In a dazzling display of Canadian politeness, Air Canada has reassured everyone that safety was never an issue after a senior captain spent 17 years flying Boeing 767s, 777s, and 787s with only a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) — essentially a learner's permit for the skies.

Geoffrey Wall, 59, allegedly captained more than 900 flights after his 2009 promotion, carrying tens of thousands of passengers and earning nearly $3 million, all without the required Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL). For obvious reasons, the ATPL is the big-league credential, requiring at least 1,500 flight hours in addition to advanced examinations on meteorology, state-of-the-art aviation concepts, cockpit operations, and high-altitude wizardry.

"Safety was never an issue... He had a CPL.”

However, “Captain Wall” did not have an ATPL. But that's okay, according to Air Canada, because he was fully qualified for a CPL. The CPL has requirements too. There's a minimum age of 18 and a 10-hour solo-flight requirement. Though in some cases, the minimum age can even be 17 for the glider license.

ATPL vs CPL, 777 vs Tiny Aircraft
Flying is flying, right?


That's almost the same standard, right? It's only 1,490 flight hours short of the ATPL requirement. It's just a bigger plane. What could possibly go wrong? Maybe something like having a dentist who pulls teeth (technically a medical procedure) perform a leg amputation with pliers and optimism.

"Looks like a pilot to us.”

Yet the airline remains cheerfully unfazed. “Safety was not compromised by this incident because all pilots at Air Canada undergo mandatory recurrent training every six months, including a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check pilot every 12 months,” the airline stated. He had a valid commercial license and “demonstrated a high level of competency.”

While it is almost inspiring that, in our over-regulated world, one renegade pilot winged it undiscovered for 17 years while bureaucracy napped, it's also terrifying. For 17 years, some guy showed up, said he could fly a Boeing, and everyone said "Looks like a pilot to us.” Of course, Air Canada now claims to have audited its roster and found no other rebels. So feel free to relax at 35,000 feet — the captain probably hasn't skipped the paperwork, the landing should be first-class.

Thanks for flying Air Canada… They're really sorry.

Based on articles published by cbc.com, bbc.com, theguardian.com, wbaltv.com