST CAN'T RESIST A DARE
BUT IF YOU'RE SENSIBLE, THE FIRST THING YOU DO IS MAKE SURE YOUR BOSS IS NOT AROUND TO SEE YOUR BRAVERY!
Ian Wilkinson was flying a 230-ton 777-300ER on its maiden flight when he decided to liven things up a little. He had just flown the 365-seater jet from Boeing's plant in Seattle, Washington, when he wheeled it around and careered over the airstrip at 280 knots with his landing gear raised. The stunt was impressive; when the plane landed in Hong Kong there were congratulations all round. Unfortunately, the chairman of his employer, Cathay Pacific, was on board the plane to experience Wilkinson's Top Gun moment. To make matters worse, when his VIP passengers saw a video of the stunt on YouTube (it's been taken down so don't rush off!) they were horrified at just how low the plane actually flew over the runway.
As a result Wilkinson has been fired from his $500,000-a-year post as Senior Pilot for Cathay Pacific's Boeing 777 fleet.
So what's the legal link here? He's considering an appeal (and it was such a joyous story that I couldn't resist!)