Remove the Problem
Yesterday emails and text messages filled my computer and phone: “Graham has stepped down as CEO of Endeavor!” Yes, it’s true. Yet he will stay on as a SVP, of Delta Connection and they are placing him on the Board of Directors. The question I have is how can this man touch anything aviation, in that he violated Federal Regulations and perjured himself in court?
I’ve often wondered how the human can harm others for power and money. Pilots are supposed to be a different breed. We are unique souls who inspire, motivate and help others achieve their dreams. We soar above the clouds and fly under rainbows. Okay… apparently only in my dreams. The question is this… how does a pilot move to CEO?
In honor of the man, Captain James Graham, who has recently left his Endeavor Air CEO position, please enjoy this brief history of how Graham climbed the ladder and fell off. He didn’t hit the ground, but he should have.
HISTORY:
1988 Graham is hired by Delta as a B727 second officer.
May of 2002, He became general manager of Pilot Standards.
In 2005 they brought him into Atlanta as a Chief Pilot.
In 2006, after Delta emerged from bankruptcy, he returned to the flight operations program and worked to bring NWA and Delta together in a single operating certificate. He was part of the reason that NWA pilots lost all their sick leave during the merger. But I digress.
In late 2006, early 2007, Delta promoted Jim to Vice President of Flying Operations and Chief Pilot.
During his time in flight operations, Delta violated duty time regulations, falsified training records, told pilots to not call in fatigued because, “Fatigue is the other F-word”, etc., and training was cut to save money.
November 3, 2015, I requested a meeting with Graham and Dickson to express concerns of what I observed in violation of SMS, and other regulatory violations, placing passenger lives in risk.
November 9, 2015, Graham emailed numerous managers telling them that he thought I should be pulled for mental health, simply because I requested to speak to him regarding my safety concerns.
November 16, 2015, Graham emailed Dickson and told him he intended to send me to psychiatric evaluation “after” I met with them.
January 28, 2016, I met with Graham and Dickson and gave them a 45-page safety report. They were so appreciative.
March 5, 2016, Graham set in motion his plan to have me pulled from duty. Eventually the airline paid a doctor $74,000 to make me bipolar. I filed an AIR21 claim. We began lengthy litigation that lasted seven years. Two years into the process, Graham’s promotions began.
October 2018 Graham was promoted to Senior Vice President of Flight Operations.
March 29, 2019 Graham committed perjury in a court of law!
April 25, 2019 Delta lied about not being able to log in for a video deposition, despite having done so on numerous other occasions. In response to this falsity, and to avoid his returning to court, Graham voluntarily forfeited his rights to cross examination. All testimony, deposition and trial was now admitted.
March 2020 Graham became Corporate Safety Security and Compliance. Seriously... after he learn he violates federal regulations? I’m uncertain if this was a promotion or a lateral move.
October 2020 Graham is then promoted to Endeavor Air CEO and the SVP Delta Connection. Seriously? After he perjured himself in court and had proven to violated federal regulations they made him a CEO? Yes they did.
December 2021 Delta loses the AIR21 case, and Judge Morris challenges Graham’s testimony and his character. The judge states that I was an unwitting player in his and Chris Puckett’s game of Chess. Puckett is still Delta’s Labor Relations Attorney.
March 2022 Delta loses their appeal, proving all that Graham had done, and Dickson resigns from the FAA.
February 17, 2025 Endeavor Crashes, and on February 18, 2025 I wrote of my deep concerns regarding Graham in the position as the CEO in the post Miracle in Toronto.
February 27, 2025 Delta threatens a defamation lawsuit in Delta’s effort to silence me. But this lawsuit was not about what I said about Graham, or even Bastian, Dickson, or Michael Huerta. Delta does not argue my assertions against any executive, because I have documentation to prove all that I say. This was all about the pilot who crashed the plane. Seriously? Think that one through logically.
April 11, 2025 In response to Delta’s threat, I filed an AIR21 Complaint. You can read all about that in Petitt vs Delta 2025
May 1, 2025, two weeks later, Graham stepped down as the Endeavor CEO. He says he had been planning to do this for a year now. Should we waste brain cells to wonder why he wrote that? The question remains, however, how can he possibly stay as the SVP of Delta Connection? And then he is also placed on the Board of Directors? This man has personally degraded aviation safety by violating federal regulations and retaliated in the worst way against the person who tried to improve safety. He should be removed and prohibited from ever being involved in aviation again. Even Lorenzo was forbidden to run an airline.
SAFETY CONCERN:
A retired Captain wrote me a lengthy email yesterday with all his concerns and in closing he said:
“I guess the question I now have is, what will it take for these same idiots, in this case meaning all of the above (including passengers), to open their eyes and see what is happening? Will it take more crashes. Is the the few bucks saved on the price of a ticket worth the cost? Will the same aforementioned individuals and agencies cover up what will happen when the single-pilot cockpit is touted as the “safe” norm? Will the lies and deception continue on all fronts?”
What do you Think
Will it take more crashes before everyone wakes up? Or will we as a society continue to blindly fly in the hands of those placing our lives at risk every time we step onto an airplane?
10 Comments
Greed – the grease that keeps the industry cruising along at FL 000.
18 U.S. Code § 1111
Yes…I wonder if Greed’s sister is Karma?
Joke…
“There’s a new conspiracy theory out there called Big Karma.
They don’t know what the government is trying to do to us, but are convinced we must have it coming.”
LOL… that’s funny!
Draining the swamp, one at a time.
Great work!!✌️
Thank you!
Interesting. Now he is just a paid, albeit highly-paid, figurehead. Why would they keep him? Makes you wonder what secrets he knows or who he knows them about. If lives weren’t at stake, the absurdity of all this would be funny. With all the recent airline incidents, it’s just a sad commentary of profits over safety.
I’ve been wondering that exact thing! We also have to wonder why the FAA condones profit over safety… but then when the head of the FAA can go directly to the board of directors position, that might just answer the question.
Thank you for speaking up.
Aviation safety must never be compromised—not for corporate ambition, not for reputational protection, and certainly not at the cost of silencing those who raise genuine concerns. The pattern of retaliation you’ve detailed against a pilot who followed her ethical and legal obligation to report safety risks is not just alarming, it’s intolerable.
Jim Graham’s continued presence in any aviation leadership role—despite documented regulatory violations, perjury, and retaliatory actions confirmed by a court—sends a dangerous message. It undermines the integrity of Safety Management Systems (SMS), the whistleblower protections under AIR21, and the accountability expected of senior aviation officials. Promoting such a figure signals that safety violations are not only tolerated, but rewarded.
This is not just about one individual; it’s about the culture we are creating in aviation. When those who protect safety are punished, and those who endanger it are protected, we are moving in the wrong direction. If we are truly committed to improving safety, then accountability cannot be selective.
We need to support the professionals who uphold the highest safety standards, even when it’s inconvenient. It’s time the industry listened—not after another crash, but now.
I could not have said this better. Thank you. This action “has” sent a dangerous message to everyone who might want to speak out. I’m wondering what it will take to hold people accountable. Because, until that time, the behavior will continue and lives will be in harms way.
You called it, about not being one person. It is in fact a culture. A culture that violates SMS. A culture that places profit over safety. The fact that you are voicing your opinion and concerns is powerful. We need more people like you to speak out, and for those comments to snowball and have everyone say, enough is enough. I, too, hope we can do this now before another crash.