‘Hyundai-driving weirdos’: PILOT caught on hot mic ranting against California’s ‘liberal f**ks’
A pilot for Southwest Airlines was heard launching into a curse-filled tirade against “liberals” living in California’s Bay Area – all caught on a live mic.
While flying over the Mineta San Jose International Airport’s air traffic control scanner earlier this month, an unidentified pilot went on an expletive-ridden rant slamming Bay Area locals.
“F**k this place, goddamn liberal f**ks,” the pilot says, going on to call them “f**king weirdos” who “probably [drive] around in f**king Hyundais.”
While the tower eventually informs the pilot he is on a hot mic, he continued the diatribe nonetheless, adding “You don’t have balls unless you’re f**king rolling coal, man, goddamn it.”
Here's the audio of the Southwest pilot going on a rant about the Bay Area caught on a hot mic: pic.twitter.com/hJ2nhDeckV
— I need to go to the bathroom (@BugPennis) March 25, 2021
The audio is archived at Live ATC, which streams air traffic control communications, but the context around the pilot’s rant is not as clear due to fuzzy audio.
Southwest has not revealed the identity of the pilot behind the remarks, but confirmed he works for the company and promised that it is “fully addressing the situation internally.”
“This situation was an isolated incident involving a single employee and not representative of the nearly 60,000 hardworking, respectful People of Southwest Airlines,” the airline said in a statement.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also said it is looking into the incident.
“FAA regulations prohibit airline pilots from talking about subjects that are unrelated to safely conducting their flight while taxiing and while flying below 10,000 feet altitude,” spokesperson Ian Gregor said.
Many have taken to social media to express shock over what the pilot presumably believed was a private conversation, and even called for the aviator’s firing.
“Absolutely sickening,” pundit Rex Chapman tweeted.
This is absolutely sickening... https://t.co/DC39eQq25D
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) March 25, 2021
As someone who flies Southwest out of the Bay Area on the reg when there isn’t a pandemic, I’m concerned about the anger this pilot harbors towards the passengers he is entrusted with safely delivering to their destinations.And he kinda sounds drunk.
— Jennifer (@jenlind70) March 25, 2021
Hmmm, but nowhere did they mention they fired this trash! Crazy racist, unhinged pilot, what could possibly go wrong (9/11) GTFOH #SouthwestAirlineshttps://t.co/6xG5XlZlWJ
— 🏳️🌈Mike (@ScottsHusband) March 25, 2021
Others were quick to point out that whenever the tables are turned and average blue-collar workers become the target of public rants or invective, few rush to condemn the speech as “dehumanizing.” That argument is unlikely to save the pilot’s career, however.
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