What is this job to you?

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Hey I know this is a bit old, but did you go from the bus to the 73? If so was that a pain in the ass transition? Figuratively and literally?

I keep going back and forth on whether not I want consider that as an upgrade option. The number of people that go on about how awful it is being on the 737, especially coming from the Airbus has been hesitant.

Yup, pandemic displacement in 2020 so I went from A320 CA to B737 CA in LAX.

I thought that transition was easy. Having flown the CRJ-200 helped, the dual-axis autopilot and FMC seemed very similar. For me it was like an Airbus size mass/momentum with a CRJ2 style yoke and box.

I’m a fairly thin person, so I fit well in all 3 jets I’ve flown. Sure the yoke is in your way versus the side stick, but it’s not enough of a sticking point for me. I miss the size of the Bus but from a pure flying standpoint, I like the 737 more. It’s much more hands on, the feedback, response is great. I’m not much of a complainer on jetliners, I even thought the CRJ-200 was good

 

[ERfly]

PM me I'd like to follow

I just meant what shows up in my algorithm, the accounts I follow and my suggested posts.

My feed itself...VERY boring.

 

[killbilly]

I intended to get to this earlier than now, at 10 pages, but I'm here now. I'm not going to go into my history of why I loved airplanes and aviation....it's not relevant to the original question. Suffice it to say I was an airplane nerd from an early age. I'll share this much...

...dealing with the trauma of the ending of my first marriage, I was standing on the back porch of a house I couldn't afford, facing a future that was uncertain and gray in the beginning of an economic crisis, chainsmoking and wondering just who the hell I was and what was I going to do now?

And then a KingAir passed over my head, westbound, low enough that I thought it was going to ADS. And I decided right that minute that I was going to get my PPL.

That was....20-ish years ago now. I found JC a couple years later.

For me, I found something to run to...I had a good career before, mostly because of some skill, a little charisma, and a •-ton of dumb luck. But this? This is a chance for me to indulge the need to try and improve every landing. Or challenge my understanding of weather, physics and aerodynamics against the release. For me, I get to play a game every day I go to work - and I have to continually reinforce that...illusion...lest I let it turn into just a job.

And I'm not naive. I know that it can turn into a job. But I've only got 15 years left to do this. I've made a bet that I can keep it fun and lively long enough to retire before it feels like a job.

So every day I try to be kind to my crews, adapt to my Captains, and give the customers the best experience I can within the parameters I can affect. I behave on the road and take the ridiculousness in stride as best I can because I remember not having this job and the utter misery that came with trying to string together a couple of deals to make a number at the end of a quarter.

And I'm doubly weird...I like the people aspects of airline life. I like helping people get to where they want to go, and guiding them when they need it through the fabulous disaster that is JFK. I can't tell you how many times I've said, "Follow me," when someone was trying to find the AirTrain, or the number of times I've tried to assuage the anxiety of the nervous flyer. I'm pissed that in the USA, in major cities, all the signs are only in English. That's effing dumb.

I buy beignets for my crew when we go to New Orleans because someone has to buy you beignets, goddammit, and they're delicious and it matters and I love that I can do that. Hot beignets are a beautiful thing.

I'll not romanticize it too much; that would insult a number of you. But for me, even on the days when I'm exhausted and desperate to make a commute home and silently plotting the demise of the Other Pilot who may bump me from the jump seat, it's still better than the best day I had in telecommunications over 25 years. I know where I came from, and I remember it every day.

This job is a gift. A messy, painful, often frustrating bitch of a gift.

But a gift nonetheless. I'll die before I do anything else.

 

[poser765]

I did it, albeit briefly before going back. People make a way bigger deal of it than it actually is. Obviously the 737 is a lot more “do it yourself” but at the end of the day all airliner systems are pretty much the same. If you know what the Airbus systems are doing and when, you’ll be fine “becoming the computer” in the 737. Never flew the -900 which I hear can be a pig, but flying dynamics wise I genuinely preferred the 737. Felt nice to feel like I was flying an airplane vs playing a crappy version of an arcade game.
There is some “ok, that’s dumb” or “well, that would be REALLY nice information to know” on the 737, but overall it’s negligible IMO.
Oh, and the box of the 737 is a breath of fresh air from the airbus. Just makes more logical sense being able to do things like line select and not having to add or subtract 180 when you want to extend a line off the approach.

Yup, pandemic displacement in 2020 so I went from A320 CA to B737 CA in LAX.

I thought that transition was easy. Having flown the CRJ-200 helped, the dual-axis autopilot and FMC seemed very similar. For me it was like an Airbus size mass/momentum with a CRJ2 style yoke and box.

I’m a fairly thin person, so I fit well in all 3 jets I’ve flown. Sure the yoke is in your way versus the side stick, but it’s not enough of a sticking point for me. I miss the size of the Bus but from a pure flying standpoint, I like the 737 more. It’s much more hands on, the feedback, response is great. I’m not much of a complainer on jetliners, I even thought the CRJ-200 was good

Thanks, guys. All good stuff for consideration.

I’m not a big guy, but I am a LONG guy and the smaller pilot booth makes me a bit nervous.

 

[Roger Roger]

flying dynamics wise I genuinely preferred the 737. Felt nice to feel like I was flying an airplane vs playing a crappy version of an arcade game.

The bus must be awful then. Maybe it’s just par for the course on something with hydraulic controls and weighing over 100k lbs but flying the guppy to me feels like driving a school bus, dump truck, or cement mixer.

 

[ASpilot2be]

The bus must be awful then. Maybe it’s just par for the course on something with hydraulic controls and weighing over 100k lbs but flying the guppy to me feels like driving a school bus, dump truck, or cement mixer.

I enjoyed flying the bus. But there's no feedback, so you forget you're flying an airplane. Where as the 737 feels more like an airplane. I think that's what he was saying.

 

[bimmerphile]

The bus must be awful then. Maybe it’s just par for the course on something with hydraulic controls and weighing over 100k lbs but flying the guppy to me feels like driving a school bus, dump truck, or cement mixer.

it’s not, fly by wire just doesnt feel good to some people who are used to driving truck and hauling a yoke around

 

[SteveC]

… I'm pissed that in the USA, in major cities, all the signs are only in English. That's effing dumb.
…

Great post.

The short part I quoted above deserves further conversation. Not here, in this thread, but there is so much there that should be unpacked…remind me in the future and we’ll dig a little deeper…

 

[BEEF SUPREME]

The bus must be awful then. Maybe it’s just par for the course on something with hydraulic controls and weighing over 100k lbs but flying the guppy to me feels like driving a school bus, dump truck, or cement mixer.

Hell yeah! Here I was feeling sorry for myself and you just made my whole day better

 

[SteveC]

The bus must be awful then. Maybe it’s just par for the course on something with hydraulic controls and weighing over 100k lbs but flying the guppy to me feels like driving a school bus, dump truck, or cement mixer.

Well, you did come to the 737 from the LR45…

(not saying the 45 is at the top of the heap, but it is a nice handling ride…)

 

[Screaming_Emu]

5 year old Screaming Emu fell in love with airplanes watching 747s at Haneda and Narita observation decks. As a kid my only focuses were airplanes and hockey. Hockey didn’t work out, so this is a pretty good second place.

I’ll admit that my passion for airplanes isn’t what it used to be, but this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I generally keep my emotions safely locked away where they can’t hurt me, but I just about lost it when I rolled a 747 onto runway 34L right in front of the observation deck where I caught the aviation bug as a kid in 1989.

My whole life I’ve had to strive for mediocrity. While my brother was getting straight As without studying, I was working my ass off for Cs. Devoted every waking moment in high school to refining my craft as a hockey goalie only to become…occasionally ok. When I started flying I finally found the thing I could naturally excel at. I soloed in less than 10 hours and never looked back.

I still do enjoy the job, but as I stated before I think that as I’ve aged my priorities in life have shifted a bit. As an aspiring pilot I never once entertained the thought that I’d be making it though my 15th year of marriage with an incredible woman who still seems rather fond of me. I still enjoy flying airplanes, but the time away from home is harder. My focus at work seems to be less on the manipulation of the controls and more getting to explore new places on a layover. A great landing in challenging conditions will still fuel the ego for a few hours, but I’d rather be wandering the streets of Hong Kong with my camera.

At this point if I had to stop flying for a career I think I’d miss it, but I’d survive. As I’ve aged, my priorities have changed and this job becomes a smaller and smaller part of my identity. That sounds depressing, but honestly I think it’s a lot healthier.

I’ll always stop to watch a plane when I see one, I’ll always track the hell out of any of my friends who are flying, but overall I’m kind of tired and ready to go home.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

Psychological flow.

Flying did it quite well. When I learned to sail last month, I could get into a flow state (but not as good as flying, especially bush flying), and if I'm working on a particularly interesting math problem or programming task I can get close, but still nothing compares to flying. Addiction is a fine word.

I get this when hand flying or driving a twisty mountain road in my Alfa. I tell people it’s the only time I can mute all my thoughts and just be in the moment.

 

[RORO]

Thanks, guys. All good stuff for consideration.

I’m not a big guy, but I am a LONG guy and the smaller pilot booth makes me a bit nervous.

How tall are you? Im 6'2" and I find it very uncomfortable. Its worse if your airline has the HUD installed. You have to adjust to the HUD, the HUD cannot adjust to you.

I enjoy flying the plane and don't plan to bid off of it really ever, but its painfully uncomfortable. We have some long days and its just brutal being in that thing for so long. Another Captain recommended getting a cushion from amazon. I guess being on the plane for decades gave him some excruciating ass pain or something and he had to go see the doctor.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

I've done enough somewhat interesting stuff with airplanes that it crossed my mind to put some of it online. But like anything, when I thought about how much time and effort would go into producing quality content, I decided that there were other things I would rather be doing.

I think it can be cool, but to me the difference maker is whether it’s “look at ME doing cool stuff” vs “I get to see some amazing stuff and I’d like to share.”

I have a relatively anonymous instagram where I share the stuff I get to see. It’s not particularly popular, but I mostly don’t care about the number of likes but the quality of connections and helping inspire people who might want to live a similar life. To me that’s pretty different from “watch me program my FMS for a flight to Albany.”

 

[Screaming_Emu]

Guilty as charged.

There is definitely some of that out there, although i'd say it's mostly on the 777. I flew the 747 and it's a footnote to my career. The MD11 is something different....

 

[Screaming_Emu]

Planning a 747 flight is still wild for me, in that aspect I can look back and say "Yes, I have worked on a 747." But more in the humbling sense, rather than arrogance. That airplane could perform, and it could teach you things.

It still blows my mind that at the age of 41 I’ve combined enough responsible adults to let me be in charge of one of those things. The world really needs to raise its standards.

 

[bike21]

I voted all three. It's simultaneously a means to an end, the best jerb I've ever had, and airplanes are actually kinda cool gig.

Por que no los tres?

I don't talk airplanes much outside of work, most of our local friends are fellow outdoorsy types who like all things not aviation and honestly it's a bit of relief after a trip. We share a thirst for travel & adventure which is great, but airplanes themselves are an occasional afterthought that's fun to banter about. If it weren't for access to non-rev benefits I might've not ever gone down this road. Mrs Bike and I love travel and all the doors it opens along with the experiences we've shared...we'd struggle to re-produce with a 9-5 gig.

In the end, no other jerb I could've ended up in could've work out so well especially considering my entire family sans myself is in the construction world. Yeah, this fits juuust right.

 

[DE727UPS]

Heard my voice on the radios one night during a recording of one of the LaX spotter shows. I really am the real life Bart Simpson dude

I think my voice is the worst. But in 84 I was doing the arrival ATIS into LAX while working at LA TRACON. Over and over again.

 

[JordanD]

it’s not, fly by wire just doesnt feel good to some people who are used to driving truck and hauling a yoke around

It’s hard to say. I think I’ve surpassed the point where the Airbus makes up most of my 121 time now. Sometimes it feels rewarding to hand fly, like a smooth day or a slam dunk approach where you turn the flight directors off and finesse it right where you want it to be. But IMO if there’s any chop or gusty winds it still just feels like flying around a wet noodle.

 

[JordanD]

I intended to get to this earlier than now, at 10 pages, but I'm here now. I'm not going to go into my history of why I loved airplanes and aviation....it's not relevant to the original question. Suffice it to say I was an airplane nerd from an early age. I'll share this much...

...dealing with the trauma of the ending of my first marriage, I was standing on the back porch of a house I couldn't afford, facing a future that was uncertain and gray in the beginning of an economic crisis, chainsmoking and wondering just who the hell I was and what was I going to do now?

And then a KingAir passed over my head, westbound, low enough that I thought it was going to ADS. And I decided right that minute that I was going to get my PPL.

That was....20-ish years ago now. I found JC a couple years later.

For me, I found something to run to...I had a good career before, mostly because of some skill, a little charisma, and a •-ton of dumb luck. But this? This is a chance for me to indulge the need to try and improve every landing. Or challenge my understanding of weather, physics and aerodynamics against the release. For me, I get to play a game every day I go to work - and I have to continually reinforce that...illusion...lest I let it turn into just a job.

And I'm not naive. I know that it can turn into a job. But I've only got 15 years left to do this. I've made a bet that I can keep it fun and lively long enough to retire before it feels like a job.

So every day I try to be kind to my crews, adapt to my Captains, and give the customers the best experience I can within the parameters I can affect. I behave on the road and take the ridiculousness in stride as best I can because I remember not having this job and the utter misery that came with trying to string together a couple of deals to make a number at the end of a quarter.

And I'm doubly weird...I like the people aspects of airline life. I like helping people get to where they want to go, and guiding them when they need it through the fabulous disaster that is JFK. I can't tell you how many times I've said, "Follow me," when someone was trying to find the AirTrain, or the number of times I've tried to assuage the anxiety of the nervous flyer. I'm pissed that in the USA, in major cities, all the signs are only in English. That's effing dumb.

I buy beignets for my crew when we go to New Orleans because someone has to buy you beignets, goddammit, and they're delicious and it matters and I love that I can do that. Hot beignets are a beautiful thing.

I'll not romanticize it too much; that would insult a number of you. But for me, even on the days when I'm exhausted and desperate to make a commute home and silently plotting the demise of the Other Pilot who may bump me from the jump seat, it's still better than the best day I had in telecommunications over 25 years. I know where I came from, and I remember it every day.

This job is a gift. A messy, painful, often frustrating bitch of a gift.

But a gift nonetheless. I'll die before I do anything else.

I have to say, when a kid in the airport is like “look, it’s the pilot!” to their parents or gets excited to come look up front during boarding, it does a pretty great job of dissolving any cynicism or burnout I might be feeling. I remember being that kid in the airport looking at the pilots like they were rockstars, it feels pretty cool to be on the other end of that now.