The winners of the today’s award have pulled one of the most inexcusable and ridiculous acts. Last Wednesday, Oct 21 the flight crew of Northwest Airlines Flight 188 missed their intended destination by 150 miles. Capt. Timothy B. Cheney, 53, and First Officer Richard Cole, 54, were experienced officers, not rookies. Until this incident Cheney had a spotless record. The pilots were oblivious of attempts by air traffic controllers to contact them for over an hour. National Guard jets were even on standby to intervene. Cheney and Cole were so engrossed with the new pilot scheduling program on their personal laptops that they were unaware of their surroundings. Further it has been reported that the pilots were using overhead speakers and not headphones which can make it harder to hear radio communication. The FAA has revoked the pilot license of Cheney and Cole. I guess they do not have to worry about learning the new scheduling program. This incident kind of makes me wonder about that using electronic devices can interfere with flight communication and control is being giving to the wrong group of people.
The Dee Zone 