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There was once a time when it was possible to get invited inside the cockpit while traveling on a commercial flight, but those days are long behind us—a reality the Colorado Rockies have learned the hard way courtesy of a hitting coach who has managed to spark a federal investigation.
One of the downsides of being a professional athlete is the amount of air travel you’re required to endure over the course of the season. With that said, teams go out of their way to ensure players, coaches, and their supporting staff fly in relative luxury compared to what the vast majority of commoners are subjected to when they board a plane.
When it comes to the MLB, the Detroit Tigers have a privately owned plane that’s used to transport the team to and from games, but every other franchise in the league relies on charter flights that are primarily facilitated by United and Delta.
That includes the Colorado Rockies, who currently use the former to get around. As I alluded to above, anyone who’s aboard one of those flights can take advantage of some treatment and amenities you’re usually not going to have access to unless you’re flying in first class, but the carriers that operate the flights are still required to adhere to FAA regulations.
That brings us to Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens, a former MLB outfielder who’s been with the team since 2023. Last week, Colorado headed up to Toronto for a three-game series with the Blue Jays, and during the flight, Meulens understandably took advantage of an invitation to sit in the pilot’s seat in the cockpit before posting a video of the experience on Instagram.
The Colorado Rockies are under investigation by the FAA and United Airlines after a video showed hitting coach Hensley Meulens in the cockpit of the team’s charter mid-flight.pic.twitter.com/raRrpPBJzY
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 19, 2024
According to The Denver Post, that clip is now at the center of an FAA investigation concerning an “unauthorized person” in the flight deck, as the agency’s rules dictate the only people allowed in the cockpit are crewmembers and authorized aviation officials with certifications Meulens (presumably) does not possess.
The FAA confirmed it’s looking into the incident but declined to offer any additional details to the outlet. A spokesperson for United also issued a statement that says the airline is “deeply disturbed by what we see in that video,” which seems like a bit of an overreaction until you consider it’s probably primarily disturbed by the possibility of the the fine that’s potentially coming its way.