Hey, Doug...

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, but you only listen to the pregnant thing for a few months. Try seven years. Or more. We're not trying to be mean or nasty, it's just amusing how over the years we can write a script for conversations we have with strangers.


[/ QUOTE ]

It's the 'phased-in' approach.

First your brain goes "Holy crap!"

Then your eyes glass over

Then come the standard answers:

"About 15 days per month"

"Actually more than I would if I worked 40 hours a week, 9 to 5."

"Yes"

"Well, but the flights are always so full so it's hard to use them"

"Nah, never"

"Civilian"

"Riddle"

"Arizona"

"No, up in the hills of Prescott"

"About 90, tops"

"Regional Airline... Err. Commuter"

"Skyway"

"Wisconsin"

"No, I met her in Florida"

"Xmas? Not for the past six years!"

"Sometimes"

"Well, we just do it a few days earlier with presents and such"

"Various"

"MD-88"

"Umm, super stretched DC-9"

"First Officer...errr.. CO pilot"

"I dunno, one of these days"

"Nah, it's not like that!"

"Maybe back in the old days!"

"You mean 'Flight Attendant'"

"No, she's an engineer"

"civil/transportation/environmental"

"likes the benefits"

"Kinda, but she's independent"

Sound familiar Amber?
smile.gif
 
Would be kind of funny if you mistakely squirted out the wrong answer to a question because you get asked the same things so frequently.

"What kind of car do you drive?"

"a MD-88"

"A what?"

"Yeah a superstretched DC-9"
 
Interesting how perspective changes over time. A very good friend of mine is an attorney. Immediately after passing the Bar he would not STOP telling everyone within ten feet what he "did for a living." After practicing for a few years his answer is now anything but an attorney. He found out quickly that everyone's looking for free advice.

If answering airline pilot is such a hassle, tell everyone you work in baggage claim.
 
[ QUOTE ]

Sound familiar Amber?
smile.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Oooooooooooooh, yeah.
grin.gif



I used to tell people I worked in aluminum tubing.

It was the truth, albeit stretched a bit.
 
[ QUOTE ]

But I get the "you're an Air Force pilot? I know this guy that's an Air Force officer.....he works in a missile silo in Montana, name's Jim. You know him?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, yeah. I know him. He's a pretty good guy. But watch out when he's been drinking! You know those missileers...
 
[ QUOTE ]
Oh, yeah. I know him. He's a pretty good guy. But watch out when he's been drinking! You know those missileers...

[/ QUOTE ]

"Yeah, and after an evening at the officer's club, he's ALL HANDS too, geez, you figure he'd be more discrete about his lifestyle choices, ya know, don't ask, don't tell?"

I could imagine the look of shock on the person's face then.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I think I'll just start telling people I'm the "enforcer" at the Moonlight Bunny Ranch.

[/ QUOTE ]I just tell people that he's a bus driver... they look pretty quizically but other than that, i get no other questions!
grin.gif
 
I always get the questions no matter what I'm doing. With the horses it was always "Oh you ride?!?" and then "Do you jump?" no... "Do you do race them?" no.... "Do you ride in rodeos?" no... "then what DO you do?"

It's lack of knowledge that brings on the questions.

I get it with my job (graphic design). Here it can get annoying because people are looking for free advice, and oftentimes free work. I've felt so many times like saying "do you ever do pro-bono IT work?" no, why? "because you're asking me to do my work for free." People really put very little value on good design because they think any old person with Microsoft Publisher and a deskjet printer can do my job.

I'm starting to get constant questions with flying. Everyone knows I'm finishing off my single engine commercial certificate. So the questions have REALLY started coming in. "So are you going to go fly XYZ's jets?" (my company's parent company, who owns and operates Lears and Falcons, 8 in total) "What do you want to do with flying?" "are you going to be an airline pilot?" "so could you fly me to Colorado this summer?" and most of all, I think everyone thinks I'm not long for my company because I AM about to get my CSEL. They don't realize the project manager across the floor from me just got HIS CSEL last month; he simply wants to be able to eventually teach a bit (he's in his 50s, owns his own plane, etc). I'll bet he doesn't get all the questions...

Seems no matter what you do, it's a fact of life.

Sarah
 
[ QUOTE ]
Seems no matter what you do, it's a fact of life.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ain't that the truth. Oh, you're in advertising? Did you do the Bud Light commercial? No? Did you the such and such commercial? Why is it so bad? Oh, you just sell the space? But what if the ad is bad, does that bother you?

For the last question, I say, nope, as long as their check doesn't bounce and I get my commission.

And then I excuse myself.

I swear, the American public is so misinformed about what people do in their jobs that it's sad.

And Sarah, I've got some clients that can use your help. Ugggh. I just got some proofs in and I'm like, sheesh, guys, if you're going to spend money promoting your company, hire someone who does something that doesn't look like trash!
 
how bout with transportation planning...

"you work in transportation?"
"yup"
"what type?"
"planning"
"does planning include the traffic signals and accidents?"
"yuup"
"can you fix the one down on my street?"
"what's broken?"
"the signal timing, the yellow light just isn't on long enough for me to get through"
"nope, need to call your local city/county guys for that"
" you know, we had an accident down off of blahbityblah the other day, any idea why that happened?"
"nope, it could be a combination of things"
etc etc etc...

"how far out do you normally plan?"
"20-30 yrs"
"wow, you can plan that far out? is traffic going to get even worse?"
"yup"
"are we getting light rail?"
"maybe depends on the cost"
"why don't they just dig and build a subway system?"
"because of the cost, it's too expensive"
"so does that mean they'll add another lane on to the 101?"
"I dunno, I don't work for hte city"


blah blah blah...
grin.gif


I think everyone gets the same type of annoying questions no matter what you do for a living because people just don't understand except when it's in their backyard!
 
[ QUOTE ]
"'bout umm, 5'10? older guy?" (most captains are 'older' and avg height is about 5'10 or so)

"Yeah!"

"See him all the time! I'll tell him you said hi!"


[/ QUOTE ]
HEY!! That sounds familiar! So you really DON'T know Perry!!!
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wink.gif
kidding.
 
[ QUOTE ]
how bout with transportation planning...

[/ QUOTE ]


And those are the questions that -->I<-- ask her when I pick her up from work!
smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]

HEY!! That sounds familiar! So you really DON'T know Perry!!!
mad.gif


wink.gif
kidding.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh yeah, I know Scrappy!
 
I tell people I sell hot dogs down by the river.... Usually makes people shut up. Because every time someone finds out I'm a pilot, the age issue comes up and that PISSES me off...

"Oh my god! You're too young to be a pilot!!"
 
You should tell them, "Actually, there are 17 year old pilots everywhere. They just haven't found jobs yet."
 
Wow, im definitely looking forward to all of these questions. Im shooting for a piloting job in my future, gonna try to start my ppl this summer possibly. God, This forum keeps giving me more to look forward to.

What do you fly?
A B737

What do you drive?
A Taxiing B737
smile.gif

(Mitsubishi Montero is what ill be driving in a month)
 
OK, so I can understand the mis or un-informed people can potentially be pretty annoying, but what if it is someone who already has some knowledge of aviation and the jobs in it, are their questions any more interesting?
I have to say a BA767 flight deck last week (after reaching the gate at Heathrow) and chatting with the two pilots there was pretty awesome.....
Somehow we got onto chtting about Vertical Separation Minima!!!!
Here's a serious question for Doug, do ya miss the MD-90 from when you were based at DFW
 
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