What is with the HAT argument?

[Occam's Razor]

At "my house" we made the hat optional. I choose not to wear one.

I thought of throwing it in the trash....but changed my mind. It's collecting dust somewhere around here...maybe the kids misplaced it while playing with it.

When we see pictures or video of NWA pilots on the picket line (see latest Centerline), why are we always wearing our hats?

My theory: It helps the public immediately identify us as pilots.

Just a thought...

 

[whymeworry?]

I dont mind wearing mine. I visibly scowl and shake my head at the fools that carry theirs around(wanna be treated like a pro...act like one). However, as soon as tax day rolls around, my hat is in the top of my closet collecting dust.

Aren't there more important things to worry about?

 

[whymeworry?]

Iron your shirt, button your jacket and wear your hat. You agreed to do it when you got hired, remember? You want to be treated like a professional, then take the first step, and have some professional pride in your appearance. Regardless of how you feel about it, it does make a difference to the people getting on your jet.

Makes me cringe when I see some dope walking around the terminal with his jacket unbuttoned or with a nasty shirt on.

another one

 

[Occam's Razor]

Aren't there more important things to worry about?

Dang right!

1. Dannilynn Smith's paternity!
2. American Idol.
3. Hammering jetBlue pilots.
4. Mocking ALPA volunteers.
5. Britney's buzzcut.

Hats are soooo 2006!

 

[Scrapdog]

And a little shoe polish! I see thse guys that look like they rubbed a hershey bar all over thier shoes or worse have brown leather showing. Five bucks plus a tip to the shoe shine stand would go a long way...

Bullsh*t!! Try 30 cents for some black kiwi shoe polish and a little elbow grease for about 10 minutes to shine your shoes. There is absolutely no reason you need to pay someone 5 bucks to shine your shoes (however, I get your point saying guys need to shine their shoes in the first place...and I agree wholeheartedly).

This hat argument is absurd. Like someone posted earlier, no passengers give 2 craps about which airline has a hat and which doesn't. They want a guy that looks professional, gets them there safely, and gets them there on time. If you are proud of your company, take pride in your uniform (the whole thing - shirt, shoes, creased pants, etc...). And in that note, also get your fat a$$ on the treadmill, being healthy and fit goes a long way into looking sharp as well. Being overweight with great looking shoes is still a farce. It's amazing how many fatties we have in the majors flying airplanes that look unprofessional and are a health risk to themselves, their crew, and their passengers. But that's a different thread...

 

[Scrapdog]

Dang right!

1. Dannilynn Smith's paternity!
2. American Idol.
3. Hammering jetBlue pilots.
4. Mocking ALPA volunteers.
5. Britney's buzzcut.

Hats are soooo 2006!

Occam - get it right. It's not just American Idol, it's the Sanjaya Conspiracy. Now that's what really matters in life! But as retarded as that show is, did you see J Lo last night? Holy sh*t, she is looking good!!

And Occam, I didn't know you had kids!! God help us all...

 

[gutshotdraw]

When I first saw this thread, I thought it was an argument over Height Above Touchdown.......

Has anyone seen my leather jacket?

 

[TOOL CRIB]

I still find it funny watching just about any movie with pilots in it and they are wearing their hats and blazers WHILE FLYING

 

[FDJ2]

My favorites are the guys who even wear the hat on the employee bus.

I don't know about the employee bus, but I wear my hat because my head seems to be an ideal place to put it. It beats walking around with it in my hand.

 

[crashpad]

I don't know about the employee bus, but I wear my hat because my head seems to be an ideal place to put it. It beats walking around with it in my hand.

Right you are! The momos' here will debate it all day long, but in the end they have to put it somewhere...might as well be on their head.

 

[vtwo]

leave it at home OR Try to sell it on Ebay, may be you can get better health ins, and your retirement back for it.

 

[Tejas-Jet]

When we see pictures or video of NWA pilots on the picket line (see latest Centerline), why are we always wearing our hats?

My theory: It helps the public immediately identify us as pilots.

Just a thought...

Picket line? Are the NWA Pilots on strike over something? What is going on?

But...getting back to the subject at hand....I've never yet been mis-identified while not wearing my hat...and it is optional....few wear theirs...most don't...and it doesn't affect profits....or my profit sharing.

 

[ExAF]

Simple Observation

Here's a simple, non-scientific observation for you. In our house hats are optional. I've noticed the majority of the guys who wear them have little or no hair and the guys that don't wear them have a full head of hair. Personally, I hated wearing the hat. I always wore it (on my head) when it was required and as soon as it became optional I ditched it. I still have my hair by the way (although it is starting to thin a little on the crown). I hated having "hat hair" while standing in the door saying bu-bye and the massive sweating it created during the summer. I don't think a hat is required to project a professional image. JMHO.

 

[flatspin7]

I still find it funny watching just about any movie with pilots in it and they are wearing their hats and blazers WHILE FLYING

dang Im supposed to take off the Hat when I fly... no wonder my Capts have been laughing at me! Just kidding

In all honesty I came from a no hat airline to a hat during winter airline (Xjet to CAL). Intially I didnt like it but honestly when wearing a blazer I think it looks more professional with a hat. However during the summer months I gladly mount the hat at its place on honor in the top of my closet.

And honestly whether you like it or not, The hat is part of the job... The books says wear it... so you wear it. Plain and simple.

 

[Occam's Razor]

Picket line? Are the NWA Pilots on strike over something? What is going on?

Nevermind. 15-minutes to Judge Wapner. Don't want to miss it!

 

[800Dog]

I don't know about the employee bus, but I wear my hat because my head seems to be an ideal place to put it. It beats walking around with it in my hand.

Ever considered just leaving it in your locker?

 

[800Dog]

Not at all. I don't care if someone wears their hat. I think it presents an enhanced image of professionalism...but I don't really care if anyone else agrees with me.

What I think is lame is adopting the position that you should alter your personal integrity because someone else alters theirs.

You opening comment on the hat issue was, "And management told many of us they would fund our retirement."

That's an attempt to rationalize your adherence to a rule you agreed to abide based on someone else's status as a weasel.

It might be trivial when applied to the issue of hats, but I hope you see the broader impact.

My boss, or his booger-eating surrogates, acting like indifferent scumbags does not justify me acting like one. That's not an "image" issue...it's personal integrity.

You are right. So correct in fact that I plan on wearing my hat during my oral next week. Should get some bonus points for looking professional and I can feel ethical at the same time.

 

[Occam's Razor]

You are right. So correct in fact that I plan on wearing my hat during my oral next week. Should get some bonus points for looking professional and I can feel ethical at the same time.

Use a Sharpie to write the limitations on the sweat band.

 

[Ty Webb]

Well . . . . it's always been my experience that the guy who is most concerned about the hat/shoes/uniform/newspaper-reading is almost invariably a lousy pilot. Not always, but certainly often enough to make the connection pretty obvious.

At my airline, the self appointed "Hat Police" is a scab, and the "Shoeshine Police" is a street scab. . . . . go figure.

I also notice that the bald guys tend to like the hat . . . . but what really cracks me up is that most guys are kind of ambivalent about the hat, but the ones who want the hat REALLY want the hat . . . . in a really strange and sad sort of way. The same sort of guy who identifies SO strongly with being an airline pilot that he has little in the way of personality or social skills.

The only guys that should wear hats, in my opinion, are skycaps and bus drivers.


.

 

[Lake Alice]

I would submit I always looked forward to wearing the hat as a kid growing up dreaming of becoming a pilot. Today, the hat is an outdated symbol of a once glorious profession.