The pilot hailed a hero over the crash-landing of a British Airways aircraft at Heathrow is leaving the airline after applying for voluntary redundancy.
Captain Peter Burkill, 45, was praised after the Boeing 777, with 151 people on board, was brought down safely after it lost power two miles from the runway after a flight from Beijing in January last year.
He has worked at BA for 20 years and is one of 78 pilots taking voluntary severance under plans by the airline to cut costs.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5ii-AK4jWFgYs3nVNldfhFqM_I3Ow
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/05/heathrow-british-airways-pilot-redundancy
By: Arabella-Cox - 6th August 2009 at 10:48
I suppose it was the pilot’s call to take voluntary redundancy, but no company can afford to lose too many senior and competent staff and I am certain that the level of morale at BA right now would encourage people to take it where they might not have done otherwise.
By: Schorsch - 5th August 2009 at 22:16
As much as I can understand people thinking this guy’s a hero, I’d like to think the vast majority of people flying 777’s would be able to do the same in similar circumstances!
Paul
Correct, his actions were according to the situation. 80-95% of the pilots would have done similar, those who f##k it up get called idiots (which is quite often not reasonable, either). The line is difficult to draw, in the end there are many very good pilots sitting in the aircraft, and fortunately they never have a chance to prove it.
By: OneLeft - 5th August 2009 at 22:05
One would think that BA would want to retain pilots of that calibre.
Having applied for voluntary severance it’s his choice rather than BA’s.
1L.
By: PMN - 5th August 2009 at 21:33
One would think that BA would want to retain pilots of that calibre.
As much as I can understand people thinking this guy’s a hero, I’d like to think the vast majority of people flying 777’s would be able to do the same in similar circumstances!
Paul
By: Arabella-Cox - 5th August 2009 at 16:47
One would think that BA would want to retain pilots of that calibre.
Hopefully, Virgin or some other more enlightened airline will snap him up.
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August 5, 2009 at 4:29 pm