Questions you get sick of answering

saxman

saxman

Well-Known Member
I always enjoy the topics about dumb passengers, or silly questions your non-pilot friends/family ask you. So I'm going to start one up again. So what are some things passengers or other people have asked you?

Of course, us young guys always get the "are you old enough to fly?" Or that I must have perfect vision. And the most annoying one, does the CA ever let you land or do you just navigate? Because thats what a co-pilot does...navigates and talks on the radios, right?

I imagine myself sitting at a big table with charts and plotters out telling the CA where to go...

So what about you?
 
"Hey you John? He's a pilot for American."

"John who? What's his last name"

"I don't know, but uhh, he was in the navy"
 
Honestly, I don't get sick of answering questions, and I don't believe in stupid questions. I view every question as a way to open a person's eyes to what a pilot's life is like. That's pretty much always a good thing for us.

But then again, I'm talkative and I enjoy teaching, so I'm probably not the best guy for input on this thread...
 
I've been asked the usual stupid questions several times... I just do my best to not look annoyed and answer the questions in a way they'll like. But the comment that really bothers me is when guys (it is almost always males) say "well, I've got a family so I can't do stuff like flying airplanes". I am insulted by it, as it implies that I am some sort of daredevil, out there pushing risks. These same people are almost always totally closed to any sort of conversation about the risks involved, which just frustrates me more. I've learned just to give a fake laugh and move on to the next subject.

I should also clairify - I also love to answer questions about aviation. I just don't like the irritating ones (so, when are you going to be a commercial pilot?, etc.). I'm a flight instructor, so I'm already a commercial pilot!!
 
In front of the Beech 1900 (FO)
Pax: "Is this thing safe?"
Me: "I dunno lady this is my first day!" (smiling)

Pax: "Oh no I HATE these little planes"
Me: "Sheesh lady it's the biggest thing I've ever flown"
Pax: (Look of horror)

Pax: "Why do you have these old prop planes? Why not get some new jets?"
Me: "Buddy that Boeing you just got off is older than me. This plane is only 5 yrs old."
 
Have you got your commerical pilot license yet?

Get that every time I go to the family gathering.
Guess teaching and flying corportate and freight isn't a real pilot job.
 
I know it's not airline related but....

young kids love to ask me, "Hey, have you ever shot anyone before"?
 
Not tired of answering them yet at all, but here are the two best ones I've gotten, from a wife and her husband...

Wife: Those planes sure come in low when they land...
Me: Yes, ma'am... that's where we keep the runway.

Husband (after chuckling at my previous answer): But couldn't they come in higher and then just come in really steep at the end?
Me: Sure. Once.
 
Fly4Pay said:
Not tired of answering them yet at all, but here are the two best ones I've gotten, from a wife and her husband...

Wife: Those planes sure come in low when they land...
Me: Yes, ma'am... that's where we keep the runway.

Husband (after chuckling at my previous answer): But couldn't they come in higher and then just come in really steep at the end?
Me: Sure. Once.
Click to expand...

:rotfl:
 
Fly4Pay said:
Not tired of answering them yet at all, but here are the two best ones I've gotten, from a wife and her husband...

Wife: Those planes sure come in low when they land...
Me: Yes, ma'am... that's where we keep the runway.

Husband (after chuckling at my previous answer): But couldn't they come in higher and then just come in really steep at the end?
Me: Sure. Once.
Click to expand...


haha, awesome response.
 
Friends: "So I heard you got a new job, you flying airliners now?"
Me: "No, its a corporate job. I'm the co-pilot on a Learjet owned by a private company"
Friends: "So, you fly around rich people?"
Me: "Yeah, if thats the way you want to look at it. Or you could look at it like they do; as a tool and business strategy to allow them to get from meeting to meeting over large distances in the shortest amount of time."
Friends: "So when are you going to get to fly the airliners?"

:banghead:

Why does just about everyone outside of aviation think that "flying an airliner" is the holy grail of aviation?

PS...to the homeboy that was complaining about corporate jets flying into Teterboro a while back...it sure was a pretty approach the other day.
 
Fly4Pay said:
Not tired of answering them yet at all, but here are the two best ones I've gotten, from a wife and her husband...

Wife: Those planes sure come in low when they land...
Me: Yes, ma'am... that's where we keep the runway.

Husband (after chuckling at my previous answer): But couldn't they come in higher and then just come in really steep at the end?
Me: Sure. Once.
Click to expand...

Holy heck, thats the funniest thing I've read in a while! :rotfl:
 
Tired of stupid questions? Try being an immigrant. :D
Anyhow, speaking of aviation related stupid questions, when I had to renew my medical for the first time I honestly didn't really know that I was supposed to get the white one, instead I had the doctor doing the exam on me who was doing that for the first time as well, so nobody caught it and I ended up with a yellow student pilot medical certificate.
That wasn't a big deal, they let me fly with it at my fbo, but one time I ended up talking to some girl who happen to be an assistant to a local medical examiner at the fbo and I asked the assistant whether I can change it to white certificate and how. I told her I'm a private pilot and it's just the wrong color certificate that was issued to me. She kept asking me if I soloed, I said yes I am a private pilot. She said I have to have the yellow one unless I soloed. I kept saying I'm a private pilot, she just didn't seem to get it. Anyway, I just quit trying to explain it to her and just changed the subject. Obviously not all medical assistants know what the hell they're doing. :D

One more stupid question: One guy at work, who knows I'm a private pilot recently asked me if I can take off and land the airplane all by myself. :D
What do you answer to that?
"uh...duh!" :D
 
"What lake is that?" <While over the Atlantic Ocean between NY & MIA> Yes, I've heard that more than once.
 
"Do you ever want to fly for the commercial airlines?":banghead:

"Did you have to have your instrument and multi-eng rating to be hired by UPS?" This was actually asked by a Flt attendant:crazy:

"My son is working on his flt instructor rating at ERAU, should he first go fly for UPS before becoming a flt instructor?"

"After you gain enough experience working at UPS are you planning to apply at one of the MAJOR airlines"?

"Do you guys do loop-dee-loops since you don't carry people?"

"Huh, my friend says freight pilots aren't as good as pilots who fly passengers. Is that true?"

"My son just got his commercial rating, do you think UPS will hire him now or should he just go ahead and apply at one of the major airlines?"

"Hey, I heard FedEx and UPS are going to merge and they're going to call it FedUp"...Whew, that was funny the first 1,000,000 times I heard it!:banghead:

"UPS has airplanes (followed by the RCA dog look)?!?":insane:
 
well im still in flight school...so from the Cessna/Piper side of things...these are always nice

Person:can it go in reverse??

also the look of horror on their face when you tell them that you can open the window... O_O

(and of course the classic)

Person:what do you do??
Me:i am in flight school
Person: oh wow how far into it are you??
Me:well i have my private, my instrument rating...and im working on my Multi now
Person:thats so cool...so when do you they let you be a pilot?? ... have you flown the plane yet??

-Jon
 
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