Safety Engineering Consulting

In the 1979 courtroom drama film titled And Justice For All, an eccentric judge played by actor Jack Warden takes a lawyer played by Al Pacino for a hair-raising ride in his personal Bell 47 helicopter over the Baltimore harbour and Fort McHenry. The judge laughs as he tests how far they can possibly go without running out of fuel, while Pacino’s character, his terrified passenger, begs him to land the helicopter immediately. The judge is a veteran of the Korean War, is possibly suicidal, keeps a rifle in his chambers at the courthouse and a 1911 pistol in his shoulder holster, and eats his lunch on the ledge outside his window four stories up. There are many who believe that reality mirrors film and that some films mirror reality; but certainly this type of dangerous behavior doesn’t exist in the world of aviation where professionalism, rules, regulations and extensive training are required prior to entering the cockpit.