Bitter captain

rdsoxpilot

Well-Known Member
I'll skip the details but essentially it goes down like this -

Chatting it up like usual with a new captain, for a new trip. He starts going on about how much he hates the aviation industry and how management over the years has screwed him etc. etc.

Nonetheless I have to deal with this guy some how, and to make things worse this isn't exactly a short trip. I have the privilege of hearing his lectures day & night and if it keeps going like this I know I'm going to have to say something to keep my sanity.

Advice on how to respond to a pissed off captain?

***Let's not turn this into a "why the aviation industry sucks" thread***
 
What would Kareem do?


Kidding. Have you tried making it obvious that you're uninterested?
 
Tell him that you feel that Allah has a special mission for you to undertake ... that'll probably get his mind off the business side of the biz
 
Agree with him. Not that I've encountered any bitter Captains, but if they bring up a subject I don't really feel like being defensive about - I simply agree with him.

Did it in regards to politics a few weeks ago, then when we had an EDCT that was two hours after we got people off the plane, we ended up talking about it a little bit more in-depth (Not in a serious nature).

Some things are not meant for cockpit discussion, so the easy way to shut them up is to agree with them. Then they realize they don't need to keep saying the same thing over and over again.
 
What I Did

I'll skip the details but essentially it goes down like this -

Chatting it up like usual with a new captain, for a new trip. He starts going on about how much he hates the aviation industry and how management over the years has screwed him etc. etc.

Nonetheless I have to deal with this guy some how, and to make things worse this isn't exactly a short trip. I have the privilege of hearing his lectures day & night and if it keeps going like this I know I'm going to have to say something to keep my sanity.

Advice on how to respond to a pissed off captain?

***Let's not turn this into a "why the aviation industry sucks" thread***

Had just what you said, like all FOs have from time to time (and all captains have an FO doing the same once in a while).

After a leg or two on the first day saw how it was gonna be for the next 80 hours time away from base.

I just turned to him and said, "So what are you doing about all this? Making headway on the career change yet? Making progress helping with the union since you've gotten screwed so bad?"

Well you can guess what his response was: not a word.

So I just sat there and he toned the complaining down a bit for the rest of the trip. I'm sure he cranked it right back up again for the next person who lucked out and flew with him.
 
Respond that you can help him supplement his income with multi-level marketing. Tell him about the Amway miracle and draw him the circles. Everytime he says something, respond with "have you thought anymore about Amway and can I call everyone in your family and your closest friends?"

That should get him to be leery of talking with you, but word will get around that you are an MLM person and people will avoid you like you had clap.

Another option would be to employ some sense of empathy. The guy has become a Captain, so he has some experience. Maybe you can understand the source of his angst and that will allow you not to have your expectations so high as the get dashed, or allow you not to make the same mistakes as him. Maybe, by listening to the guy you will say something that will really help him.

The second option (empathy) is what the Dali Lahma would do.
 
Only did it once, as there was only one CA that spun me up like that.

I turned off the intercom volume when he started babbling incessently.

Of course I'd monitor the flight. After he tapped me on the shoulder once, in cruise with nothing going on, he started opining, so I told him I'm here if he needed me, and I'll have all my stuff done.

Now I have no intercom, at least we don't use it, and I fly with great guys. We don't talk cause we'd be hoarse by TOD.

On the upside is that usually these cats draw attention to themselves regularly. If you get called by the CP, just say "Hey, I just saw <insert name> out. I wonder what he's up to"

I think that's called "deflection".
 
Look shocked and this pissed off at his comments. "I had no idea this industry was out to f* me! I am getting out of this business as soon as this trip is over. Can you help me write my resignation letter? What should I do now? Man I am so f*'ed." yadda, yadda, yadda.

Either you will end up having some fun with his responses or he will back off and start figuring out that maybe that is irrational and it really is not as bad as he is making it out to be. :)
 
Misery loves company. Act sympathetic, do some complaining of your own, and you'll get along great. Complaining can be fun when you get good at it, I think airline pilots have it down to an art form :)
 
You can always change the subject.

What works wonders for me when I've kind of 'had enough' is an daft comment like "Damn bro, you need a table dance!"
 
...or, if you're feeling froggy, whip out your junk, and say: "Does this look like an outbreak to you?"

...or, from one of my kickass F/Os, we were talking about this issue. She'd look at the CA and say "Did you know a human head weighs 7 lbs?"

...or, "what is that musky scent you're wearing? It's absolutely delightful..."
 
Ahh, "Bitter" by Jovan! Man, that's going to give Aqua Velva a run for it's money!
 
Probably a loose reference to Deuce Bigalow.

"I was using the john, and they did have one of those paper ass-gaskets. And it splashed up, you know, all over. Am I okay?"
 
Tell him that you feel that Allah has a special mission for you to undertake ... that'll probably get his mind off the business side of the biz

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

On a serious note though, thanks to everyone for replying. I'll simply just agree, with the ocassional nod :banghead::banghead:

"Do the letters T & J mean anything to you?"
"Turkey jizz?"
 
...or, from one of my kickass F/Os, we were talking about this issue. She'd look at the CA and say "Did you know a human head weighs 7 lbs?"

"Ahhh tell ya, that boy's heed looks like an orange on a tuuthpick. Like Spuutnick without all the pointy parts."



Sorry. Late night random movie quote popped into my head. . .err I mean "heed."
 
I'll skip the details but essentially it goes down like this -

Chatting it up like usual with a new captain, for a new trip. He starts going on about how much he hates the aviation industry and how management over the years has screwed him etc. etc.

Nonetheless I have to deal with this guy some how, and to make things worse this isn't exactly a short trip. I have the privilege of hearing his lectures day & night and if it keeps going like this I know I'm going to have to say something to keep my sanity.

Advice on how to respond to a pissed off captain?

***Let's not turn this into a "why the aviation industry sucks" thread***

Start talking about women/booze, every pilot I know seems to be interested in one of these two topics. I had one captain that would get on these tirades about how much he hated the company/industry/etc. I found it best to get him talking about Thailand (where he lived when he timed out) and everything fell into place, and the convo changed.
 
Good Idea

Start talking about women/booze, every pilot I know seems to be interested in one of these two topics. I had one captain that would get on these tirades about how much he hated the company/industry/etc. I found it best to get him talking about Thailand (where he lived when he timed out) and everything fell into place, and the convo changed.

I had a captain talk to me about Thailand once. He's been there 21 times. He drew a map for me to keep on how to get to a place called Pattaya. He goes mainly for the

Oh wait this isn't the lav. :p The beaches.

This post is proof that what you wrote is sure to work. See how fast you inadvertently almost de-railed this thread after merely mentioning the keywords you suggested?! :)
 
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