DRUG CONNECTION FULL OF HOT AIR

I never have condoned the use of marijuana. I also have a hard time seeing
the connection between Capt. Robert Piche's past drug trafficking charge
and his ability to make a dead-stick landing in an Airbus. But if the
media, or anyone else can prove that there is a logical linkage, then
perhaps Transport Canada should insist that prospective airline pilots
produce a police record that shows they have used the drug in the past.

Lets stop mixing apples and oranges -- that is only done to produce fruitcakes.

Dave McCoubrey
Winnipeg

Pilot's Dirty Laundry Below Free Press

The first and second paragraphs of Spotlight on jetliner's crew (Free
Press, Sept. 1) suggest that there may have been some flight crew error
that contributed to the near-disaster.

The third and fourth paragraphs of the same article state that the pilot
was found guilty of drug trafficking in 1983.

Nowhere in the article is a connection made between the pilot's long since
resolved criminal conviction and the fuel starvation incident. The article
simply smugly mentions the criminal conviction, thus tending to lead the
general public to think to themselves "aha . . . a drug dealer . . . well
there you go. . . ."

If and when any relationship between Robert Piche's previous criminal
activities and his piloting skills becomes apparent, then you should report
the facts accordingly. To dredge up and publish dirty laundry should be
below the Winnipeg Free Press.

Doug Peters
Winnipeg