The cool pilot?

jgheggie

Well-Known Member
With the passing of the 1500 hr rule, and as a result of the Bufalo crash, the glorious lifestyle of a pilot has been called into question. The public was enlightened on the pilot pay scale, poor duty time, and other "negatives" of the job. The public perception of this "dream job" had/has been tarnished. When I told people I was a pilot, I would often be lectured about finding a hire paying, more stable job. They no longer thought of the career as glamorous. I have often wondered if they were right. Is being a pilot still cool? Do kids still look to the sky and dream of one day flying? At career day for your child are you still going to have the coolest job and the best repor with the class of children?

After today....I believe the answer is yes!!

I had some department training to attend with several other departments (sheriff's). There was around 30 guys all from different agencies and all at different levels of their respective careers. 3 sergeants, 2 lieutenants, and a captain. A few guys with bad ass military stories. A few with cool current assignments, ie...boat patrol, ATV patrol. Then there I was. Essentially a rookie in the world of law enforcement.

At introduction, everyone stated their name, position, department, prior work experience and reason for the advanced training. This is when I learned that I was accompanied by some pretty (for lack of a better term) bad . When I got my chance to speak, I didn't have any law enforcement to speak of. So I went with what I know best, aviation. All of a sudden, I was the hot blonde with a short skirt that everyone was staring at. I had captains and lieutenants standing at attention. At intermission I literally had 8 guys standing around asking me aviation related questions. Basic stuff..."is it scary to fly a plane?" And, "why are you here, why not keep flying?"

In a room full of guns, badges, and egos, I was the "cool one". I had the most interesting stories. How could this be?? Why were grown men acting like star struck children when discussing a hobby-like career field?

The only answer...flying is still cool! :)
 
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Tell them they aint ready for that life!
mehbooba-tub-2.jpg
 
Of course it's cool, you're flying an airplane. You take a machine up into the sky, most people on here with many people behind them, and you keep them alive in an environment where any exposure would lead to instant death and stand ready to fight for their lives in the remote chance your flight number gets its own wikipedia page one day.

Easy to get jaded, my job is just a job and I often work 60+ hour weeks. Despite this, I know my job is cool as hell and when I'm up there I'm essentially running the airport behind the scenes putting out fires nobody knows even started on top of controlling the ramp. Everytime I bring people up, they think it's awesome. The only thing I think would be more awesome is flying for a living. We all hate crap about our jobs, I think just about every gig in aviation is horribly compensated for the responsibility demanded from it, but the various gigs most of us do on these forums are really, really cool compared to what most Americans do for 40 hours per week. Don't forget that, and try to smile and have fun every once in a while.

And I know I've said it a lot on here, but, chicks DIG flying and pilots, again, only if that's just something you do and not who you are as a person. If you're Mr. Serious in your 172, yeah they'll get bored, but chillax and be goofy and show them how VFR pleasure flying is really no big deal and they'll have a blast
 
I think flying is still cool; if I didn't, I'd find another path.
 
Its a great gift to be able to fly. Being a pilot landed me my current aviation consulting gig and has helped me relate even more to my clients. I also lead teams that have very little aerospace experience and being able to take them up on the weekends is very fun. In my industry and work, the pilot aspect hands down is a conversation starter and a way to relate.

That being said, I really doubt I could ever fly for the airlines. I love having the unrestricted freedom to do what I want when I want. Turning it into a job I think would kill it for me.
 
I still love flying, I still get excited to go to work and fly a plane even when I have to wake up at 2am to do so. I still find it mesmerizing, and I'm constantly learning and evolving, even after thousands of hours and 9.5 years of flying. The trips are fun, the destinations are cool, the people are even better.

Now if I could just find a company that respects me and the work I do, Things would be just about perfect.
 
......In a room full of guns, badges, and egos, I was the "cool one". I had the most interesting stories. How could this be?? Why were grown men acting like star struck children when discussing a hobby-like career field?

The only answer...flying is still cool! :)
Not the ONLY answer; if you were the only bus driver in a room full of cabbies the response would have been the same. It's something different......:D

P.S. Be very careful in your endeavors here; both are pretty unforgiving of mistakes and complacency.
 
What's the answer for this one?
Currently working on the cfi on my days off. I was always interested in flying or being a cop when I was younger. Had a tough time finding a commercial flying gig after flight school without the cfi. So went into law enforcement for now. Now I'm interested in med evac, or some form of law enforcement flying. My intentions of one day flying for hire have not changed.
 
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