ALCOHOL USE BY PILOTS WORRIES EXPERTS

America West on Wednesday fired the two pilots charged this week with
trying to fly a passenger jet while drunk, but many aviation experts
worry that not enough is being done to keep drugs and alcohol from the
cockpit.

In the past 2 1/2 years, 27 commercial airline pilots have failed
alcohol tests conducted either at random or because a passenger or
airport worker smelled alcohol on a pilot's breath before takeoff.

That number might only tell a fraction of the story, however, because
the Federal Aviation Administration requires airlines to conduct about
10,000 random alcohol tests on pilots each year -- fewer than one test
a pilot a year.

Pilots who drive drunk also can be suspended. Last year, the FAA
grounded 534 pilots -- about 220 commercial pilots -- who were
convicted on drunken-driving charges. That's down from a high in 1998
of 858 pilots -- 356 commercial -- who lost their flying privileges.

``We can't assume that the pilot community is going to be immune to
the kinds of problems that plague the rest of society,'' said David
Stempler, president of the nation's largest passenger organization,
the Air Travelers Association. ``There is going to be a certain amount
of drug, alcohol, family abuse and depression.

``But what surprised me was that these two guys were together and they
risked so many lives, and the careers they both worked so hard to achieve.''

Police stopped the America West pilots after they tried to pull a
jetliner from the gate in Miami on Monday with 124 passengers onboard.
Security screeners smelled alcohol when they stopped the pilots from
taking coffee to the gate.

A breath test on the tarmac revealed that pilot Thomas Cloyd, 44, had
a 0.091 percent blood-alcohol content, police said, and co-pilot
Christopher Hughes registered 0.084 -- twice the legal limit to fly a
plane.

Pilots are quick to point out that the vast majority would never think
of trying to fly drunk. And only nine of 10,000 pilots tested in each
of the past three years had problems.

Still, said San Francisco Airport spokesman Ron Wilson, who is a
registered pilot, ``there's a drinking culture there, to an extent. A
lot of our commercial pilots are former military pilots, and we know
what things are like there.''

Cloyd had been arrested twice before in connection with
alcohol-related offenses -- disorderly conduct and domestic assault --
but neither charge resulted in him losing his medical certification to
fly, because pilots aren't required to report such offenses, FAA
spokeswoman Laura Brown said.

``These pilots face rehabilitation and follow-up testing'' to return
to the skies, she said.

Pilots groups say they encourage pilots to strictly follow FAA alcohol
guidelines -- mainly, no drinking eight hours before a flight.

San Francisco and San Jose airport officials said no pilot has been
charged with trying to fly drunk here.

In the three years he's been tending bar at San Jose airport's
Terminal C, Jeff Arnett said, he has never seen a pilot set foot in
the Martini Monkey.

``Even when pilots want to know the score of the game on TV, they'll
stand out there,'' he said, pointing to the concourse, ``and only poke
their head in.''

Officials said it was too early to determine whether the America West
incident would prompt stricter reporting of alcohol-related incidents
among pilots.

Airlines are responsible for random drug and alcohol tests on pilots
during routine medical examinations. About 10 percent receive the
random tests each year, according to the FAA.

But at San Francisco Airport, pilots often are scheduled for medical
examinations days in advance to be sure the clinic will be open,
Airport Director John Martin told the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors last week.

Even in this age of boosted air security, there are no daily systems
to check pilots for drug or alcohol levels before they board flights
- -- something that astounds passengers such as LaTonia Greene, a
software consultant who flies America West every week between San Jose
and Phoenix.

``Test them before they walk on to the plane,'' Greene said Wednesday
before her flight. ``If they are impaired during the pre-flight check,
they might miss something, and that could be the end. It's just pure
luck something terrible hasn't happened.''

Part of the reason that a drink or two -- or even a hangover -- poses
dangerous risks for pilots is that the effects of alcohol are
compounded when a plane is in the air.

Researchers at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City found that for every
10,000 feet of altitude, the effects of alcohol at least double
because of the lack of oxygen.

That means one drink equals two, or even more on a plane depending on
body weight. Drinking isn't the only problem, though.

According to FAA reports, ``It is more likely that you would find a
pilot flying with a hangover, rather than one that was mildly
intoxicated.''

For a pilot -- especially one with a chronic drinking problem -- a
hangover dilates the blood vessels in the brain, dehydrates the
brain's support structure and can cause visual disorientation,
according to the FAA reports.

But many say the America West incident was a fluke.

``I'd reject the notion that regular testing of pilots at the airport
is anything that would be required to enhance the safety of our
nation's air system,'' said Greg Overman, a pilot and spokesman for
American Airlines' pilots.

Pilots already must submit to rigorous health checks and be
recertified to fly every six months. Since Sept. 11, they also have
been required to pass through airport security like passengers.

``If you scan the archives for any incidents of alcohol-related
problems and commercial pilots, it is virtually non-existent, a
statistical anomaly that needs to be placed into proper perspective,''
Overman said.

FAA records show that in the past three years none of the nearly 200
pilots screened for alcohol after accidents tested above the FAA's
legal blood-alcohol content limit of 0.040 percent.

The Air Travelers Association's Stempler, who is often at odds with
the airline industry, said his organization might ask airlines to
study crew pairings to see if there might be another level to the problem.

``The insidious thing that happens is that pilots with problems try to
find like-minded flight crew members to fly with,'' he said. ``They
want to be with a crew of people who will not blow the whistle or who
are also drinkers.''

In the end, it's the appearance of two drunk pilots that troubles
passengers and aviation officials, especially as airlines struggle to
gain back passengers' confidence after Sept. 11.

``Something like this can tarnish the whole industry,'' said Wilson,
the San Francisco Airport spokesman. ``One case like this will make
the public wonder if these captains in uniform are really in full
command and control of the aircraft, and that's a shame.''