A Canadian airline pilot apparently received a blunt and critical letter from a distraught passenger recently. However, the issue was not the pilot's flying style, penchant for finding mid-air turbulence or poor bedside manner.
The passenger's criticism was aimed at the pilot's ovaries, and the fact that she was not at home taking care of her children. Where, apparently, she is supposed to be, Yahoo Shine reported.
Carey Smith Steacy has been an airline pilot with 17 years of experience.
"The cockpit of an airliner is no place for a woman," reads a letter written on a napkin left aboard a Calgary flight to Victoria, B.C., obtained by Metro News. "A woman being a mother is the most honor. Not as 'captain.' Were (sic) short on mothers, not pilots WestJet."
Containing references to biblical verses, the letter concludes, "In the end, this is all mere vanity."
"The author further said he wished WestJet would warn their passengers when a 'fair lady' was at the helm so they would have the chance to book another flight," Yahoo Shine reported. "The fear, of course, is that the pilot will go into spontaneous labor, putting the passengers in immeasurable danger."
Even though the letter, written on a soiled napkin, is a modern shame, Steacy's response to the passenger is worth celebrating.
According to Metro, she posted the following Facebook post (no longer publicly accessible):
"To @David in 12E on my flight #463 from Calgary to Victoria today. It was my pleasure flying you safely to your destination. Thank you for the note you discreetly left me on your seat. You made sure to ask the flight attendants before we left if I had enough hours to be the Captain so safety is important to you, too. I have heard many comments from people throughout my 17 year career as a pilot. Most of them positive. Your note is, without a doubt, the funniest. It was a joke, right? RIGHT?? I thought, not. You were more than welcome to deplane when you heard I was a 'fair lady.' 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 posted.
According to Yahoo Shine, while only about four per cent of airline pilots are women, the idea that they are "less than" is ridiculous in this day and age.
Claiming that they have many female pilots and first officers in their fleet, Westjet confirmed that their attention was bought to the unfortunate incident.
"We're enormously proud of the professionalism, skills, experience and expertise of our pilots, and we were very disappointed to find this note," a spokesman told Yahoo Canada News in an email.
