Airline Pilots Are Glorified Bus Drivers

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I read the first few posts in this thread and I laughed. Comparing a pilot to a bus driver is like saying a surgeon is a glorified butcher. There are similarities in the jobs, but I think anybody with a brain can see that there are more differences than similarities.
 
In a lot of ways pilots are closer to astronauts than anything else.

Actually..say.. When they were recruiting the first astronauts.. how many were pilots? How many were bus drivers?
 
rockman2343@aol.com said:
One day, there will be one of us in the cockpit, wearing a subway drivers uniform, and there will be a green button that says take-off, and a read button that says land. Maybe a blue one for push back.
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Right before the glowing red light says "Dave... I have concerns about our mission...."
 
I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you.
 
Chief Captain said:
I read the first few posts in this thread and I laughed. Comparing a pilot to a bus driver is like saying a surgeon is a glorified butcher. There are similarities in the jobs, but I think anybody with a brain can see that there are more differences than similarities.
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Not really a great comparison. You CAN actually be a pilot and a bus driver with a high school education. You can't be a Surgeon with a high school diploma alone, but you can be a butcher. So - in the bus driver/pilot comparison they are talking about the minimal level of education that is common (although you can't get hired at a Major today with just that).

Zap had the best response in the thread by far.

Couple of things. You do realize that you are disparaging bus drivers when you use them as a foil to hold yourself up, correct? Why is this necessary?

I've never witnessed a "profession" that questions itself so much. In just the past couple of weeks we've had the "Are pilots professionals?" thread, and this thread. Why the constant need to have third party support or respect? Accountants don't particularly care how they are perceived by others. Lawyers for the most part either. Doctors. Salespeople. Sure, they do not want to be viewed negatively - but the image of their profession doesn't seem to be a constant source of discussion or concern. Pretty much they are focused on doing a good job and getting paid regularly. A bunch of CPA's are not going to sit around wondering of they are "professional" or whining that the stereotype of being a CPA is nerdy. Lawyers the same, worrying about this would take away valuable time from the evil they do. Doctors? They know they are professional. In fact, many know they are God.

Think of some of the people on here. Doug will answer the question simply, without a question in his mind with a "Yes". What would CalCapt say? A guy who doesn't hang around much any more is an Ag pilot. He probably made more in six months or a little less than all but a handful of senior captains, SWA people or FedEx/UPS guys make - and he's done that well for years. He wouldn't even dream of asking a question like this because the thought wouldn't occur to him that he wasn't. Others are comfortable in their own skin as well.

Lots of pilots though...they feel this need to wax eloquent about how special soaring through the clouds really is, or quickly identify themselves as pilots, or other shows of importance. The constant need to assert that they are NOT simply bus drivers - they are significantly more. Where does that come from and why? This kind of reeks of insecurity in many ways. Do you think that it is this sense of insecurity that allow management to play the games they do and get many pilots to fly for peanuts? Or, do you think that managements ability to get pilots to fly for peanuts has caused the insecurity? Is there some form of ingrained insecurity that exists that first caused pilots to cave to management, and then has helped slowly erode the profession?
 
I'm insecure because I was bad at sports as a kid. Always picked last for dodgeball. :-)

That said, I agree 100% with WacoFan. We're no better than anyone else. This is just a job.
 
So far all I see is a bunch of pilots talking about whether they are glorified bus drivers. I wonder how many of these pilots fly an "Airbus"?

When a company calls their plane a "bus", don't be surprised when you might just get described as one who drives one, glorified or whatever.
 
loubetti said:
So far all I see is a bunch of pilots talking about whether they are glorified bus drivers. I wonder how many of these pilots fly an "Airbus"?

When a company calls their plane a "bus", don't be surprised when you might just get described as one who drives one, glorified or whatever.
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That is a great idea for a new thead! I think I'll call it... "Are Airbus pilots really pilots?" Afterall, they don't directly pilot the aircraft now do they.
 
I had a primary student a few years ago, who ,when posed with the question of why not become a professional pilot, responded with the "I don't want to be a glorified bus driver" statement. I thought to myself "ouch, that's my career your talking about". What do you all think of this proverbial slap in the face, when its spewed from the mouths of our fellow men and women? I want to get opinions on this! Do you think you're nothing more than a glorified bus driver? How would you respond?
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Let's say you were a bus driver, and you got what you considered to be decent pay, with decent benefits, and you felt that, overall, your job conditions were decent. The problem with your job would be???

Why did you think having your career being called "Glorified Bus Driver" was a "slap in the face"? What is wrong with being a bus driver?

If you think being a pilot is beneath you, then quit. All the more for me.

cliff
AMS
 
Some of us like flying passengers around! I dunno, I get a kick out of coming out of the cockpit and seeing a bunch of people in the back.
 
Surgeons are glorified butchers. Doesn't matter, the average person can't do their job. Same goes for flying an airplane.

(hell, even a good butcher isn't exactly easy to find nowadays....)
 
atpcliff said:
Let's say you were a bus driver, and you got what you considered to be decent pay, with decent benefits, and you felt that, overall, your job conditions were decent. The problem with your job would be???

Why did you think having your career being called "Glorified Bus Driver" was a "slap in the face"? What is wrong with being a bus driver?

If you think being a pilot is beneath you, then quit. All the more for me.

cliff
AMS
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I think you missed the point. The student was clearly using the analogy to degrade the profession because being a bus driver is considered a job that almost anyone can do.
 
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