[Harry!]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090311...n-a7ad41d.html

An eccentric pilot was sacked for letting a Premier League footballer into his cockpit -- after being given a final warning for undressing during a security check, an employment tribunal heard Wednesday. Skip related content

Pablo Mason, a former RAF Tornado pilot who served in the 1991 Gulf War, was dismissed last year after letting Robbie Savage, then of Blackburn Rovers and now with Derby County, on to the flight deck.

The 58-year-old insists he was unfairly sacked because he had not been given a valid final warning despite being disciplined over two incidents in 2006.

In the first incident in August last year, Mason took his clothes off "spontaneously" during a security check, leaving himself in only his underwear, the tribunal was told.

"Captain Mason confirmed that the incident was in humour and was a spontaneous act and admitted it was ill-judged," Martin Mahoney, who worked for Thomas Cook Airlines, told the tribunal in Birmingham.

A month later, on September 5, the pilot became emotional and was "close to tears" after an argument with security staff at Birmingham airport.

Mason became "aggressive and abusive" towards security guards after they insisted on checking his bag twice because the X-ray machine was broken, the tribunal heard.

The pilot, referring to the fact that he was agitated, told them: "You lot have achieved what one thousand Iraqis had failed to do," the tribunal heard.

But he was sacked from his job with MyTravel -- which merged with Thomas Cook Airlines last year -- after letting player Savage on to the deck while flying Blackburn Rovers to the UK from Finland after a Uefa Cup match.

Mason, described by Mahoney as a "larger than life character who always enjoyed centre stage," claims his final warning was not valid -- and thus his dismissal was unfair -- as his alleged misbehaviour was not fully investigated.

Moreover, the undressing incident was not badly received.

"He offered to apologise to anyone he had offended. Captain Mason said he had acted spontaneously. No one involved in the incident...had complained," said Mahoney.

"Some went on to say that their morale had been improved," he added.

[Dom:D]

Ewwww...