Joe and Jan are getting some attention on Day 57

By Robert Mark on November 24th, 2006

Convincing the Fox Network News people to give me five minutes of air time this past Thanksgiving Day to talk about Jan and Joe was a good beginning. And for that, they have my thanks.

While I do wish we’d focused a bit less on the accident and more on the two pilots themselves, we did get the media to sit up and take notice. We must all realize though that outside of our industry, few people realize these two men are still being held. My straw poll at Thanksgiving showed that 12 out of 12 thought those guys were already back in the states.

That makes our job pretty clear.   I’ve been in touch with the staff people of the incoming Democratic Senate Majority Whip, Dick Durbin, who have promised to get Joe and Jan on more people’s radar.  NBAA president Ed Bolen wrote a letter to the Brazilian president last week asking for the release of the pilots. There has also been a considerable amount of chatter on the NBAA message board about these two. AOPA president Phil Boyer wrote to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice also calling for an end to the pilot’s pseudo incarceration.  As pilots, the natural question is, “What can I do that will truly make a difference?”Believe it or not, it won’t take much. It is not critical that you be in the face of agency officials or diplomats to get them to listen to you. Persistence will win far more points than angry demands. The goal is to make them aware of the problem more than anything else. 

Hopefully, your motivation is similar to mine in that we all recognize it might be us in Brazil instead of Joe and Jan. We should also understand that this kind of punitive action by any country against aviators when no cause has been decided will make ours a much more dangerous profession. If pilots fear criminal prosecution every time they close the cabin door, there will be little chance of uncovering the true facts behind any accident.  If you look at the most recent members of Congress list, you’ll be able to identify the people who represent you, both in the Senate and in the House. But don’t stop there. Search out your state legislators as well. They talk to the federal people. The point is to make them aware that these two men are being held against their will in a country that is trying to increase its prescence in the aerospace industry and is certainly not making any points with Americans. One pilot on the NBAA list has already suggested that potential clients begin talking about these two pilots stuck in Brazil when they are approached by an Embraer salesman. The media needs to know too. Local and national. Type “media ( name of your city)” into Google and you’ll find these people pretty quickly. Most every radio and television station’s website has a way to offer news tips. Send an e-mail to CNN, or the TV station in Omaha for example, with a subject like, “Why are two American pilots being held hostage in Brazil?” Offer a few facts about the September 29th accident, that no cause has been determined, that the passengers of the Legacy were released but the pilots never went home. The key is to get the media to ask questions. You can do this! Really.  Most importantly is to realize that no one single tactic will win Joe and Jan’s freedom. Talking to legislators or to the media or to the company, or all of these things, will significantly increase their chances. That and of course telling people outside our industry what is happening. 

Back to work.  

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