"Hey! I know that guy!" (Delta Super Fan Video)

Derg said:
Was that in the van to the airport? I can't remember. But I literally didn't grasp the level of his knowledge until we were chatting in the van, doing Matthew McConoghey impressions together and then he got down to the business of asking me how the lower specific fuel consumption of the geared turbofans on the new A330s were going to affect the CASM on SEA to Asia markets and how I saw the airline redeploying it's Asian assets to expand market at a cost advantage several points better than our competition.

"It's uhh, gonna be REAL cool man" :)
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He sounds way too smart to be a pilot. Definitely management material.
 
So I'm driving down the road, and my wife, messing around on her phone, asks casually, "Do you know a guy named Doug Taylor?"

Immediate thought = !!!RED ALERT!!! RAISE SHIELDS!!! STANDBY TO REPEL BOARDERS!!!
"Umm, why?"
"Oh, there's a video of him on FB, and it's really cute!"
"You're fracking kidding me! Lemme see that!"
 
@Derg this was a real pleasure to watch. As others have said, it reminds me of how enthusiastic I was as a child about aviation. To make a youngsters eyes light up and ignite that fire even more for aviation is what it's really all about. I remember the first time I sat in the cockpit of a Fokker F-28 in the 90's, a great Horizon crew allowed me to check out their office and that further fueled my passion for aviation that has lead me to this point. That is also why I have always wanted to fly for Horizon, because of the impression those pilots made on me as a young aspiring future aviator.

This last week has been a tough one with my company making drastic changes which has been the first bump I have seen in the road as a professional pilot. All it took was watching that video and remembering why we are in this at times crazy industry. Well done Doug! Also that kid knows more at his age than most, keep in touch with him and watch him grow into a fantastic future crew member!
 
I'm still confused @Derg , that guy looks nothing like you.

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On another note, can I tell everyone that I know the pilot in this video and hang out in his living room??
 
kryan11 said:
I'm still confused @Derg , that guy looks nothing like you.

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On another note, can I tell everyone that I know the pilot in this video and hang out in his living room??
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Ha!

I'm at HQ for recurrent and lets say it's been a little weird to walk out of the simulator, bleery eyed after an A-period, and your fellow pilots treat you like you just won the winning catch after the clock ran out.

It's cool, but just a little… weird. :)
 
That is so cool what you and delta did for this family.

My first fond memory of aviation was on a delta L-1011 at the age of 4 or 5. The pilots gave me a little tiny L-1011 airplane model toy that was my favorite toy that I played with all the time even as it lost engine pods and the stab and wings

I can totally relate as to how AMR totally sucks. I used to hand out pilot wings to kids that would come up to the flight deck when I worked at American eagle. I went through 50 of them.

I'd get the wings at the c r smith museum every year during recurrent at the flight academy when I ran out.

Then the museum stopped carrying them and I ran out after giving the last one away to a kid who was a first time flyer. His eyes just lit up being in that tiny CRJ flight deck

I still run into a lot of new fliers and lots of nervous fliers and a lot of kids who light up or calm down when we let them sit in the really cushy seats up front with a view and play with the side stick. One lady started opening flight deck Windows and pushing buttons so we had to temper her enthusiasm just a tiny bit. But she left with a huge Cheshire Cat grin.
 
Very cool story!

You know, the general public likes you and kids love you, if you just let them.

You have time to say hi, you have time to help someone find their way in the airport, you have time to do a thoughtful, concise PA.

People are going to automatically look up to you until you give them a reason not to. I've done quite a bit of PR work this year as a volunteer and you would be amazed how many times I've heard from people that they really didn't expect a pilot to address them as a person because, unfortunately, too many of us give the impression that we're unapproachable or "above" everyone.

All kinds of magic things start to happen if you just take the time to make yourself seem human to the flying public! :)
 
Derg said:
Very cool story!

You know, the general public likes you and kids love you, if you just let them.

You have time to say hi, you have time to help someone find their way in the airport, you have time to do a thoughtful, concise PA.

People are going to automatically look up to you until you give them a reason not to. I've done quite a bit of PR work this year as a volunteer and you would be amazed how many times I've heard from people that they really didn't expect a pilot to address them as a person because, unfortunately, too many of us give the impression that we're unapproachable or "above" everyone.

All kinds of magic things start to happen if you just take the time to make yourself seem human to the flying public! :)
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It really is interesting to see the barriers that can be broken down just by treating people as just that.... People. I had a situation not too long ago where Medlink made the determination to remove a passenger before we left the gate. People in the persons party were vocally upset and borderline uncooperative. I went back in the cabin to explain the situation to them fully expecting to catch a full dose of anger and spite (and probably video taped by a smart phone). As I came to find out the people were upset that their friend had been removed by the gate agent and no one told them why the person was being removed. I spent 5 minutes explaining the situation and by the time we had reached cruise the FA's told me that each of the people had apologized to the FA's. When we got to Point B while saying goodbye to our guests each person in the party thanked us and once again apologized for their previous behavior.
I've learned over the years that it doesn't take much effort to treat people with dignity and respect. Kindness is free and sharing it with our guests can change the course of a day in a snap.

@Derg.... Thank you for giving us (whether we be professionals, enthusiasts, or lurkers) a place to learn, share, and cultivate our passion for aviation.
 
You're welcome and it's a pleasure.

Tell friends, grow the craft, pay it forward. This crap actually works if you let it! :)
 
Cptnchia said:
Unless you belief those nerds over on the automation thread who are predicting the death of the need for actual flying pilots. :biggrin:
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They'll have their place, just like vending machines and self-service kiosks.

But vending machines and self-service kisoks didn't replace full service restaurants where people expect a certain level of service from soup to nuts.

I think long(er)-haul overnight freight has the most to fear from automation and remote operation.
 
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