14 DAY TRIAL // Dogs seem to get closer to having the same rights as humans nowadays. After a Rottweiler was invited to cast his vote in the upcoming European elections, now a Labrador from Linslade has become the first and only canine member of a national flying group after receiving an air crew card.
Callie, a three-year-old chocolate Labrador, has been flying with her owner Graham Mountford since she was 12 weeks old and has accumulated more than 250 hours of flight time. Now, she is the only dog in the country that has been recognized as a “registered and fully qualified member” of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots' Association (AOPA).
Mr. Mountford, from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, has been a private pilot for 13 years and owns a Cessna 210 Centurion light aircraft. He first took Callie on a flight when the pet was just three months old, but since then she has been his faithful companion and co-pilot on most of his flights, Daily Mail reports.
Like any respectable co-pilot, Callie is equipped with her own goggles, ear protectors and a fluorescent jacket. She also has a special harness to strap her into her chair in the cockpit.
So far, the co-pilot dog has flown more than 50,000 miles (80,500 km), and has even been rewarded for her hard work, as whenever they landed, she received a sausage.
Now, the pair use to go on plane rides most weekends, visiting beaches from Scotland, Cornwall and Wales, where Callie enjoys a run on the sand and a sausage.
“I used to go flying with friends, but when we got Callie three years ago I thought it would be fun to take her up in the plane with me. I get a lot of comments and smiles when I land at an airport and people realise my co-pilot is a dog,” Mr. Mountford says.
The air crew card was obtained after Mr. Mountford jokingly asked AOPA officials at an exhibition if his Labrador could become a member of the association, given that she has so many flying hours. One week after the jocular request, the experienced pilot was surprised to receive a crew card and membership pack in the post.
“I have shown the card, along with mine, at some of the bigger airports and it always causes great amusement. Even the most glum security men break into a smile,” Graham said.
The card supposedly gives Callie a number of privileges, like passing through the Crew Only channels at airports, discounts and priority booking and check out at most airport hotels.