Deleted video of Colorado Rockies coach in United Airlines pilot seat mid-flight

Smartphones and social media are amazing and frightening … depending on who you ask. I’m sure the United Airlines pilots who were flying the Colorado Rockies baseball team on a charter flight on April 10 between Denver and Toronto think it’s the latter since their careers are now in jeopardy. RELATED: United Airlines agent suspected of scamming passenger over bag weight

According to CBS Sports, “A video originally posted on Instagram that appears to match the description provided by United Airlines has since been shared on social media. CBS Sports has been unable to confirm its authenticity, but it shows a Rockies coach in the pilot seat, next to one of the pilots and with the flight in the air. Later, another individual makes their way into the flight deck. The caption on the since-deleted Instagram post reads: “Had some fun in the cockpit on our flight from Denver to Toronto. Thanks to the captain and the first officer of our United charter that allowed me this great experience.”

 

Post by @iapradio

View on Threads

 

I found a portion of the video on Threads, which you can see above. The person in the video is said to be the Rockies’ hitting coach and people are outraged, including United Airlines who has since put the pilots on leave and said in a statement to CNN, “We’re deeply disturbed by what we see in that video, which appears to show an unauthorized person in the flight deck at cruise altitude while the autopilot was engaged.”

I think it’s way overblown and is no big deal since it was a charter flight and the person they brought up wasn’t some Joe Schmo. They know who all the players and coaches are and have gone through background checks to get the job, autopilot was on, and at least one of the pilots was in the cockpit.

I’m sure this happens all the time and I bet there were more coaches and players who visited the cockpit on this flight or others. The mistake made was sharing it on the internet.

I’m sure those who flew before 9/11 remember captains frequently leaving the cockpit door open on takeoff, landing and while in flight. I used to talk to them often on my bi-monthly flights between Los Angeles and New York.

I can’t recall going up to the cockpit back then while mid-flight, though many times while on the ground, as seen in the photo above. But I have been in the cockpit of a widebody plane mid-flight. There were a handful of media onboard and some of us were asked if we wanted to visit the cockpit. I was shocked and ecstatic at the same time. The stipulation was that we couldn’t write or post photos about it.

We also weren’t offered to sit in the seat and the pilots were in their positions the whole time. We were on an international carrier flying 40,000 feet over Canada (I think) and it was really cool and boring after a few minutes. I can’t imagine what it’s like on a long flight. I can see how pilots would want to pass time by showing their workplace off, especially to professional athletes and their coaches.

KEEP READING:

–8 Ways To Make Sure An Airline Doesn’t Lose Your Bag … And That You Don’t Get Robbed or Stalked
–The Trick For Getting Airport Luggage Carts for Free
–Airline Lost Your Luggage? Do This If You Want to Get Compensated
–Why Frequent Fliers Use Apple AirTags or Samsung SmartTags When They Travel
–An Airline Executive’s Number One Tip for Avoiding Lost Luggage When You Fly

Want more travel news, tips and deals? Sign up to Johnny Jet’s free newsletter and check out these popular posts: The Travel Gadget Flight Attendants Never Leave Home Without and 12 Ways to Save Money on Baggage Fees. Follow Johnny Jet on MSN, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube for all of my travel posts.