Pilot Midair Heart Attack

[wink]

It's a pretty standard dark joke around the places you are trying to go work. The running joke is...

Q: What do you do if the pilot has a heart attack in flight?
A: That depends...is he senior to me?

This isn't the Navy. Pickle's joke is a common one.

There is a difference between a joke regarding a hypothetical or unlinked to a current particular event. Yes, jokes like the one YOU noted are heard a lot in the business. But in 27 years flying for the airlines I have NEVER, not once, heard a joke made about a particular event or person whether it was an aircraft mishap, in flight death, traffic accident, cancer diagnosis, or falling off the roof regarding seniority. Two airlines, never heard it. Taste in humor is obviously on a sliding scale. My guess is pickle would not have made a similar joke if he knew the man or if the man's family present. On the other end you have hypotheticals like the one above. In my view, based on many years experience in the airline business, and NAVAIR of course, I think pickle's comment would be less likely to be accepted in the cockpit than not.

 

[FlyBoyd]

I'm not going to get into some back and forth about dark humor and its perceived proper place in the grand scheme of aviation and the grieving process, but I will say this...

When that day comes for me, make the joke. I want you to. If any of you assholes DON'T make that joke when I die then don't bow your head, don't type "thoughts and prayers" or "Fair winds and following seas," and don't pour one out for this homey.

When you do make the joke, don't to forget to ask about buying my crashpad car and renting my crashpad room. They'll be available, too. At some point my wife will date again. Ask her out if you've got the stones...but don't get all sappy and lament about how unforgiving aviation is...she'll kick you square in the junk...as she should.

 

[e6bflyer]

I'm not going to get into some back and forth about dark humor and its perceived proper place in the grand scheme of aviation and the grieving process, but I will say this...

When that day comes for me, make the joke. I want you to. If any of you assholes DON'T make that joke when I die then don't bow your head, don't type "thoughts and prayers" or "Fair winds and following seas," and don't pour one out for this homey.

When you do make the joke, don't to forget to ask about buying my crashpad car and renting my crashpad room. They'll be available, too. At some point my wife will date again. Ask her out if you've got the stones...but don't get all sappy and lament about how unforgiving aviation is...she'll kick you square in the junk...as she should.

Dibs on the car. I already have a wife, and I would probably quickly join you in the afterlife if I attempted to console yours.

 

[wink]

I'm not going to get into some back and forth about dark humor and its perceived proper place in the grand scheme of aviation and the grieving process, but I will say this...

When that day comes for me, make the joke. I want you to. If any of you assholes DON'T make that joke when I die then don't bow your head, don't type "thoughts and prayers" or "Fair winds and following seas," and don't pour one out for this homey.

When you do make the joke, don't to forget to ask about buying my crashpad car and renting my crashpad room. They'll be available, too. At some point my wife will date again. Ask her out if you've got the stones...but don't get all sappy and lament about how unforgiving aviation is...she'll kick you square in the junk...as she should.

Unable! Any excuse for a drink.

 

[BusyBee604]

I'm not going to get into some back and forth about dark humor and its perceived proper place in the grand scheme of aviation and the grieving process, but I will say this...

When that day comes for me, make the joke. I want you to. If any of you assholes DON'T make that joke when I die then don't bow your head, don't type "thoughts and prayers" or "Fair winds and following seas," and don't pour one out for this homey.

When you do make the joke, don't to forget to ask about buying my crashpad car and renting my crashpad room. They'll be available, too. At some point my wife will date again. Ask her out if you've got the stones...but don't get all sappy and lament about how unforgiving aviation is...she'll kick you square in the junk...as she should.

It doesn't really apply to the particular debate going down on this thread... but dark humor often does have a tension relieving effect in a combat environment. I can particularly recall instances in the ready room, prior to manning up for a major trip downtown... SDO, and maybe 2 or 3 JOPA, in a mock argument about who's gonna get your new TEAC tape deck (cartridges, cassettes, and CDs hadn't been invented yet), your "wingie's" huge box with 150 pc. set of fine bone china stashed in the squadron armory, the hooch stored in "Snoopy's" safe, or "Smokey's" LBFM from that dumpy bar in 'PoTown. It usually only happened before the 'high risk' adventures, and never got old, nor failed to produce hilarity and relieve tension. You can be sure there was no dark humor in the RR, when four of our squadron's finest failed to return during my two deployments!
BzB