Posted on 03/06/2014 2:00:13 PM PST by nickcarraway
A routine flight from Calgary to Victoria was marred by a passenger who apparently didn’t appreciate having his flight captained by a woman. CTV Toronto: Pilot shocked by nasty note
Instead of thanking the female pilot, a passenger left an angry note behind on a napkin. Colin D'Mello has the story. Canada AM: Passenger leaves sexist note for pilot
A WestJet passenger has caused an uproar after he left a note for a female pilot that said the cockpit was no place for a woman.
A female WestJet pilot says she was in “shock” after a passenger left behind a note following a weekend flight to say that the cockpit is “no place for a woman.”
Crew cleaning the aircraft found a note, written on a napkin and signed by "David," after passengers deplaned from the Calgary to Victoria flight on Sunday.
In addition to suggesting that women don’t belong at the controls of an airplane, the note also said that “A woman being a mother is the most honour, not as ‘captain.’”
“PS I wish Westjet (sic) could tell me a fair lady is at the helm so I can book another flight,” David went on. On the back of the napkin, David wrote that he was “not impressed,” and signed it “Respectfully in love, David.”
Carey Steacy, who has been a pilot for 17 years and has been flying with WestJet for more than nine, says her first reaction to the note was “shock.”
“It made me feel sad. It was just surprising,” Steacy told CTV Vancouver. “I can’t believe that there’s people that still think that way.”
The female flight attendants and her male co-pilot all had the same reaction. “All of us had our mouths open in shock,” she said. “We didn’t know what to say.” Steacy took to Facebook not only to rebut David’s antiquated view of women, but also his airline terminology: the cockpit is now referred to as the flight deck.
"You were more than welcome to deplane when you heard I was a 'fair lady,' Steacy wrote on Facebook. "You have that right. Funny, we all, us humans, have the same rights in this great free country of ours. Now, back to my most important role, being a mother.” Steacy told CTV that she felt she had to "respond to his opinion. He absolutely has his right to his opinion and I have a right to disagree with it.”
Steacy said she has received widespread support since posting the note and her rebuttal to Facebook.
“I have to think that’s very much an uncommon opinion among the general public,” she said.
Steacy said she has never seen anything like the note left for her, she has heard “the odd comment in jest, usually in jest. “That’s the only time I’ve ever seen something as raw as that.” But she acknowledges that it is still a shock for some people to see a female pilot, because far fewer women than men choose to pursue a flying career.
“Almost every day people I find are a little bit surprised, and I think it’s just because women aren’t enrolling in flight schools -- not because they’re not being hired, but because they’re not enrolling in it,” Steacy said.
“Either it’s because they don’t think they can or they have been told that it’s not for women or that they can’t do it. And I just hope that that mindset can change, like it has in a lot of professions.”
As for David’s comment about motherhood being the highest honour, Steacy said she agrees.
“I have two beautiful children, it is the highest honour.”
Excellent question. Answer: NO! If she is so sensitive she has major personality disorders that says she should never be in charge of an aircraft.
Why the jab at me? I think others got my meaning and seem to understand the correlation.
Why did the writer feel the need to change the spelling of honor (American) to honour (British)? Did he not know that both are correct.
Maybe she’s shocked that some guy decided to judge her for proudly abandoning her children daily for money.
Happens on every flight that lands in Israel, too.
Reminds me of the lesbian waitress who claimed she received an anti-Lez message from a customer on a credit card receipt.
This is so not news. Meanwhile our freedoms in this country are falling apart and she surely does not have a clue about that.
The best response from her would be “what difference does it make”
No idea. But the phrase “A woman being a mother is the most honor” also hints at English as a second language to me.
Dead on. It's English-as-a-second-language awkward. However, could be a semi-literate American.
Hoax...
Bingo!
As in one of the cleaning crew? I mean most people would just toss such a note in the trash if they were cleaning the plane, wouldn't they? The Captain deplanes before the cleaning crew starts cleaning, right?
Another victim?
I didn't think it was the "crew" being applauded, it was like "Thanks be to God" for a safe journey/landing.
Like the idiot in Boca Raton with the KKK paraphernalia, hopefully this DBag ends up in an emergency room with one doctor on duty, an African American Jewish Lesbian trauma doc.
Well if he doesn’t like women being in control maybe he should have been birthed by his father. Must have been Muslim.
! you are right.
Made me laugh.
That's about the state of our world these days, isn't it? Had to be a sand monkey or a public school moron.
Welcome to Obamaland.
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