Les Abend's Flying column

Murdoughnut

Murdoughnut

Well sized member
Flying Ninja is going to go ape @#$% - Les' column this month is entitled "The 225-Hour Airline Pilot". Despite the title, he doesn't actually talk about the problem of the 225 hour pilot, but rather, talks about how great the training of the CAPT program is (cue Flying Ninja), despite it's $95k price tag.

I usually like reading Les' column, but he definitely checked his sack on this one. Granted, could have been the Flying ad department that edited it a bit before going to publication.
 
Les has caught some flak in the Letters to the Editor in the past year or so over some topics he has written about. I can't remember what they were in particular, but I think this just adds to his list.
 
Les Abend tends to come across as the typical AArrogant pilot. He still uses the term co-pilot when talking about his First Officer. That tends to irk me as I was a First Officer for many years and flew with quite a few guys that didn't seem to think you had your brain stem attached properly until you became a Captain. Les seems to fit into that boat.


TP
 
All in all, Les hardly talks about the program at all. It is more of a wind bag column, talking to hear himself talk about...himself.
 
I don't much care for his column. The old guy who took his place was a lot better.

Abend is an airline guy and should write about airline related operational issues we all can learn from. Instead, he seems to be more of an aeronautical dabbler. You can get that in other parts of the rag.
 
typhoonpilot said:
Les Abend tends to come across as the typical AArrogant pilot. He still uses the term co-pilot when talking about his First Officer. That tends to irk me as I was a First Officer for many years and flew with quite a few guys that didn't seem to think you had your brain stem attached properly until you became a Captain. Les seems to fit into that boat.


TP
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I typically refer to myself as a 767 copilot or FO interchangably.... FO when talking to the general public. "Copilot" is old school, and it's used with respect with the guys who refer to me as it. I have no problem with it.

_______

I'll have to see this article... 250 hour RJ pilots are certainly something that irks me and to see someone in his position advocating it may provoke a letter to the editor.
 
typhoonpilot said:
Les Abend tends to come across as the typical AArrogant pilot. He still uses the term co-pilot when talking about his First Officer. That tends to irk me as I was a First Officer for many years and flew with quite a few guys that didn't seem to think you had your brain stem attached properly until you became a Captain. Les seems to fit into that boat.


TP
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

I can not stand the way he writes or the attitude it is written in. He thinks whatever he says should go. Hes half the reason I don't read FLYING, I just read the pictures. He even attacked guns in one of articles, WTF??
 
moxiepilot said:
All in all, Les hardly talks about the program at all. It is more of a wind bag column, talking to hear himself talk about...himself.
Click to expand...

"I landed a 727 better than anyone in my class, the others were just bouncing all over. I'm such a great pilot."
 
n57flyguy said:
:yeahthat:

I can not stand the way he writes or the attitude it is written in. He thinks whatever he says should go. Hes half the reason I don't read FLYING, I just read the pictures. He even attacked guns in one of articles, WTF??
Click to expand...

Amazing that some people might not believe that a gun is the best way to defend the cockpit. I'm not saying that I'm one of those people, but we all have different opinions on the issue. He wasn't speaking out against guns in general in that article, just guns in the cockpit.

Not that the guy isn't arrogant as heck, just saying man.
 
jtrain609 said:
Amazing that some people might not believe that a gun is the best way to defend the cockpit. I'm not saying that I'm one of those people, but we all have different opinions on the issue. He wasn't speaking out against guns in general in that article, just guns in the cockpit.

Not that the guy isn't arrogant as heck, just saying man.
Click to expand...

Actually, he did. He stated that he wasn't a fan of guns after the gun violence in the 80s. He said he shot 22s with his dad but after the gun violence spike, he had no interest in them after. I remember the co-pilot (lol) handeled it nicly by saying I understnd you don't like guns.

To me I don't think it is either, as a stray bullet if used could cause another big problem. I think it would be a good fear tactic to scare someone away non the less.
 
Do you actually think a stray bullet is going to scare a terrorist out of a cockpit?

Seriously?

These guys know they're going to die doign what they do, what's it matter if a bullet wizzes past them.
 
I like Dick Karl - he actually lives pretty close to me. I really appreciated his column last month where he talked about how, even though he's wealthy, it's expensive to own a turbo prop, and a lot of times he has to fly SWA.

I don't care for the rest of them. The rest of the guys in there want you to feel like a loser for A) Not owning a King Air; and B) Not converting it to glass,
 
"My 210 rules all."

My 1957 Piper Apache Geronimo with a Garmin 430 and can burn car gas....rules all....
 
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