VIDEO: The DEI problem in the handling of large, lethal machines

There are lots of problems with the theory and practice of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Chief among those, IMHO, is that the "E" (for "Equity"), in demanding equality in everything for everbody, regardless of race, gender, religion etc, is premised on the theory that God created everyone equal. He did not.

Look around you, in your workplace, your classroom, your place of worship, wherever. You cannot avoid seeing a rainbow of different colours, different sizes, different shapes, and different genders (although how many "genders" there are is disputed nowadays).

Those are the differences you can see. As you interact with the humans around you, you find that they have different cultures, different religions (religion and culture being inseparable), different aptitudes (white men can't jump!) and different levels of intelligence. 

To expect that you can mold Diversity into Equality is the veriest nonsense. I would like to be an all-star hockey player (with the Montréal Canadiens, of course!), but I don't have the ability or the talent, and you can't force the Habs to let me play for them because short, bald, overweight octagenarians are under-represented on their roster.

Admit it! Some people are better at some things than others, and some are worse, sometimes tragically so. Some readers have noted (and taken me to task for) my remarks about Chinese drivers. And Chinese sailors. And I'm not the only one to question the wisdom of letting poorly trained pilots fly airplanes just because they're women. See "DEI pilot song", WWW 15/8/25 (includes video).

That brings me to this video recreation by Allec Joshua Ibay of the tragic crash of Kenya Airways flight 507, a scheduled Abidjan–Douala–Nairobi passenger service, operated with a Boeing 737-800, that crashed in the initial stage of its second leg immediately after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Caméroun on 5 May 2007.

To see how this proves my point about DEI, you should understand that when the African colonies of Britain, France and Portugal were given their independence... ready or not... in the 1960s, one of the first things the new black rulers did was to set up a national airline. Hey, how can you be a nation without an airline.

Since there were almost no black pilots in those days -- not even in the US of A -- hundreds of black Africans were enrolled in crash courses [Careful now... Ed.] to learn how to fly these ultra-sophisticated marvels of aeronautical engineering. Until they did, pilots were recruited from Europe and North America. 

Then came DEI, or "Africanization" as it was termed on the Dark Continent. It was shameful, the liberals said, that white men (almost none of the pilots were female) should be flying African airliners. As if the locals couldn't do it! And so you got pilots like the captain of Flight 507, who, in spite of many flying hours, never quite got the hang of things like managing the autopilot.

Note also that the first officer on the ill-fated flight had only 837 hours of experience. He had been the subject of incessant criticism by the captain and didn't dare to open his mouth about the impending disaster until after the captain said "We are crashing!"

What you see there is African culture at work. (I say this as one with seven years' experience in training and management in southern Africa.) Africans defer to age and authority, as they still do to tribal chiefs. (Yes, such things still exist.) To question an elder, especially one who has just called you out, is unheard of. By the time the FO got over that cultural block, it was too late.

In closing, let me repeat the point of "The DEI pilot song", as the lesson to be learned from this video. It's not about white supremacy, but about how the woke goals affect airline standards, pilot competency, and aviation safety. Will qualified candidates be passed over in the name of diversity? Can DEI hiring and meritocracy coexist? 

Sadly, the problems caused by DEI are not unique to the aviation industry. Any human enterprise involving more than one person must sooner or later face the reality that we are not all created equal.

Allec Joshua Ibay, RIP.

We are sad indeed to report that one of our favourite bloggers, Allec Joshua Ibay, best known for his "Air Disasters" series on YouTube, died in a car crash in his native Philippines on 24 July 2025. Allec had a lifelong interest in airplanes and aviation, and always wanted to be an airline pilot, like his father before him. 

While he was learning to fly, he started creating these simulations using FS2004, to educate himself and others about the lessons to be learned from these accidents. Over the years, he put up 728 videos, and his channel has over 272,000 followers. 

Allec did get his commercial pilot's licence a couple of years ago, but now has been taken from us. But through his channel, he's still "keepin' `em flying." RIP.