Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
I've never been a fan of the perspective of "someone has it worse than you, suck it up." You can absolutely have a craptastic day without being shot at.
Bad day
- Thread starter Stryker172
- Start date
I've never been a fan of the perspective of "someone has it worse than you, suck it up." You can absolutely have a craptastic day without being shot at.
Hacker15e
Who am I? Where are my pants?
That wasn't my point at all.
My point was, aviation is a dangerous biz, and the "best day flying" adage is, unfortunately, a bunch of hooey -- even if you haven't *yet* had one of those moments where you wished you were on the ground rather than in an airplane. If it hasn't happened, let's check again when you're retiring after 30 or 40 years of doing this and see if the answer is different. My bet is that the vast majority of career aviators have had those experiences, and probably more than once. Don't take a couple of carefree years of regional flying as being representative of an entire career's worth of risk exposure. I've had mine, and you guys will have yours, guaranteed.
We are all going to have bad days in this profession, and it is part of good airmanship to be able to compartmentalize and drive on.
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
Eh...I still think it applies, though maybe not in a literal sense.
For most pilot jobs, days like that are pretty much a statistical anomaly. Yeah, I've had experiences where I had to pull half my seat cushion out from you know where, but that's been 0.00001% of the 9is years I've been doing this for a living. So yeah, maybe the WORST day flying isn't all the great, but 99.99999% of the time it hasn't been half bad. I'm a big picture guy so that rounds up to 100.
poser765
Well-Known Member
See, now you are changing it up. Are we talking about moments were I know we are going to die or just simple experiences were I wish I was on the ground instead of in the air. The former I've had less than 1, and the latter I've had more than 1. I've been in some very tense moments where in retrospect the outcome could have been far more catastrophic. And you know, the next day I was still happy to go to work. lol, ok happy may be too strong of a word...I mean it's STILL work!
Also I know, as do most people that bad stuff could be just around the corner. Something could happen to any of us, and probably will. We know that, and accept it, and still manage to go do the job. Why? lol, because I would still rather do this with the potential for danger then work as an IT procurement manager with the specialization "Statistical analysis and data reconfiguration."
Hacker15e
Who am I? Where are my pants?
Not changing things; both of those scenarios fit into "the worst day flying" category, and both represent days that were worse than the "best day" of not flying.
poser765
Well-Known Member
And I have experienced the latter...and would prefer that then a good day in a cubicle.
killbilly
Vocals, Lyrics, Triangle, Washboard, Kittens
So, this whole flying airplanes is a journey, right? Which means Bad Days are inevitable.
During my IR, I had a few of them, and actually got various bits of sage advice on this here lil ol' forum. Of all the stuff people said, there was one that stuck out from our friend @bunk22 , who said:
"Try to suck less."
Sounds flippant, but he was right, because I did, indeed, suck at the time and was getting frustrated. I got better. I sucked less.
We can talk all day about windshields and bugs and which one you are whether or not you eat the bear, etc...but the bottom line is what you DO with the experience matters greatly, because it will have a lot to do with how you handle the next one. Turn the experience on its head and learn from it, be gentle with yourself, and suck less next time. Everyone's been there.
During my IR, I had a few of them, and actually got various bits of sage advice on this here lil ol' forum. Of all the stuff people said, there was one that stuck out from our friend @bunk22 , who said:
"Try to suck less."
Sounds flippant, but he was right, because I did, indeed, suck at the time and was getting frustrated. I got better. I sucked less.
We can talk all day about windshields and bugs and which one you are whether or not you eat the bear, etc...but the bottom line is what you DO with the experience matters greatly, because it will have a lot to do with how you handle the next one. Turn the experience on its head and learn from it, be gentle with yourself, and suck less next time. Everyone's been there.
D
Deleted member 27505
Guest
Agreed, but I think we are comparing apples and pomegranates.... Intoxicate vs. Ennui.
Those days when big pieces break, or some foreign government "agency" tries to steal your airplane, or you get shot at, or... they aren't so bad in the long run, 'cause they make for really good stories later on. Plus, at the time they're much more fun 'cause you're stoned on adrenaline. Which is physiologically and emotionally quiet different than being soused with cortisol from dealing with unreformed managers or discombobulated Pax or vicious schedules. At the end of the situation, the one excites, the other enervates. Perhaps more profoundly, at the end of the event, the one is over. The other generally will continue ad nauseam.
Bob Ridpath
Pit Bull love
Doesn't everyone have a "bad day," though, from time-to-time, whether they fly or not?
My couple close calls personally involved fires and a water rescue. They were places I chose to be, though, and ultimately turned out OK.
I answer a lot of 911 calls these days that involve mundane things like driving a car or eating a sandwich. Honestly, there's no such thing as a truly safe place.
My couple close calls personally involved fires and a water rescue. They were places I chose to be, though, and ultimately turned out OK.
I answer a lot of 911 calls these days that involve mundane things like driving a car or eating a sandwich. Honestly, there's no such thing as a truly safe place.
bunk22
Well-Known Member
Like in life, there are good days and bad days. Some bad days are really bad. I think we've all been there, all of us. I had a runway mishap in 2003, had to sit in front of the board, a JAG and have not only the Navy judge me but my peers. People drew conclusions without ever asking me what happened or read one piece of actual info on the incident. Anyway, there have been other bad days and luckily, great days. The things we look forward to are the good days, those days that make it all worth while. You can get knocked down and stay down or get up. Might be easier said than done and unlike a movie, getting up doesn't mean the next day, week or month and all is good. It takes years sometimes. My .02 for what it's worth.