I have been a line pilot for Delta for over 26 years and formerly served as an Air Force flight safety officer.

Delta’s recent draconian proposal to pilots would delete accident leave and reduce annual sick leave to 20 hours of pay.

Remember that pilots are paid only while the aircraft is in operation. I generally fly a four-day trip each week that is worth 21 to 24 hours’ pay.

That means that getting sick just once during the year will result in not getting paid the complete dropped trip. Coverage after the 20 hours would drop to 60 percent of normal pay.

So after a 32.5 percent basic pay cut last year (not including pay cuts in vacation, retirement, work rules, etc.) and a proposed additional 19.5 percent basic pay cut (not including more pay cuts in vacation, retirement, work rules, etc.), a pilot who gets sick just once will have his pay cut another 40 percent. Do you not think that this will affect a pilot’s decision to call in sick?

It’s bad enough if anyone flies sick, but if one of the two pilots in the cockpit is disabled or distracted by an illness or injury, safety will be compromised.

As an example, early in my career with Delta while flying as the flight engineer on a 727, the copilot was flying with a cold. He developed severe ear pain and was jumping up out of his seat and cursing and yelling until his eardrum finally broke and relieved some of the pain. The captain and I were definitely distracted and concerned about the situation.

Will implementation of Delta’s proposal mean that planes will start dropping out of the sky? Of course not. Will it mean that the safety margin will be reduced? Yes, absolutely. Think about that next time you’re on a flight.

Ken Morris
Peachtree City, Ga.

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