This Southwest Airlines pilot cleaned his own windshield in order to make it out safely and on time. That’s not part of the job description, or something you see every day, though here’s an American Airlines pilot who did it, too.
Pilot making sure we make it safely!
byu/Maximum-Advantage-44 inSouthwestAirlines
The side windows in the cockpit of the Boeing 737 slide open and shut, allowing a pilot to communicate directly with ground staff and even being used to climb out of in an emergency.
It’s just important to remember to fully close the window. Last year a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 took off with the window open. You also want to make sure to stay at least partly inside the cockpit to avoid locking yourself out.
Still, you want the pilot to be able to see where they’re going. I want a pilot who takes ownership of this themselves, and doesn’t even delay passengers to get there by wiping the windshield themselves. Gettin’ the job done!
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Thank you
If it wasn’t for the caring, responsible and hard working crews and gate agents our airline industry would collapse into a pile of horseshit that is their management.
What @Paul said 🙂
Always good hearing about pilots focused on getting the job done, whichever way it needs to get done for their customers, and not just delaying or diverting flights.
Cleaning the windshield has nothing to do with an on-Time departure
I did this all the time when I was working. Once had a passenger thank me when he boarded…..Bugs look the same as other traffic when you are airborne.
That’s “Old School SWA! Glad to see some old traditions still alive. Ps…we used to use club soda and c-folds but our maintenance dept. Said cans of water was safer
we used to do that all the time on NORTHWEST AIRLINES. Helped the ground crew, opened
the access to the cockpit and made things happen faster.
The photo was taken at SNA (John Wayne Orange County). I recognize the background.
How delayed would it the flight been had he fall? Some aircraft windows have special coatings for rain repellant that need specific cleanings. Does that aircraft? Is he trained? God forbid had he fell, how would company handle that? Foolish. Call maintenance. That’s their job.
Richard: if you’ve never called and then waited for a “bug wash” (that’s what my airline calls windshield cleaning service), then let me tell you – it can indeed lead to problems with on time! Good for this dude… although I’m sure nowadays a pic like this could lead to a call from the chief pilot about safety .
Yes please have the only qualified person on the plane risk life and limb so we can move 10 minutes faster. Work place safety is very serious, his literal a** is hanging out the plane, 1 wrong move and he cracks his head on the floor. Next thing you know he’s suing the airline for 50 million.
I simply appreciate the effort and pride of this pilot towards keeping the windshield of this plane clean prior to take off. KUDOS!
There’s always a couple Karens in the crowd screaming about how wrong or unsafe something is. Having washed my own window many times over the years I judged the action to be of little danger or I wouldn’t do it. While one arm is scrubbing the other one is inside the cockpit bracing and holding on.
Not too sure how that would make for a speedy departure but it sounds like fun. Too bad they couldn’t come up with a way to clean and disinfect the surfaces where we the passengers sit. I always bring my own disinfectant wipes and use them.
While I applaud this pilot’s “git-r-done” approach I do not agree that it’s the right course of action. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen workers seriously injured and worse pulling innocuous moves like this. You míght do it a hundred times without issúe then that (last) tíme take a 15′ header.
In the industrial safety world, behavior like this would likely end up in disciplinary paperwork for they employee and potential OSHA action against his employer.
Call for the bug wash and if delayed, write the report and put the delay on them. Today, no data, no improvement.