To print this page, select "Print" from the File menu of your browser salon.com > Travel Jan. 14, 2000 URL: http://www.salon.com/travel/planet/2000/01/14/pilot Epicurean pilot fired Moral: In Vegas, a full plane beats a full stomach any day. - - - - - - - - - - - - By J.A. Getzlaff Some people will walk a mile for tasty victuals, and former Northwest Airlines pilot Floyd Dean is one of 'em. On Nov. 23, 1999, after a flight from Detroit to Las Vegas, the hungry captain went on a 90-minute search for a "decent meal" -- and was fired because of it. According to a Reuters report, Dean disembarked from a Boeing 757 in search of cuisine that was more pleasing to his palate than the freeze-dried fare prepared for Northwest's passengers. When he couldn't find anything suitable in the terminal, he hailed a taxi and continued his search outside the airport. By the time he had returned, the 150 passengers waiting for him to fly their plane were a bit cranky, as were his fellow crew members, who apparently didn't appreciate Dean's gourmet tastes. Northwest promptly fired the 22-year veteran for "abandoning his plane." Yet one question remains unanswered: What meal did the finicky pilot choose? Foie gras from the Paris Las Vegas Casino Resort? Salmon and crème fraîche pizza from the Wolfgang Puck Cafe? Top sirloin from the Hungry Hunter? Only Floyd Dean knows. salon.com | Jan. 14, 2000   - - - - - - - - - - - - About the writer J.A. Getzlaff's Daily Planet appears every weekday. Do you have a tip or tale for J.A.? Send it to DailyPlanet@salon.com.