Airline Pilots Are Glorified Bus Drivers

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jtrain609 said:
I think what kills many pilots, and this isn't exclusive to doctors, is overconfidence in their abilities and aircraft.
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Exactly. This was the handiwork of the great Scott Crossfield:
f-100a_25778-2.jpg


A lack of confidence can kill you just as surely. Sometimes.. if only a rare sometimes.. it really is "do or die".

We all walk a fine line. I think deep down we all know not everybody can do that. We also know that we shouldn't think too much of ourselves for being able to do it. But we do. ;)
 
Are pilots glorified bus drivers or are bus drivers glorified pilots?


I've been thinking about how to tackle this topic as someone who drives a bus and is a pilot (albeit a private pilot).
Honestly there is bus drivers and airline pilots have a lot in common. We have alot of the same concerns and bitches, only
on the ground.There are a lot of guys who start out driving and go into flying and alot of guys do the reverse.
At my company alone I we have 7-8 guys who were either airline pilots or active private pilots, we even have one
ex-AF Colonel with B-52 time.

I think this more a question of professionalism than comparing jobs. As a "professional motorcoach operator",
I'm much more than just a bus driver. I'm customer service,ticket agent,baggage handler,tour guide, part-time mechanic
among other things. My pay scale reflects that. Quite frankly I don't know of any CDL driver with a clean record that would
accept anything less than 25k at first year pay. The job just has too much responsibility to accept anything else.

IMHO, the pay for regional airline pilots and bus drivers differ because of different career expectations. Most drivers
get hired at a company that they plan on staying for a while....if not for their whole driving career. Most regional guys
go wherever they can get in and plan for the quick upgrade and try to get to a major in 5 years. Ergo, the regionals have
no reason to up pay because they are using the pilots as the pilots are using them. Bus drivers don't jump companies unless
they have a really good reason, once you have seniority...it's really hard to give it up.

Another thing that differs between the two groups is respect. The regional airline business has gotten so cutthroat
lately with companies going after each others "flying". I've heard so many stories of denied jumpseats, middle fingers out
the windows,stepping on radio transmissions....it makes we wonder whats so "professional" about being an airline pilot. The
bus business is close knit...we all know one another and respect one another as operators. Very rarely would you see that
kind of behavior between operators because most driver's groups police themselves and keep a lid on the jackasses.


I don't think anybody should be insulted that somebody calls them a glorified bus driver, you could be called worse.
 
WacoFan said:
...What would CalCapt say?
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You are showing your age. :laff:


A320_DUDE said:
I think this more a question of professionalism than comparing jobs.
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I agree. I have crossed paths with many people who I have come to respect that do things in life that many in society routinely label as trivial, demeaning or below them in some regard. I have known security guards and store clerks that are as professional as any airline pilot. Conversely, I have flown with pilots that don't hold a candle, professionally speaking, to the guy who fixes my car.

A guy who makes a statement like this (glorified bus driver), is usually just repeating the thoughts and prejudices of a largely ignorant society.
 
jtrain609 said:
They don't? Do you have any idea how much hell you need to go through to get INTO med school, to say nothing about get THROUGH med school?
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If I answer yes, would that make my argument more credible? I hope so, so here goes...yes I do in fact know the hell I went through.

jtrain609 said:
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if you've got the academic ability to get through med school, and the hand eye coordination to cut people open for a living, being a pilot is likely a waste of your talents.
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Stay out on your limb. I too am insulted by your statement. You clearly put very little value on your training. Please don't assume the rest of us are like minded.

On the topic of flying doctors, we have 3 at my school- one is a fairly good student- if not a bit above average in some areas. The other 2 are disasters. One had some 70 hours before solo, and the other must have ~100hrs by now, and still no solo.

The fact that you think docs have superhuman knowledge verifies that you know as much about medicine as your passengers this morning know about flying. Real world medicine is nothing like what you see on House. If they made an airline equivalent to the average tv hospital show, a typical pilot's schedule would look like this:

7am - 727 from MIA to ATL
12pm- A320 from ATL to ORD
3pm- Patrol the US/Canadian border in an F16
6pm- MD11 from SEA to ANC
1am - C210 to drop off supplies somewhere in Alaska

I'm not trying to down play the sacrifices doctors have to make, but I take exception to somebody saying that anybody can do my job.
 
I loves me some CABill
CaptBill said:
You are showing your age. :laff:





I agree. I have crossed paths with many people who I have come to respect that do things in life that many in society routinely label as trivial, demeaning or below them in some regard. I have known security guards and store clerks that are as professional as any airline pilot. Conversely, I have flown with pilots that don't hold a candle, professionally speaking, to the guy who fixes my car.

A guy who makes a statement like this (glorified bus driver), is usually just repeating the thoughts and prejudices of a largely ignorant society.
Click to expand...
 
Chief Captain said:
If I answer yes, would that make my argument more credible? I hope so, so here goes...yes I do in fact know the hell I went through.



Stay out on your limb. I too am insulted by your statement. You clearly put very little value on your training. Please don't assume the rest of us are like minded.

On the topic of flying doctors, we have 3 at my school- one is a fairly good student- if not a bit above average in some areas. The other 2 are disasters. One had some 70 hours before solo, and the other must have ~100hrs by now, and still no solo.

The fact that you think docs have superhuman knowledge verifies that you know as much about medicine as your passengers this morning know about flying. Real world medicine is nothing like what you see on House. If they made an airline equivalent to the average tv hospital show, a typical pilot's schedule would look like this:

7am - 727 from MIA to ATL
12pm- A320 from ATL to ORD
3pm- Patrol the US/Canadian border in an F16
6pm- MD11 from SEA to ANC
1am - C210 to drop off supplies somewhere in Alaska

I'm not trying to down play the sacrifices doctors have to make, but I take exception to somebody saying that anybody can do my job.
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Can't say I watch House, or any TV for that matter.

So get me up to speed here, you're in med school, or maybe you're out and you're a doctor, that's cool, and have you worked at an airline?

I know doctors/med students/lawyers/law students, and I know a lot of pilots.

I don't put pilots on the top of the list for smarts. Dumb? No, not nearly. Pretty smart? Sure. Smart enough to hack med school/law school? No.

And I put a lot of value on my training, I just don't think that this profession makes me special, nor a unique beautiful snowflake.

It makes me a pilot. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
embraer07 said:
Can we just copy and paste this every time another person claims flying is easy? Very well said.

Just to add: years ago I used to hang out at an RC airplane field where a bunch of cocky, computer IT types would fly their RC planes around on weekends. They were all convinced that flying their RC planes was more difficult than flying a real airliner. Why? Because some idiot Delta pilot would stumble through every now and then and actually utter those words. As such everybody there thought pilots ( the real kind, not their RC version of the name) were overpaid bus drivers. They would hee haw at our expense, make jokes about flying real airplanes, and reduce our profession to dirt just before pushing the little sticks forward on their remote controls for another thrilling RC flight.

Such a shame.... and the person to blame for it all was an actual airline pilot. We don't realize how much damage our words do to this profession.
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I'm sorry you got such a bad impression of RC guys. It's a shame one group of people can give all of us a bad name.

I've been flying RC airplanes for years. I think the guys you encountered were probably referring to the control reversal experienced by controlling the plane remotely. They may have been poking fun at you just because they realize just how difficult it is to become a real pilot, and just wanted to give you grief because you were brand new at flying RC and were having difficulties.

I think it's common sense that piloting a full scale airplane with people's lives involved is much more difficult and it really is an entirely different league. Why RC pilots are merely playing with our expensive toys. lol

I have a lot of friend that actually fly both full scale and radio controlled planes. Flying RC is not hard, but there is a learning curve just like anything you do in life...

Sorry if I'm rambling, I just ran upon this thread and seen your remarks and just wanted to clarify that not all RC pilots are rich and snotty, lol.

Have you guys ever seen some of these giant scale RC airplanes ( http://www.hooked-on-rc-airplanes.com/giant-scale-rc-airplanes.html ) ? You should consider giving RC airplanes a try. Come to our flying field in here in KY, there about the nicest bunch of guys you'll meet.

And for the record, of course jet pilots aren't glorified bus drivers! You guys deserve a lot of respect, especially commercial pilot these days with all the security and threats...
 
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