Black - like my men
"The passenger, some of you may not have realised, was a footballer; there was therefore a very large risk that letting him anywhere near the front of the plane would result in an uncontrollable dive."
Like it!
I will never ever forget, as a boy of 7 or 8 in the mid 80's, being allowed into the cockpit of an aer lingus 737 from Heathrow to Dublin. The view alone on that one 5-10 minute experience inspired me like no other moment in my life.
Probably shouldn't mention the pilot let me turn - yes, that's turn - the airliner... Albeit on the heading bug of the autopilot rather than control column... still, an awesome experience that sadly no other children - or adults - will get to experience.
I would like to thank my parents for conceiving my in the 70's so I would be able to fit this opportunity in before things got sooo out of hand!
Yes, cockpit security is vital on an airliner, but the captain - by DEFINITION - MUST be able to exercise judgement and intellect that he has trained so long and hard to achieve. If the plane is flying towards a large thunderstorm, or other weather 'issue', the pilot exercises his judgement (with help\approval from ATC) on how to proceed. Flying through a thunderstorm surely presents a threat to "safety of passengers and crew", yet the pilot is allowed to exercise his judgement and adjust his course/height/etc.
After all, a pilot is subject to the same basic law that rules us all - SURVIVAL! He is hardly going to do anything that puts his own life at risk, let alone the overpaid celebrities in the back of his jet....
Agree with another comment above - more to this than meets the eye, perhaps just an excuse to get rid of him.
Silly!