Local Pilot Playing on His Phone During Takeoff

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thecrookedwheel.com/2022/08/30/local-pilot-playing-on-his-phone-during-takeoff/ SANTA ROSA, CA—According to passengers on the flight from San Francisco to Santa Rosa, local pilot Jeff Wicks played on his phone throughout the entire takeoff process Monday, reportedly ignoring repeated requests from the control tower to put away his device and pay attention. “He was just sitting there with his phone in his lap, tapping away like he didn’t even hear them,” said fellow pilot and passenger Mark Haines, who noted that Wicks ignored the plane’s warning horn and continued to play a game of Angry Birds while the aircraft accelerated down the runway. “I guess he thought he could just sneak it in there while they were doing their safety instructions and then not pay attention for the whole flight. But you can’t just do that. It’s dangerous.” At press time, Wicks had reportedly turned off his phone after being threatened with termination by an irate flight attendant.