Being a pilot is cool.

F

Firebird2XC

Well-Known Member
Seriously now.

While there is room for improvement in the the day to day, the industry can be cruel.. and life just doesn't always go your way... let's face it. Life as a pilot- especially when you can pay your bills as one- is cool.

Bonus:
I told my girlfriend, "I'm married to my work... so that makes you my mistress..."
Her response? "That's hot."

Keeper. I WIN AGAIN!

Meanwhile- any 'Community' fans here? Anybody know how to learn this new line dance called the 'Lindbergh Lean'? It seems like a required thing for a pilot that likes to dance....

Carry on. :)
 
See I don't see being a pilot as cool - lots of boredom, being away from home, and dealing with airports is pretty unattractive. While I would like to get a type for personal reasons I would not like to call it a career.
 
Just curious, don't read into it, BUT: Did said girlfriend cook for you on your first date?:)
 
Itchy said:
Just curious, don't read into it, BUT: Did said girlfriend cook for you on your first date?:)
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Nope. We went out for Thai food. Then we got ice cream. I paid.

As for first-date-cooking.. I'd be wary. It's contrary to a lot of stuff in the dating process. Unless you're somehow given a good prior context for her to cook you a meal, it's a weird start. Besides, there's a lot of behavioral science behind a man taking a woman somewhere and giving her food. Google 'copulatory offering' and read up on it. A woman serving up home-cooked chow on the first encounter probably puts out on the first date, too, and all of the above for all of the worst and potentially scariest reasons possible.
 
Being a dispatcher is cool too. We get to tell the pilots what to do. :)

"You'll take the fuel load (Route/Delay/Airplane) I give you and you'll LIKE IT!!!"

:D
 
I_Money said:
See I don't see being a pilot as cool - lots of boredom, being away from home, and dealing with airports is pretty unattractive. While I would like to get a type for personal reasons I would not like to call it a career.
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I get paid a six figure salary to basically work a part time job. I think that's pretty cool. Granted, it wasn't all roses getting here, but few things that are worthwhile are easy.
 
Krystal said:
Being a dispatcher is cool too. We get to tell the pilots what to do. :)

"You'll take the fuel load (Route/Delay/Airplane) I give you and you'll LIKE IT!!!"

:D
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That's cute. You think that actually works.

In our operating manual, it says the Captain and the dispatcher will agree on the fuel load before departure. One day, a Captain got into a disagreement with their dispatcher on the phone before a flight. The Captain asked if the dispatcher was familiar with the requirement that they agree. When the dispatcher confirmed they knew, the Captain said, "Okay, when you're ready to agree with me so the flight can depart, I'll be in the crew room," and then hung up the phone.
 
ATN_Pilot - there are some good flying gigs. I am sure Sean D Tucker thinks he has an awesome job. However your average pilot, I do not think it's that good.
 
It's a job. There are great days, bad days, and crap sandwich days. If you do it right you are home more than you're away and you can provide for your family.
 
People not in aviation think it's an awesome job, I think it's a cool job, and pretty cool that flying airplanes pays my bills. It could be better but I'm still fairly young and I'm not complaining just yet. I mean honestly, I'm home AT LEAST 14 days every month, try that with a 9-5 job. I couldn't imagine punching a clock Mon-Fri like millions of people out there.
 
I'm pretty content now that I have control of my schedule. Currently flying a domestic trip in Japan. I leave tomorrow to go back to Tokyo, where I have 5 days off (which of course don't count toward the contractual minimum number of days off at home) to do whatever the heck I want with. Do one more domestic turn, then go home for a couple weeks. Next couple months it looks like I'll do nothing but civilian work in the Caribbean. Great airplane, great crews. Life ain't bad, though I'm continually told by people who don't work here how awful it is.
 
Krystal said:
Being a dispatcher is cool too. We get to tell the pilots what to do. :)

"You'll take the fuel load (Route/Delay/Airplane) I give you and you'll LIKE IT!!!"

:D
Click to expand...

I'll take your fuel load...mock you for it, figure out what I really need...order it and YOU'LL like it. CHEERS

Mark815 said:
People not in aviation think it's an awesome job, I think it's a cool job, and pretty cool that flying airplanes pays my bills. It could be better but I'm still fairly young and I'm not complaining just yet. I mean honestly, I'm home AT LEAST 14 days every month, try that with a 9-5 job. I couldn't imagine punching a clock Mon-Fri like millions of people out there.
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Let me preface this by saying I do not want a 9-5...but this is the same arguement our management gives us when we told that 12-14 days off is a lot. Do the math of home time: Here's what we know...9-5 is mon-fri with weekends off. (we won't even do holidays) I am giving an hour to get to work and :30 min to get home. The pilots, I am assuming a commutable one end trip with commuting. Again, I am being generous on the times.

9-5: 14hr 30 min at home every night...multiplied by 5 days a week...with the weekend off....times 4 for a month. 482hrs average each month that you can be at home.

pilot with 12 days off: based on a 6pm home arrival time on the day they finish to a commute time of 6pm on their last day off (for simple math) gives you 72hrs at home each week...multipled by 4...equals 288hrs each month.

Obviously, this does not account for sick time, vacation time, or more than 12 days off a month. However, using this basic model, it would take an additional 8 days to match a 9-5. So don't ever let someone tell you that because you have 12 or more days off that it is somehow creating more home time for you than a 9-5. Work it with your own math...it never equals.
 
Pilotdude3407 said:
So don't ever let someone tell you that because you have 12 or more days off that it is somehow creating more home time for you than a 9-5. Work it with your own math...it never equals.
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I'm not saying that I am, nor would I let someone tell me that. I fully understand that after you and I are done with work, we check into a hotel and don't get to see our family. It also varies greatly depending on which side of the industry you're on. For guys working at a regional who need to commute on their days off, life can be hell and their time off doesn't belong to them anymore. I live 10 min from the airport and work a 7\7 (well soon to be 8\6) so for me, life is good right now. I still wouldn't trade my 6-7 straight days off for punching a clock in the morning though.

Going back to the 9-5 sched though for a minute, with weekends off, I'll explain exactly why I wouldn't want it. Using my gf for an example, she gets up an hour and a half before work. Gets ready, drives 20-25minutes to work depending on traffic. Sits in an office all day, not able to be on her personal phone, gets an hour (sometimes) for lunch, then back to work for a few more hours. Leaves at 5 (most of the time unless she has to stay late and finish paperwork), commutes another 30 minutes or so depending on traffic to go home. Eats quickly, goes to the gym and finally settles down and relaxes by 8 or so. Then she's usually so tired, she'll be in bed by 1030 or 11, repeat every day. Then the weekends which are her time off, are so hectic because she has to do anything she couldn't do during the week, on the weekend. I feel bad for her sometimes, because my past week off it was so nice out, I was enjoying the sunshine and riding my motorcycle every day, and working on my car, and maybe spent one full day running errands, while she was stuck in the office.

I wouldn't want the 9-5, and while being in a hotel for a week at a time sucks, I still wouldn't trade it.
 
I love flying and what I do, but i'm pretty sure that will change in the snap of a finger as soon as I have children. Not sure what else I would do though...Maybe a gong farmer?
 
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