What is this job to you?

What is this job to you?

  • Just a business decision. I’m in it for the money.

    Votes: 10 9.7%

  • I’ve loved airplanes since I was a kid, what else would I do?!

    Votes: 78 75.7%

  • I like my job, but I don’t geek out about airplanes or airline history.

    Votes: 30 29.1%
  • Total voters
    103
JordanD said:
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.
Click to expand...


View: https://youtu.be/eKUS0EySH8Q?si=fPlTsJh758_dfG3Q
 
killbilly said:
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.
Click to expand...

I think you just nailed the essence of what every aviator, no matter what they fly, has deep in their heart. It is a constant challenge, a constant competition with yourself to do better. It is a game of sorts. And when you win, it is really rewarding. When you lose, it sucks and you feel like a dip • for a while, but that part makes you feel like you have purpose in life......un****king it the next time. It's a really weird psychology that we all have.
 
Love the legacy UAL theme song. I'd forgotten how often I must have seen these commercials as a kid to actually know what that is.
 
tcco94 said:
Not sure if anyone else is like this but I love airlines. Always wanted to fly airliners, like airliner history, like airliner news (routes etc). Worked in the industry as a freshman in college till I graduated and actually loved the job. Love this job of flying more and don’t ever dread going to work (not saying I don’t sometimes hate having to pack up and leave the house but more so when I’m on my way to the airport, I’m never upset about it)

But in my off time and limited reading about work, I don’t follow much outsider aviation industries or airplanes. None of my hobbies involve airplanes.

I only ask if that is weird because so many people are the opposite in the airline world. So out of touch with worldwide airlines, airline news, and love old school airplanes and VFR flying (real flying). I don’t know - curious to hear back
Click to expand...
You’re not the only one. Growing up in St. Louis and watching TWA fueled my love for flying and the airlines and my desire to be a pax driver. Past life I don’t too much remember dreading going to work. Even now I don’t dread it but the excitement isn’t there like it was when I was in the pax world. It seems more like a job for me in the cargo world.

I fly with fair amount of people who are still deeply involved in the GA world. I enjoyed my time in it but for me it was a means to an end. IF I ever got back in it I would want to own a Cessna 310 for the occasional $100 burger run.

This is my nerdy side coming out but one of my favorite things about upgrading to CA in NYC was being able to see all the various airlines in JFK. It was amazing seeing airlines from parts of the world that I forgot even existed.
 
RORO said:
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.
Click to expand...
I use a Purple Cushion (from the mattress company). Rolls up and the handles slide over my rollaboard handle so it's easy to carry. It's helped a LOT with some sciatic pain I was getting from the Boeing seat.

I've never flown the Bus, and the 737-800 is the biggest thing I've ever flown so I admittedly don't know any better. But if I were to rank the 10 or so transport category airplanes I DID fly, the 737 is in the top 3. I flies like a big 172. I enjoy hand flying it.

The old joke about (pre-Max) about the 737 vs the Airbus was "Do you want a better office? Or a better airplane."

(The answer probably depends on stage length)

The trick to surviving the 737 on long legs is force yourself to get up every two hours, whether you have to pee or not, go stretch in the galley for a few minutes. Or, if you're short enough, just stand behind the pedestal for a few minutes. And wear compression socks as you get older.

It bugs me when people bag on the 737, not because I think they're wrong, but it just seems like such an entitled punk attitude. They're going to pay you almost $400,000 to fly a jet and you're going to whine that it's the wrong jet?!?! That's somebody that needs to read Fate is the Hunter and think about what a privilege it is to do what we do for a living, and how easily it can all be taken away.
 
phill1174 said:
You’re not the only one. Growing up in St. Louis and watching TWA fueled my love for flying and the airlines and my desire to be a pax driver. Past life I don’t too much remember dreading going to work. Even now I don’t dread it but the excitement isn’t there like it was when I was in the pax world. It seems more like a job for me in the cargo world.

I fly with fair amount of people who are still deeply involved in the GA world. I enjoyed my time in it but for me it was a means to an end. IF I ever got back in it I would want to own a Cessna 310 for the occasional $100 burger run.

This is my nerdy side coming out but one of my favorite things about upgrading to CA in NYC was being able to see all the various airlines in JFK. It was amazing seeing airlines from parts of the world that I forgot even existed.
Click to expand...

Hard agree . . . I may not like the layout and the overall commute into New York, but MAN does the JFK Airtrain give one a brief albeit incredible viewing of those airlines.

20241129_103701.jpg
 
JordanD said:
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.
Click to expand...
I will stop and drop everything so we can have kids (and adults for that matter) visit the flight deck at the gate.
 
Autothrust Blue said:
I will stop and drop everything so we can have kids (and adults for that matter) visit the flight deck at the gate.
Click to expand...

Same for anybody that brings a kid out to see our aircraft on a cross country while they refuel at some random FBO.

It’s the tax payers aircraft, and I’m not doing this job forever. Whatever timeline we are on we can make up the 10 minutes to take pictures with their kids that might cause them to think about what they want to do with the rest of their lives.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
phill1174 said:
You’re not the only one. Growing up in St. Louis and watching TWA fueled my love for flying and the airlines and my desire to be a pax driver. Past life I don’t too much remember dreading going to work. Even now I don’t dread it but the excitement isn’t there like it was when I was in the pax world. It seems more like a job for me in the cargo world.

I fly with fair amount of people who are still deeply involved in the GA world. I enjoyed my time in it but for me it was a means to an end. IF I ever got back in it I would want to own a Cessna 310 for the occasional $100 burger run.
Click to expand...

Growing up just south of you in Cape Girardeau, MO during my late teen years, I use to drive up to Lambert just to watch the big jets all day. Yep, I was an airliner nerd and the only way to watch airliners back then was to actually go to the airport. No YouTube or Internet.

I agree about GA being just a means to an end. I never really *loved* GA but since the military didn’t want me I had to choose an alternative route. I did try to go back to my GA roots after making Capt at UPS and got involved with a partnership in a Cessna 310. I figured I had “made it”, had a little extra money in my pocket and maybe would have a different perspective on flying “puddle jumpers” again since it was a want and not a need anymore. Yup…that was a mistake! Between the constant never ending bills and worrying about the weather when planning family vacation trips, the shine wore off real quick. I could’ve bought first class tickets for my family each time with the money spent and I could’ve sat back while drinking an alcoholic beverage and let someone else worry about the weather.
 
MikeD said:
Never like sticking my head into the flight deck. Always feel like I’m interrupting when I stop in and the flight crew is in the middle of preflight prep.
Click to expand...
Never once has this bothered me.

And dude, you know as well as I do that 121 preflight prep isn’t exactly planning a combat mission…. 😜
 
Ian_J said:
Never once has this bothered me.

And dude, you know as well as I do that 121 preflight prep isn’t exactly planning a combat mission…. 😜
Click to expand...
Eh, I've gotten annoyed by an overzealous gate agent trying to get an out time. We were dealing with several weird MELs and a maintenance issue and they kept popping in to ask if we were ready, numerous times. Just a needless and aggravating distraction when you're trying to make sure you have all your ducks in a row and you just to go the airplane.
 
JordanD said:
Eh, I've gotten annoyed by an overzealous gate agent trying to get an out time. We were dealing with several weird MELs and a maintenance issue and they kept popping in to ask if we were ready, numerous times. Just a needless and aggravating distraction when you're trying to make sure you have all your ducks in a row and you just to go the airplane.
Click to expand...
Yeah I get that… but I was referring to kids/visitors/passengers on the flight deck which is more rare and far less annoying than a gate agent trying to get out on time.
 
JordanD said:
Eh, I've gotten annoyed by an overzealous gate agent trying to get an out time. We were dealing with several weird MELs and a maintenance issue and they kept popping in to ask if we were ready, numerous times. Just a needless and aggravating distraction when you're trying to make sure you have all your ducks in a row and you just to go the airplane.
Click to expand...
People who work here who reasonably should know better versus people who do not and who we are, at the end of the day, attempting to secure repeat business from.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top