Arrogance and Intimidator's.....

[Lear2460]

Okay, after seeing a post earlier regarding arrogant first officers, I thought I would post a bit about dealing with BOTH Captains and First Officers OUT of the cockpit....

Whether you are a Captain or F.O., you both can be quite arrogant, so I hope you both realize this.

Considering I am just a student pilot, and unfortunately spend most of my time working behind the desk at a FBO, I don't see what goes on in the cockpit. I do get to see though, how you handle front desk employees, and Line Service.

I have had Capt., and F.O., who when arriving at the desk to place a fuel order, have their nose so high, they could sniff the ceiling if they wanted. Please don't look at me as though I know nothing about aviation, pilots, or how things work. Don't intimidate me because you flew the G5 that is sitting on the ramp. I know you have paid your dues, and have plenty of flight time....in fact, I envy you, and would expect you to be proud. But does that mean you have to be arrogant? I do understand everyone has a crappy day, or you have been sitting flying for the past 5 hours, or you are working for a crappy company...but a smile and a thank you goes a long way. I have quite a bit of respect for guys that arrive on the ramp, but if you have that " I am better than everyone else, because I fly a jet" attitude, my respect goes way down.

When it comes to line service, they are not all idiots either. I think quite a few pilots out there started off in line service to get that discount to get their Private a bit cheaper. It is hard work... I recently witnessed a G4 Captain be so rude and arrogant to a line man I could not believe it, and it was right from the get go.....what he did not realize, while throwing around his G4 complex, that he happened to be talking to a 767 Captain. But, you would never know it, because he holds no complex over his head, and half the people that meet this particular lineman, would not guess that he was a airline Captain, working line while he figures out whether he can get his medical back due to health reasons. Now, I am not saying the lineman is any better than the G4 guy, it is just a point.

Believe me, I am envious of all those pilots out there that fly turbine aircraft...that is my dream and long term goal. But I will try my hardest to never get that complex that follows those "I fly jets" and "I am a pilot" pilots. I am much more impressed by a kind G5 pilot, than a arrogant one.

And by the way..... know how I deal with those intimidating, arrogant people in my life? I try to kill them with kindness if I can, and just as a side note....

I envision them taking a dump on the toilet, and wiping their own butt....and it just " Makes it all better ".

 

[B190Captain]

Corporate Pukes!! Shame on you! LOL!

 

[SpiderMan]

[B
I envision them taking a dump on the toilet, and wiping their own butt....and it just " Makes it all better ".


[/B]

Kinky

 

[FSB99]

yup.. corporate pukes.. you have to be an arrogant sob to fly corporate. they beat you down otherwise.

 

[MSNFlier]

a thought...

I worked the flight line at the local FBO while earning my private initially because I could get a nice discount off rental of aircraft and CFI rates. Later, I realized that while the financial benefits were definitely great, I learned a lot about flying and what NOT to do as a pilot from working the flight line because I was able to observe many different pilots do sometimes really dumb things.

I also learned that most rampers deserve to be treated with respect, and how they appreciate little things like chatting them up a bit or being surprised when pizza shows up out of nowhere a couple times a year which costs a total of about $50 but pays huge dividends. One example might be when the Line Supervisor knows you're leaving early the next morning on a 1000 mi. X-C in the middle of February and it's going to be below zero overnight but, lo and behold, your plane is ready and waiting in a heated hangar (shoehorned in the front of the hangar - obviously the last one in), rather than its usual spot outside.

Then again, if you treat rampers badly like that G4 pilot, you might just find your Boss' $35M G4 about as far from the terminal as possible so when he shows up and it's pouring rain he can enjoy a nice 400 yard walk to his plane through small lakes and drain areas on the ramp, probably helping to ruin his $1000 Gucci shoes. Perhaps that Boss might just wonder how it's possible that his G4 ended up at that spot?? Who knows?

This is not to say that some rampers can be difficult (or lazy, I guess) too, but for the most part I think many rampers are underpaid and overworked considering their daily responsibilities like moving and servicing ridiculously expensive aircraft in sometimes very challenging conditions (snow, rain, excessive heat, etc).

Just my .02.

 

[banned username 2]

yup.. corporate pukes.. you have to be an arrogant sob to fly corporate. they beat you down otherwise.

This kind of ludicrousy doesn't deserve a dignified response.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

The arrogant and obnoxious pilots wandering the FBO are usually bitter SOB's who were abused on thier long climb up to thier current position (G4 Capt....WOW....)

Not to say this encompasses all but....this attitude seems to be more common in the older crowd. The younger guys dont really seem to be as high and mighty. We dont care who is a GV, GIV, BBD-700, DA900, Capt...etc...parading around the FBO, we are more impressed with the Capt who is sitting home with his/her family while that other poor slob works. Hopefully these folks will slowly retire and there wll be less "attitude" in the future...

I for one prefer a low profile, dont want to advertise what I fly...somebody may ask me a question I cant answer!

You have to an "arrogant SOB" to fly corporate?? there's a fine statement...

arrogant? nah....lazy?...well.......


PS - guys, if you get good service...tip the ramp guys/gals!! Nothing worse than the cheap prik who stiffs a hard working ramper than expenses 20$ in line tips...F'n pilots...

 

[SDdriver]

Having been a ramper for 6 yrs before becomming a pilot I have respect for them and ALWAYS treat them good..In fact I use to offer to them anytime they wanted to jumpseat they could just let me know a day in advance and I would take them flying. They always got a kick out of it, seeing as most were student pilots..even when I got some that were buttholes I would just be nice and it always seemed to kill that attitude quickly, most people find it hard to continue to be an ass when someone will not be an ass back.

It is all about having a good attitude..It goes a long way.

Sd

 

[Flying Illini]

I always tip. In the be20 it's the captain's responsibility to take care of that but when I fly around in a cessna or archer I tip...it's usually not much (unless I have an outlandish request) but it's something. As far as for the line guys who work at the FBO where my charter outfit flies from, I take a box of donuts in in the mornings every now and then. That airplane doesn't get fueled and pulled out to the front door by itself! I would have to agree that it is one of the most underappreciated, underpaid jobs out there. If that arrogant GV captain has a problem with the line personnel maybe HE should be out there fueling the airplane in the wx. Maybe that would straighten him out.

 

[CounterGirl]

Fortunately, I've run into mostly pleasant and down-to-Earth pilots at the FBO I work at. I've come across a few impatient ones that come in demanding all sorts of stuff without so much as a 'please' or 'thank you'--but they are few and far between (then I do what Lear does and kill them with kindness--makes them feel bad for being a**holes!) And, from what I've experienced, guys (and gals) who fly the G-Vs are often just as nice as a pilot in an old C180. Corporate, frax, charter--I haven't noticed any difference (so quit crapping on the corporate guys!).

The only real and notable arrogance I (and some of the other CSRs) experienced is being blantantly hit on by pilots who use terrible lines! Come on--saying something sleazy like "Haven't I seen you in the Girls Gone Wild video?" doesn't exactly make girls fall at your feet! It won't get you fuel discounts either (and yes, some do try that!). It's funny more than anything, though, especially beacuse this is something I've heard more than once from pilots who are old enough to be my grandfather.

 

[bigD]

Heh heh...I've seen many very good looking women working at FBO's, and I'd never think to hit on them with cheesy lines. Especially after pulling up in the kinds of planes that I fly!

 

[Cardinal]

Every CSR I've ever worked with has some portion of deep seated, envy fueled resentmet. For one, they see the pilots during the most stressful part of the pilots day, waiting for the boss to show up, ensuring that everything is right. The CSRs know that the desk is pretty much a dead end job, and know that the pilots get a marginally greater helping of money and glory than they do - though the CSRs have no clue just how much loot is being made. If I had a nickel for every time I heard something in the vein of "Those pilots think they're so high mighty" etc, etc, while out on the line and behind the counter I'd be a rich man. It's the ground pounder inferiority complex. I had it too, yet I had hope.

 

[bigD]

Stupid question Cardinal - what's a CSR?

 

[Khirsah]

Yeah, I like tips. But that's not the determining factor. Common courtesy is.

I believe we broke several world records fueling a Citation II/SP. Why? We busted our asses because the very first words out of the pilot's mouth when he stepped out of the plane were, "Thanks for letting me know about the fuel truck being out of service and marshalling me over to the fuel farm. I'm in a hurry. Could you guys try and make it fast? I'd really appreciate it."

Of course, at smaller FBOs tipping has its own benefits. If I'm the guy that marshals you in and takes your fuel order on a friday evening, I'll probably be the guy working on Sunday, and I'll be the one billing you. Just recently a guy came in in a BE-200. Wanted it hangared for a night, and wanted 250 gallons of fuel. He tipped me as he got off the plane. He tipped me again when he left. Now I'm authorized to knock a few cents a gallon off the price of fuel, or knock a few bucks off the hangar fee for an "unsatisfied customer." That's not how it works if you're not a regular. It's the satisfied, curteous customers that get the price knocked down in exchange for a promise to return someday. For a measly $15 in tips, the BE-200 pilot saved himself almost $110. The hangar was empty anyway. Boss was just happy to have someone in it and didn't mind at all that we'd reduced the price. He made his money. I made a tip. And the BE-200 saved money. Everybody was a winner.

Tips aside, most line guys will bend over backwards to help someone who is just plain nice/friendly. A simple "thank you," or a "hey! how's it goin?" will do more for you as a pilot than anything else. It'll get just about any line guy I know scurrying about looking for ways to save you time and money.

And if you've had a crappy day? Try to be nice anyway. I don't need any "crappy day attitude" from anyone. Yeah, I've had all the fun in the world spending the last hour spraying the caked-on vomit off the side of a 172 because a renter ran out of sic sacks. But I still come out there and treat you with respect.

Attitude is everything when dealing with a line guy.

 

[ClassG]

Customer Service Rep. (counter person)

 

[bigD]

Ahhh...thank you!

 

[banned username 2]

Hey ClassG,

Just noticed your "current position" and wanted to let you know you'll go blind if you do that too much.

 

[ClassG]

That explains the recent blurry vision, but what about these furry palms?

 

[slapstick]

when i was a lineguy, i did 2 great things unknowingly:

apologized to the assh0le Citation captain that I hadn't yet pulled out the rental C150 I thought he was here to fly, and

fueled up an Eagle Saab with 3000 lbs of fuel PER WING, instead of 3000 lbs. total. and the line manager was on that flight going on vacation with his family.


it's great how they let a 16 yr. old kid drive a 2500 gallon fuel truck around fueling airliners with no managers/bosses around...

 

[ShawnC]

when i was a lineguy, i did 2 great things unknowingly:

apologized to the assh0le Citation captain that I hadn't yet pulled out the rental C150 I thought he was here to fly, and

LMAO at the picture of a Citation captain looking at his Cessna.