A Career Up in Smoke

[JimNtexas]

A Canadian professional pilot has a terrible day, and sees her career go up in smoke.

 

[TrafficInSight]

Man talk about a terrible day...

 

[ackattacker]

That was a tough read. I could see myself there.

 

[learflyer]

The rest of her stories are strange and all over the place!

 

[Swass]

I wonder if she's hot.

 

[FN FAL]

I wonder if she's hot.

She's smoking.

 

[ReverseSensing]

She's smoking.

*groans*

 

[avbug]

Did I miss something here? A woman operates an internet journal about aviation adventures. Her grand adventure is that she made a go-around and her copilot took over. This was apparently the most exciting and at the same time devastating event of her adverturous life; she couldn't handle the pressure of a go-around or her copilot flying the airplane and therefore quit.

Good thing she managed to do so before encountering a real emergency. Like cold coffee. Or a fuel order. Or a hold...

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

FN FAL:
That was hilarious!!!

That's just my kind of humor-I wish I'd thought of it first!

cliff
LRD

 

[FN FAL]

Hi!

FN FAL:
That was hilarious!!!

That's just my kind of humor-I wish I'd thought of it first!

cliff
LRD

Thanks, it was nothing, insert beer and I got a 1 in 1,000 chance of saying something really funny...hey, where did you get your avatar from, I could have sworn I seen that over on the FAL Files chicks in uniform series.

 

[JimNtexas]

Did I miss something here? ...

Yes, you did.

 

[FN FAL]

Did I miss something here? A woman operates an internet journal about aviation adventures. Her grand adventure is that she made a go-around and her copilot took over. This was apparently the most exciting and at the same time devastating event of her adverturous life; she couldn't handle the pressure of a go-around or her copilot flying the airplane and therefore quit.

Good thing she managed to do so before encountering a real emergency. Like cold coffee. Or a fuel order. Or a hold...

I don't think you missed anything.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Yeah, I'm sure it was from your file-I got about 30 of them. I like chicks with weapons-why, I'm not sure, but I'm sure as he!! not giving one to my wife-she's a Polack, and when she gets pissed, call "Fire in the hole!" and dive for cover!

cliff
LRD

 

[TrafficInSight]

Actually it seemed to me like she scared herself, thought about quitting, thought some more and before she could reconsider was asked to resign.

 

[time builder]

This aviation career can be so brutal. Everyone makes mistakes. Granted, safety is a major concern. But man, we spent way too much on this career for it to be so fragile.

 

[KigAir]

She's smoking.

But she melts under pressure.

 

[cynic]

You call that a pun.

Someone just needs to light a fire under her and if that doesn't ignite some changes I don't know what to do. I didn't drop a tear reading it; that’s for sure. Not to start a flame war, but should chicks be flying anyway? This sort of article just fuels the opposition to it and it’s not like we can white out things on the internet. I’m not trying to inferno sexist attitude and come off as a blazing idiot. Maybe the FO should just flicker off next time she starts to cry and go get lit so he doesn’t get so worked up.

 

[FN FAL]

Hi!

Yeah, I'm sure it was from your file-I got about 30 of them. I like chicks with weapons-why, I'm not sure, but I'm sure as he!! not giving one to my wife-she's a Polack, and when she gets pissed, call "Fire in the hole!" and dive for cover!

cliff
LRD

I'm married to a Polish girl too...Skoal! Hahahahaha!

 

[ackattacker]

Someone just needs to light a fire under her and if that doesn't ignite some changes I don't know what to do. I didn't drop a tear reading it; that’s for sure. Not to start a flame war, but should chicks be flying anyway? This sort of article just fuels the opposition to it and it’s not like we can white out things on the internet. I’m not trying to inferno sexist attitude and come off as a blazing idiot. Maybe the FO should just flicker off next time she starts to cry and go get lit so he doesn’t get so worked up.

I can smell what you're cooking. And while she may come to regret her heat-of-the moment blog, I don't think it will spark any rekindling of 50's era sexist attitudes. She got burnt, sure, but hell it could happen to anyone. I'm guessing she was just a bit too unstable for the job, and when the heat was on she completely lost her cool. But I'm not carrying any torch for her, I temper my remarks with a caution. Aviation is littered with burned-out shells of those who didn't have the fire in their guts and steel in their eye. But those forged of sterner stuff can rise like the Phoenix from the ashes of infernal adversity. If she's at all bright, she'll see the light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully end up blazing off into the sunset.

 

[WMUchickenhawk]

I can smell what you're cooking. And while she may come to regret her heat-of-the moment blog, I don't think it will spark any rekindling of 50's era sexist attitudes. She got burnt, sure, but hell it could happen to anyone. I'm guessing she was just a bit too unstable for the job, and when the heat was on she completely lost her cool. But I'm not carrying any torch for her, I temper my remarks with a caution. Aviation is littered with burned-out shells of those who didn't have the fire in their guts and steel in their eye. But those forged of sterner stuff can rise like the Phoenix from the ashes of infernal adversity. If she's at all bright, she'll see the light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully end up blazing off into the sunset.

This post reminded me of the ESPN Commercials where a guy breaks up with his girlfriend and every sentence is a cliched sports phrase. Im not sure if that was intentional or not, but it was brilliant.

 

[seethru]

Her user name in the blog is Aviatrix. Wasn't there a gal that went by that same handle here a few years back? Just curious.

 

[mzaharis]

Her user name in the blog is Aviatrix. Wasn't there a gal that went by that same handle here a few years back? Just curious.

I assume you're referring to Ms. Earhart, but the term is simply the female form of aviator, just as executrix is the female form of executor.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=aviatrix

 

[mzaharis]

I assume you're referring to Ms. Earhart, but the term is simply the female form of aviator, just as executrix is the female form of executor.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=aviatrix

My apologies. I didn't read your last post closely enough. I didn't realize you were referring to someone who posted here. If I had, I wouldn't have posted the remedial English. I'd delete my previous post, if the edit time didn't already expire. (In fact, Moderators, if you want, please feel free to delete this post and my last post, if it is not too inconvenient).

 

[ReverseSensing]

I can smell what you're cooking. And while she may come to regret her heat-of-the moment blog, I don't think it will spark any rekindling of 50's era sexist attitudes. She got burnt, sure, but hell it could happen to anyone. I'm guessing she was just a bit too unstable for the job, and when the heat was on she completely lost her cool. But I'm not carrying any torch for her, I temper my remarks with a caution. Aviation is littered with burned-out shells of those who didn't have the fire in their guts and steel in their eye. But those forged of sterner stuff can rise like the Phoenix from the ashes of infernal adversity. If she's at all bright, she'll see the light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully end up blazing off into the sunset.

*polite golf clap*

 

[Alamanach]

Did I miss something here?

Yes, you did.

I think I'm missing it too. I don't have thousands (or even hundreds) of hours like you guys, so please give me some insight here. I can imagine how doing a go-around in IMC could be frightening-- frightening enough that maybe you let your co-pilot handle the landing while you calm down. I don't at all get why she felt the need to retire. It was a close scrape, but they came through unharmed, so what's the big deal?

Is her lack of grace under pressure the lesson to learn from this (and is that lack of grace what lost her her job), or are you more experienced pilots picking up on something else?

 

[Yellowbird]

I think I'm missing it too. I don't have thousands (or even hundreds) of hours like you guys, so please give me some insight here. I can imagine how doing a go-around in IMC could be frightening-- frightening enough that maybe you let your co-pilot handle the landing while you calm down. I don't at all get why she felt the need to retire. It was a close scrape, but they came through unharmed, so what's the big deal?

Is her lack of grace under pressure the lesson to learn from this (and is that lack of grace what lost her her job), or are you more experienced pilots picking up on something else?

In her own words:

"I had a spatial disorientation episode in forest fire smoke during which the FO had to take control of the airplane."

If you read her detailed account, she didn't panic, she wasn't scared, and she didn't break under pressure. She just found herself so far behind the airplane the she could not recover. After the fact, she critically evaluated the circumstances that brought her to that point and concluded that her own poor judgment was at fault. With that in mind, she wisely grounded herself.

Those of you who have never made mistakes that could have had catastrophic consequences may throw all the stones you wish. Those who have made such mistakes, and lived to tell about it, would be wise to appreciate what lessons you may have learned form your mistakes and graciously allow her the chance to learn from hers before you take aim.

 

[Alamanach]

If you read her detailed account, she didn't panic, she wasn't scared, and she didn't break under pressure. She just found herself so far behind the airplane the she could not recover. After the fact, she critically evaluated the circumstances that brought her to that point and concluded that her own poor judgment was at fault. With that in mind, she wisely grounded herself.

I'm with her up to there, but why didn't she get back on the horse? I don't see why this grounding had to be permanent.

 

[Yellowbird]

I'm with her up to there, but why didn't she get back on the horse? I don't see why this grounding had to be permanent.

If you read her following posts, you'll see that she appears to be doing just that (getting back on the horse, that is).

Perhaps her resignation was premature, but that's history now. She seems to hold herself to a very high standard, and failing her personal standards may have been at least as traumatic as nearly losing control of the airplane.

In any case, she's written in her subsequent posts a very insightful account of her recovery. Like all of her posts, they are very educational and worth taking the time to read, particulate if you have faced, or anticipate facing, a similar crisis of self confidence.

 

[JimNtexas]

Her posts are several weeks behind real time, but from the tone of this one it looks like she's going to get back on the horse. She's also being honest with her prospective employers about why she left her prior job.

 

[TrafficInSight]

Perhaps her resignation was premature, but that's history now. She seems to hold herself to a very high standard, and failing her personal standards may have been at least as traumatic as nearly losing control of the airplane.

I think anytime you're asked to resign it's premature.