There were 102 passengers on the plane. They were waiting for the plane to take off. But the plane was just sitting there. The plane could not take off without a pilot. The co-pilot was already on board. But the pilot was not. Where was the pilot? The flight attendants didn't know. The co-pilot didn't know. The passengers didn't know. Finally, the pilot got on the plane. He was singing and laughing. He waved to all the passengers. He said hello. He told them his name--three times. His eyes were bloodshot. His breath smelled of alcohol. He said, "Are you all ready to fly? We're going to fly. We're going to fly high into the sky." A passenger close to him was angry. "Why are you so late?" The pilot said, "I'm not lateâyou're early!" He laughed at his own joke. "You're drunk," the passenger said. He dialed 911. The police came. They talked to the pilot. They took him off the plane. He was still laughing and singing. "Mom, if the police take the pilot to jail, who will fly our plane?" a little boy asked his mother. The flight attendant announced that a new pilot would arrive shortly. Many passengers looked at their watches.
