Thomas Salme’s Fake Pilot License

A Swedish pilot named Thomas Salme flew commercial airliners for 13 years for three airlines without a valid commercial pilot’s license. After obtaining a fake license he had created himself, he accumulated approximately 10,000 hours in the air. Salme later said, "It was a fantasy creation. It wasn't laminated... It was surprisingly easy." He insisted passengers were never at risk, but authorities arrested him in 2010 after he was caught in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 in Amsterdam.

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