South African Black Twitter Responds to a Pilot Flying for 20 Years Without a License
Twenty years of piloting without being caught out? Sounds about white if you ask us.
A senior pilot for South Africa's national airline South African Airways (SAA) has resigned after it was discovered (after twenty years) that he never had a legitimate piloting license to begin with. Black twitter is having a field day with the news as they reflect on how this narrative is not unheard of in a country where 'White is always right'.
William Chandler, who has been a senior pilot for SAA and flown thousands of hours in his 20-year career, does not have an airline transport pilot licence (ATPL). He never did. It is, however, bewildering that SAA and the aviation certification body did not notice that Chandler had fraudulent papers. ATPLs are required to be renewed each year with medical and physical examinations as well as technical re-evaluations and so it is most flabbergasting that Chandler flew under the radar (pun intended) for so long. But then again, Chandler is white.
According to the Mail&Guardian, SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said:
"When faced with reportable incidents such as this one, the airline undertakes investigations to gather relevant details, establish facts and make determination on what course of action must be embarked on, whether remedial, disciplinary or otherwise. This process forms part of our standard operating procedures."
Black South Africans on Twitter are not having it. They are highlighting just how much White South Africans can get away with such things purely because their whiteness allows them to be assumed as legitimately competent.
Interestingly enough, some White South Africans are jumping to Chandler's defense and saying that he still managed to fly well (not really) despite not having a license. Go figure.
This William Chandler who has been working as a Senior Pilot for more than 20 years at SAA does not even have a pil… https://t.co/I0PLMKC56X— Man's Not Barry Roux (@Man's Not Barry Roux ) 1551417012.0
William Chandler's (fake) qualifications went unquestioned for two decades. He flew under the radar with people ju… https://t.co/AbiWO4MqV5— Ottilia Anna MaSibanda (@Ottilia Anna MaSibanda) 1551417427.0
Abo William Chandler! https://t.co/pRPaWdYhvy— Tumi Sole (@Tumi Sole) 1551416842.0
Is SAA aware of how many lives they put in danger with every single flight that man took ?Listen we really don’t need a national airline.— Rakgadi Boips. (@Rakgadi Boips.) 1551429731.0
Fake SAA pilot flew under radar (for 20 years) Fok https://t.co/JNHK72i2Dj— Eusebius McKaiser (@Eusebius McKaiser) 1551422905.0
SAA: Kanti your license is fake?! Fake Pilot: https://t.co/DEFEKTyJuY— Thapelo Mokono (@Thapelo Mokono) 1551433769.0
What a bizarre story in @mailandguardian William Chandler has flown for SAA for 20 years with fraudulentl paperwor… https://t.co/OxCpwuzgy2— Athandiwe Saba (@Athandiwe Saba) 1551424297.0
The whole airline is about to have a qualification audit #SAA I’m so shocked guys— Captain Lebo 👩🏾✈️ (@Captain Lebo 👩🏾✈️) 1551422379.0
With all that being said, i need SAA to tell me which flights did i take where William Chandler was the pilot,i nee… https://t.co/GYCZu1RX7a— 🇿🇦 Aya Kolisi 🌸 (@🇿🇦 Aya Kolisi 🌸) 1551428350.0
Whiteness blossoms 🌼under ANC they even have top jobs without anything. Wow 😮 https://t.co/Is2pXt1FE5— I’m Mmapula (@I’m Mmapula) 1551434180.0
This William Chandler, a fake pilot who worked as a Senior Pilot for more than 20 years at SAA. He has fraudulent l… https://t.co/ZcUGq2pQ3G— White Man Confession (@White Man Confession) 1551427308.0
The story of the SAA white "pilot" with a fake license should be motivation enough for us to audit these government… https://t.co/9J4fP7VRWO— Empress Zinhle (@Empress Zinhle) 1551426771.0
Who did this?🤣🤣🤣 #SAA https://t.co/WDRX2vAXSz— a work in progress; (@a work in progress;) 1551417024.0
25 years flying commercial aircraft without a license, what the hell is going on at #SAA? 😱 https://t.co/mf5N3koykl— Charles Rembe (@Charles Rembe) 1551413738.0