Horizon Jumpseater goes crazy

Psilocybin has an elimination half life of about 3 hours, psilocin about 2.

The pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of psychedelic mushrooms are complex. And it’s possible that the ones he ate were laced with something longer lasting. But those two “active ingredients” would have been long gone. Five half lives is enough to eliminate all but traces of a drug.

That said, the little bit I’ve read, I don’t doubt that he felt strange, unsure of reality.

He’ll never fly again, and that feels appropriate. He’ll get a criminal penalty, ditto. I don’t see a point in a long prison sentence, here. Those passengers are fortunate to have had ATPs who acted quickly.

How aviation deals with mental illnesses must change.

Yes, I’m stating the obvious, and not offering specifics.
 
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Do you trust that it had been 48 hours?
As I said, while it may not be impossible that he ingested them 48 hours prior, I believe it improbable.

Moroever, he should not be making statements publicly via video while awaiting his trial. And finally, he shouldn't be making statements that can be used to discredit his veracity/credibility, which I think he has likely done here.
 
Moroever, he should not be making statements publicly via video while awaiting his trial. And finally, he shouldn't be making statements that can be used to discredit his veracity/credibility, which I think he has likely done here.

Yeah, people sometimes do things like that when they're stoned.
 
Many people seem incapable of resisting the urge to say and do monumentally stupid things when a camera is pointed at them.

I mean, look at all that’s happened since the advent of C-SPAN.
 
It goes "if I see a real medical professional there is a 'real' medical report out there and I could get busted."
I don't see anyone saying his logic is sound, but the evidence is overwhelming; when you restrict access to care, people will seek it in less safe places/ways.

Without doubt the FAA's stance on mental health has the effect of restricting pilot's willingness to seek professional care.

There is no restricted access to care. There is a perception among pilots that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.

YMMV, but those pilots I know who’ve had mental health counseling have had a temporary grounding for the SI to make it’s way through the system and every single one I personally know has been issued-re-issued. I’ve got a co-worker going thru this right now who’s been grounded since May; we’re having lunch this week and I’ll see where he’s at in the process.

On the other hand, those that haven’t but should have left a wake of destroyed relationships over time.
 
I read the ABC news version of his interview from their site. To me, it doesn't paint him in a favorable light. Not because there's no mention of the decision to take the drugs in the first place, they could have bleeped over that, but because of his justification for pulling those handles. From my read of his statement, he pulled the levers because he thought he might be in a dream and figured that might pop him out of it.

So given two options, one being you're in a dream and pulling the levers will wake you up, and the other being that pulling the levers will crash the plane, you admit to making the decision to try to wake from the dream?

That's the specific example that says to me that he's putting his own well being above that of everyone else, and to me that's someone that shouldn't be flying. The rest of the interview read that way to me as well, minimizing what could have happened and spinning it into a positive thing because now he's closer with his wife. WT ever loving F.

He's trying to avoid personal responsibility by redirecting attention.
 
How the faa deals with mental health is incredulous. This is NOT a good case to highlight that to prove the point.

He’s an enigma. Honestly, I don’t know ANY pilots that cry easily and scrapbook… just sayin. In my opinion…
 
Regardless of whether you are sympathetic or not, it's a hell of a lot of work to have evaporate overnight. Lots of studying, practicing and check rides.

What a waste.
 
So given two options, one being you're in a dream and pulling the levers will wake you up, and the other being that pulling the levers will crash the plane, you admit to making the decision to try to wake from the dream?
I find it difficult to believe that a person under the influence of magic mushrooms would be capable of weighing potential consequences of such alternatives.

I'm more critical of his decision to take the mushrooms in the first place.
 
I find it difficult to believe that a person under the influence of magic mushrooms would be capable of weighing potential consequences of such alternatives.

I'm more critical of his decision to take the mushrooms in the first place.
That's fair. But as to his decision making during the influence, I'm criticizing his own description of it that he gave on ABC news. So that speaks not just to whatever the actual thought process was during that event, but also the one where he was presumably sober and decided to describe it. If that's his best take on it, to say that he figured it was "probably" a dream, doesn't speak well to either character or judgement in the present sense.

But the crying and scrapbooking thing may be the easiest tell. Along the lines of "never buy a computer from a guy wearing a beret".
 
A buddy of mine had a 5 way bypass… was given some synthetic opioid when he woke up in recovery…

Mike, I saw the door knob sliding down the door! I know door knobs can’t do that, but there it was…

Apparently a normal abnormal reaction to that stuff, ha! Never took that again.
 
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