Your Aviation Education

[Boris Badenov]

If a single pilot night freight guy (correct me if I'm wrong) is perpetually bored, what's left of professional aviation?

I do it because it's fun and usually gets me a paycheck. I'm not bored, and of course things happen that are er "exciting" from time to time. I like my job, or at least I prefer it to just about any other thing I would be likely to find myself doing. Certainly, there is a fair amount of knowledge and perhaps even a little skill that I've picked up over the years, but if I'm better than the other guy, it's because I have more experience, not more classroom time, razor-sharp reflexes, or (confusingly suggested by 767) perfect grammar, diction, and spelling.

I don't think we do ourselves any favors pretending that you need a Phd to fly an airplane, and I submit that if you think "some people just can't hack it" in the high-speed world of pushing buttons and doing crosswords, you probably watched way too much "Top Gun" as a kid and either weren't a CFI or were a bad one.

If you want improved compensation for professional pilots (and who doesn't) concentrate on getting it through negotiation, unity, and playing hardball with morally (and all too often fiscally) bankrupt managment. Looking down your nose at your erstwhile "brothers" isn't the best way to show solidarity, and inventing a level of education that simply isn't necessary for this particular job (and I should know, I have it) in order to "improve the breed" or whatever smacks of self-impressed silliness and really can't even be attempted to be taken seriously. For example:

But you have to wonder...if he was so lacking in the basic 3R's...what other type of deficiencies did he possess that may not show until other, more critical times.

Unless my own "rithmetic" is off, he only evidenced failings in one of the "R"s: "Riting". I'm going to assume he could read a checklist and compute a crossing restriction or you wouldn't have been so shocked at his atrocious composition skills. Now, granted, I use my writing skill professionally all the time on those NASA reports, but I thought that was a bad thing.

How would you like this guy to show up to represent your profession at a local high school, community college or other civic funtion?

Are you serious? If I understand your argument correctly, pilots should be required to acheive a terminal degree because you would be embarrassed to be associated with the hoi polloi? I'll bet you're a blast at parties.

Lest I be misunderstood; I'm proud of my education, I worked hard for it, and I feel that it was incredibly valuable to my personal development. I wouldn't trade it for the best aviation job in the world. If it were a choice between never flying another airplane in my life and losing the essential freedom of a classical education, you could clip my wings.

That said, being able to decline Greek verbs or explain Faraday's theory of electromagnetism just doesn't have much practical application in being an aircraft operator, and acting like it does just makes one look clownish.

 

[B767Driver]

I do it because it's fun and usually gets me a paycheck. I'm not bored, and of course things happen that are er "exciting" from time to time. I like my job, or at least I prefer it to just about any other thing I would be likely to find myself doing. Certainly, there is a fair amount of knowledge and perhaps even a little skill that I've picked up over the years, but if I'm better than the other guy, it's because I have more experience, not more classroom time, razor-sharp reflexes, or (confusingly suggested by 767) perfect grammar, diction, and spelling.

I don't think we do ourselves any favors pretending that you need a Phd to fly an airplane, and I submit that if you think "some people just can't hack it" in the high-speed world of pushing buttons and doing crosswords, you probably watched way too much "Top Gun" as a kid and either weren't a CFI or were a bad one.

If you want improved compensation for professional pilots (and who doesn't) concentrate on getting it through negotiation, unity, and playing hardball with morally (and all too often fiscally) bankrupt managment. Looking down your nose at your erstwhile "brothers" isn't the best way to show solidarity, and inventing a level of education that simply isn't necessary for this particular job (and I should know, I have it) in order to "improve the breed" or whatever smacks of self-impressed silliness and really can't even be attempted to be taken seriously. For example:



Unless my own "rithmetic" is off, he only evidenced failings in one of the "R"s: "Riting". I'm going to assume he could read a checklist and compute a crossing restriction or you wouldn't have been so shocked at his atrocious composition skills. Now, granted, I use my writing skill professionally all the time on those NASA reports, but I thought that was a bad thing.



Are you serious? If I understand your argument correctly, pilots should be required to acheive a terminal degree because you would be embarrassed to be associated with the hoi polloi? I'll bet you're a blast at parties.

Lest I be misunderstood; I'm proud of my education, I worked hard for it, and I feel that it was incredibly valuable to my personal development. I wouldn't trade it for the best aviation job in the world. If it were a choice between never flying another airplane in my life and losing the essential freedom of a classical education, you could clip my wings.

That said, being able to decline Greek verbs or explain Faraday's theory of electromagnetism just doesn't have much practical application in being an aircraft operator, and acting like it does just makes one look clownish.

I think you have too much time on your hands and are perpetuating a childish argument. I'm out of this one.

 

[Nark]

If you want to improve the status of pilots through education, look no further than the officer ranks in any branch of service. You need a degree to wear shiny stuff on your collar, but for anyone who has served a day in their life know's that a degree doesn't give you crap in their respective field. There a number of enlisted who act far beyond reproach, and a number of officers who forgot that this isn't the frat house anymore.

I applaud your suggestion, however it simply isn't feasible in this world we fly in.

This is a valid argument. Please tell me you have more of a fight in you.

 

[sdfcvoh]

Please tell me what you learned there that I cannot learn from my CFI's, in a book, or from Jetcareers.

I think its all what you WANT to get out of it. Someone from XYZ university might graduate with honors but be worth jack (poo) but anotherr person from that same place might graduate middle of the class and get a ton out of it.

You get out what you put in is what I guess I mean.

 

[PGT]

I went to a university with an aviation program. Somethings it offered that I couldn't get anywhere else:

It was one stop shopping. The degree and the training were right at the same place. It saved a lot of gas.

It was some of the cheapest flight training in the state. Yes you heard it here folks. Flight training at my university was cheaper than just about any FBO in the state.

The maintenance was great.

The flight training was pretty standardized. I hated it back then, but I understand why it was that way now (still think it's stupid).

I could use my band scholarship (although it was small) to pay for flight training.

I was awarded a bunch of other aviation scholarships specifically through my university.

Since the training was through an accredited institution, I could get government loans which had lower interest rates than persnal loans. Plus I was awarded a lot of Pell Grant funding.

I didn't really want to have any other subject as my core study. Of course I took the English, Math, History, Busines (actually my degree is from the school of Business),and etc... classes. But I rather have my focus study on something that I'm interested in.

I learned about human factors in dept well before I started flying professionally.

It was a great opportunity to get out there and network. JC hasn't been around forever.



If I had it to do all over again, I'd do it the same.

GREAT post, I agree with KLB 100% on everything he said.