Glorified Bus Driver

S

seaav8tor

New Member
I propose we put this one to rest with a national TV broadcast.

It would go like this; 4 Greyhound bus drivers would be selected at random from across the nation. At the end of the runway, engines running, a fully loaded 777 (full pax and fuel), two of the bus drivers would be placed in the pilot seats. The pilots that taxied the aircraft into position would get off the plane. The two bus drivers would then takeoff and fly from NYC to London.

The other 2 bus drivers would take the pilot seats on a Q400 in position on the runway, engines running, and fly a point A-B flight along the eastern seaboard. (fully loaded with pax that had made statements "pilots are just glorified bus drivers")

Then 4 commercial pilots would be selected at random and each given the driver's seat to a Greyhound bus with the engine running at a rest stop along the interstate freeway. They would be tasked to drive various routes across the US.
 
My guess?

The guys in the airplanes would probably get the planes moving a bit and then run off the side of the runway because they don't understand rudder peddal steering. There would be a few injuries but that would be it.

The pilots in the buses would be able to figure out the basics and get the buses moving on the highway but due to their unfamilarity with driving a bus would manage to crash and kill a whole bunch of people on board.

I really don't think your "test" would prove what you want to prove.
 
Pilots are not glorified bus drivers.....Bus drivers make a LOT more money! So, it really should be the other way around. :buck:
 
Sounds like somebody needs his mommy to tell him he's special. If your self worth is tied up in being able to fly airplanes you're going to be very disappointed.
 
In my personal experience the general public still seems to have a high respect for airline pilots. On lady came up and shook my hand to tell me she was proud I got where I am at my age. Doubt I would get that driving a bus around....
 
They have high respect for the title "airline pilot," but thats it. Ask them to pay more for a ticket and they'll called you "overpaid." Heck we have pilots calling each other "whiners" for complaining about pay and working conditions.

But Ozone is right, why would a bus driver want to take a paycut to fly a plane? Plus you might get the busdrivers who are FS fans and they would take that 777 to europe and back. Don't know if any sims exist for a bus so the pilots would be sol and lose the competition. LOL
 
BobDDuck said:
The pilots in the buses would be able to figure out the basics and get the buses moving on the highway but due to their unfamilarity with driving a bus would manage to crash and kill a whole bunch of people on board.
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I'm not sure where the current state of technology is when it comes to heavy buses. If the buses have automatic tranmissions, the pilots will probably be able to get them out on the road and as long as they don't have to stop quickly, turn any tight corners or back up too far, they'll probably be able to do it without ever getting a scratch on the bus or anyone else. If we're talking manual transmissions, I doubt most pilots would be able to get the buses moving much faster than 5 mph or so if at all.

But I agree with the others who say if being called a glorified bus driver bothers you that much, perhaps its time to rethink the career choice. If you need the respect of others in order to feel good about yourself, then aviation ain't the career for you.
 
Joe Gremlin said:
I'm not sure where the current state of technology is when it comes to heavy buses. If the buses have automatic tranmissions, the pilots will probably be able to get them out on the road and as long as they don't have to stop quickly, turn any tight corners or back up too far, they'll probably be able to do it without ever getting a scratch on the bus or anyone else. If the buses have manual transmissions, I doubt most pilots would be able to get the buses moving much faster than 5 mph or so if at all.
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If Sandra Bullock could figure out how to drive a bus, I'm sure anyone can.




:sarcasm: (Do I really have to put this on too?)
 
I think he's actually on to something. I am not yet a professional aviator by any stretch of the imagination, nor am I an airline pilot, but I do get tired of hearing it from some people (glorified bus driver). I do take pride in the profession, and nothing against bus drivers, but I do feel like there is more to flying an airplane with all the responsibilities, duties, etc. then driving a bus.

I did work hard to get a college degree, and also worked hard and studied, and spent lots of $$ to become a pilot (without a paid flying job at the moment). Do I love flying? Yes. Do I think flying is and can be easy and enjoyable? Yes. Do I think there can be many challenges in aviation? Yes. Do I think two untrained professional bus drivers could fly a fully loaded 777 from NYC to London? No.

Again, I don't need to be lifted up by my future profession, but I do think it is still a professional industry. I still treat my future career, and other professional aviators with the same respect.
 
I had to get my CDL for bus driving when I was working on an indian reservation. You get 2 rides, 1 ground lesson, and a check. That is it. Unless you are a horrible driver, it is easy to learn and drive a bus.

As for the automatic vs manual thing... even if the bus is a manual (and most nowadays are not), it is the same as driving a car. It does not have a high/low switch or anything like that. My car is manual, and I would say it is harder to shift than a bus. The larger clutch throw on a bus makes it easier to learn.

Driving a bus is not like driving an 18 wheeler. It is a single unit like a car, so backing up and turning are all the same... you just need more distance from the curb before you turn. An 18 wheeler is harder, since backing with a trailer can be difficult for some people to learn... but again, if you have driven a normal truck hauling a boat or small trailer, the concept is the same. Other than that, you have to learn about air brakes. But if you can learn systems on an aircrat, it is not a problem.

I almost laughed when guys were saying pilots would wipe out the bus. Most of the pilots I know have good stick and rudder skills, which comes from them being able to adapt to situations.... adapting to drive a bus is easy. Hell, we had one volunteer fail his bus check for backing into a basketball hoop. He passed on the recheck and he drove the bus all year just fine.
 
seaav8tor said:
I propose we put this one to rest with a national TV broadcast.

It would go like this; 4 Greyhound bus drivers would be selected at random from across the nation. At the end of the runway, engines running, a fully loaded 777 (full pax and fuel), two of the bus drivers would be placed in the pilot seats. The pilots that taxied the aircraft into position would get off the plane. The two bus drivers would then takeoff and fly from NYC to London.

The other 2 bus drivers would take the pilot seats on a Q400 in position on the runway, engines running, and fly a point A-B flight along the eastern seaboard. (fully loaded with pax that had made statements "pilots are just glorified bus drivers")

Then 4 commercial pilots would be selected at random and each given the driver's seat to a Greyhound bus with the engine running at a rest stop along the interstate freeway. They would be tasked to drive various routes across the US.
Click to expand...

We really aren't much more than bus drivers, we've just acquired a different set of skills than they have. We load up a load of pax into a giant metal tube, then we blast across country at fairly high speeds. They load up pax into a giant metal rectangular cube, then blast across country at fairly highspeeds. The only real difference? Tube or Cube?
 
You're practically an astronaut once you have your CPL and than you're like a ninja astronaut once you fly an RJ. I think we need our own holiday because no one appreciates my mad skillz.
 
The resulting comments from Pilots that went to drive the Buses. "I feel well rested today compared to my old job" Bus drivers have less duty times than us.
 
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