Death In the Air

Capt. Michael Johnston fell ill while piloting an airplane carrying 147 passengers and a crew of 5. He subsequently died, and the co-pilot had to make an emergency landing in Syracuse. My question is, what the hell was he even DOING in that cockpit after getting a double bypass? In 2005, I had a quadruple bypass and I was fine. Still am, ten years later. My doctor says, I “kick butt” when it comes to feeling fine. But not too long after my surgery, I applied for a job driving an airport bus, which holds, maybe 15 people at the most. I was refused, and when I think of it, rightly so, since they didn't want a driver who might have a heart attack and maybe kill all his passengers. What is different about an airline pilot and the lives of 152 people? That he has a fully qualified co-pilot who can land the plane? Maybe. But I certainly wouldn't want to be one of his passengers. Maybe he just didn't tell them about his surgery because he figured they WOULD bar him from the cockpit. I don't know. But there certainly should be a way to “ferret out” the information about such an operation for an airline pilot who has the lives of hundreds of people in his hands. (WCVB)