Flight Instructors forced to wear epaulates

[avbug]

I think it was not professional... holding his bag while riding the motorcycle, flooring it etc. It's just an image thing.

It's not your image. You want to provide different transportation for that individual? You want to provide a different meal for him? You want to get him saddle bags, instead? Feel free. Until you step up, then you've really got no place to talk. Perhaps you can stop living other people's lives, and get on with your own.

Is there something about being a pilot which precludes riding a motorcycle? Is it just flight instructors who shouldn't ride motorcycles? What is it about a motorcycle which you feel dishonors you and the work clothes that this pilot was wearing when you saw him?

Doctors ride a motorcycle in scrubs, and nobody cares. Attorneys sometimes ride them in their suit. Nobody cares. I've ridden them in a flight suit and in my shirt-and-tie-and-shoulderboards monkey suit. Nobody cares. A uniform equates working clothes...the stuff one wears to one's job. That's it. It's not a flag. It's not a sacred shroud. It's a uniform, period.

Mind your own business.

It's kind of like seeing a doctor still wearing his surgical outfit walking around the grocery store, it just doesn't seem right.

Not a problem. See it all the time. As well as police officers, attorneys, pilots, soldiers, school teachers, baseball players, security guards, clerks from home depot, sanitation workers, librarians, bicyclists, and anyone else you might care to mention wearing uniforms, name tags, sam browne duty belts, etc. It's just not a big deal.

Mind your own business.

oh please, only flight instructors that think they're airline pilots and guys still on IOE wear their uniform off work and at walmart.

Ah, you have some prejudice that divides an instructor from one who flies for an airline, do you? It's okay for airline pilots to wear their uniform on the way home from the airport, into a grocery store or walmart, but not an instructor? Quite frankly, I wear my uniform into a store on the way home; I'm not going to go change then come back to pick up something at the store. So does everybody else, in all manner of professions. Are you going to try to conduct everyone else's life, or just your own.

Mind your own business.

I always pull a superman when I off duty.

Bully for you. Big deal. You don't see anybody telling you to take off your uniform, or put it on, do you? Perhaps others are willing to let you live your own life, without sticking their nose where it doesn't belong.

Not everyone wants to be superman. Just you.

Mind your own business.

By the way, what is with this what he makes deal? Who cares what he makes, I just commented on how cheap his image looked. That's all.

What's with what he makes? Who cares? You do, apparently, as it was in your first post. Don't you read what you type? It was you that said "Show some professional courtesy to your fellow pilots and put something on to cover yourself and put that Mcd bag somehwere where so that the world can't know that you make 5 dollars an hour," wasn't it??

Turns out that the only person who really cares, is you. It's you that is concerned that the instructor doesn't let the world know he makes five dollars an hour. Let's be honest, though. You have no idea what the instructor is making. You really have no idea if he's an instructor at all, do you? Are you simply guessing, and spouting off here without any foundation or fact?

Mind your own business.

 

[CX880]

Take it off lol

Ive yet to see any surgeon or cop walking around the walmart in their uniform.

It's the professional thing to do, it's about showing a positive image.

Many people out there, despite what has happened the last decade with the profession, still respect pilots. That's pretty much all there is left of this profession. They have an image of us as professionals. That gets tarnshied as we walk around walmart holding chips and beer or driving our motorcycles in full uniform clutching a McDonalds bag.

Nothing against Mcdonalds, and nothing against motorcycles.

 

[avbug]

Take it off lololololol

You're not an English major, are you?

Of curiosity, why did you title the thread "Flight Instructors forced to wear epaulates" when the title has nothing to do with the subject? You don't know that this individual was an instructor, or that the instructor was forced to wear anything.

It's epaulettes, by the way. In the event you didn't know, the epaulettes are the sewn part of the shirt, over which a shoulder board or shoulder mark is inserted. Most pilot uniform shirts have epaulettes sewn on, whereas pilots may or may not put shoulder boards on them.

Ive yet to see any surgeon or cop walking around the walmart in their uniform.

Ah, well. If you haven't seen it, then it doesn't exist, right? Given that you're qualified to poke your nose in other's business to the point of deciding what they drive, what and where they eat, what they wear, where they work, and how much they make, it's little wonder that if you didn't see it, it doesn't count or never happened.

I see it all the time, mate.

What has walmart to do with the price of tea in china. Was the alleged instructor you saw driving his motorcycle doing so in walmart? You have a walmart fixation, and apparently now decide what people wear to walmart, as well as being the self-appointed determiner of what instructors, pilots, and the world population in general is allowed to wear.

Mind your own business.

 

[JAFI]

I can remember on a full student schedule my boss throwing a Hamburger in the cockpit for me as I was taxing out with the next student and I was thankful for the meal. Maybe the "Instructor" had just enough time between flights to grab and "Speed off" back to the airport with his lunch.

Unprofessional you say. I think not.

If you cared so much for "The Profession" and remembered what some busy days were like as a Flight Instructor, you should buy that underpaid "Professional" a meal and wish him well or you could just turn your nose up and feel self important.

 

[Midnight Flyer]

Why should the flight instructor cover himself or herself? Is a flight instructor not allowed to wear a uniform?
What business is it of yours?

I think it's the business of all professional pilots. The majority of us pilots wear the same white shirts & shoulder boards and the general public recognizes that as the standard pilot uniform. The public cannot tell the difference when they see a seasoned 747 captain in his uniform compared to seeing an instructor from your local flight academy in his uniform. Same uniform.
It's common practice at most companies (including my airline) that crewmembers are not permitted to wear the uniform outside of duty, including running into the supermarket or other business establishments on your way home from work, etc...
When some knucklehead is zipping around town on his motorcycle carrying a McDonald's bag while wearing a pilot uniform, it reflects negatively on all of us. It looks unprofessional, mainly because it's something you typically don't expect to see. We're not only representing our specific company when we're in uniform, but we're also representing our profession.
The public already has a somewhat negative image of pilots. Riding around on motorcycles in uniform seems pompous and is in bad taste.
Put on a riding jacket like 90% of all other motorcycle riders do. Not wearing a jacket to cover his uniform leads me to believe he was taking extra measures to be sure everybody he passes sees that he's a pilot.

 

[CX880]

I think it's the business of all professional pilots. The majority of us pilots wear the same white shirts & shoulder boards and the general public recognizes that as the standard pilot uniform. The public cannot tell the difference when they see a seasoned 747 captain in his uniform compared to seeing an instructor from your local flight academy in his uniform. Same uniform.
It's common practice at most companies (including my airline) that crewmembers are not permitted to wear the uniform outside of duty, including running into the supermarket or other business establishments on your way home from work, etc...
When some knucklehead is zipping around town on his motorcycle carrying a McDonald's bag while wearing a pilot uniform, it reflects negatively on all of us. It looks unprofessional, mainly because it's something you typically don't expect to see. We're not only representing our specific company when we're in uniform, but we're also representing our profession.
The public already has a somewhat negative image of pilots. Riding around on motorcycles in uniform seems pompous and is in bad taste.
Put on a riding jacket like 90% of all other motorcycle riders do. Not wearing a jacket to cover his uniform leads me to believe he was taking extra measures to be sure everybody he passes sees that he's a pilot.

Exactly Midnight Flyer. And actually that's the benefit to taking off your uniform after you get off work. You don't have to represent an image anymore, you're free to walk around in your underwear if that's your thing.

 

[CMI]

What if you are a charter or corporate pilot on-duty, and the PAX requests some extra catering? Do you take off your uniform to get the stock or catering? Not all flying is 121 in an airline terminal with a team of people helping you prepare for a flight. Your lack of job diversity / experience is reflected in your comments CX880. You should take Avbug’s advice.

 

[CX880]

What if you are a charter or corporate pilot on-duty, and the PAX requests some extra catering? Do you take off your uniform to get the stock or catering? Not all flying is 121 in an airline terminal with a team of people helping you prepare for a flight. e.

Yea I know, everything is done for you. You just put the AP on.

Where are they requesting catering at? The local 7/11?

 

[avbug]

You don't have to represent an image anymore, you're free to walk around in your underwear if that's your thing.

Are you suggesting now that the alleged instructor go to McDonalds on his motorcycle in his underwear, in order to protect your reputation? My, my. You are arrogant.

Not wearing a jacket to cover his uniform leads me to believe he was taking extra measures to be sure everybody he passes sees that he's a pilot.

Interesting. Not wearing a jacket leads one to believe, in fact to know, that he wasn't wearing a jacket. The motive is unknown. One who engages in assumption engages in an unprofessional act.

I think it's the business of all professional pilots.

Simply because you think you should stick your nose in someone else's business, really doesn't make it your business.

You have a real beef with it, take it up with the employer of the individual, or contact him directly. Whining about it here changes nothing, but does make you look like a first class idiot. Mind your own business.

The problem here is that you can't take it up with the alleged instructor's employer, because the original poster doesn't even know that the person he saw on the bike was a flight instructor. That person could have been a regional pilot, a fractional pilot, a corporate pilot, or may not have been a pilot at all.

Moreover, the employer isn't known, nor are the employer's policies.

My employer has no policies regarding uniform wear off duty. None. Some wear their uniform home, and others won't even ride home in their uniform in an airline seat. The employer doesn't care when they're off duty, but does prescribe that when in transit to and from work, they WILL wear their uniform. This includes deadheading, commuting, jumpseating, and other forms of travel that may take place. The uniform is worn.

Another employer, for other reasons, requires no wear of uniforms at any time. That employer also requires a change of identity when going to work; the polar opposite. It's forbidden to wear a tee shirt off duty that identifies that employer. Quite frankly, I'm more than happy to abide whatever the employer requires, and do so. So far as what any other pilot wears, I couldn't care less.

The public already has a somewhat negative image of pilots. Riding around on motorcycles in uniform seems pompous and is in bad taste.

What a truly idiotic statement.

Are you asserting that somehow a motorcycle gives a pilot a bad image? What if we require all pilots to ride around in the back of a limousine? No other form of travel, of course, because that would demean the profession. Is that okay? No more crew vans. No more FBO rides to the hotel. No more taxi's. God help the pilot who is seen within 50' of a motorcycle. What is it about the blessed motorcycle that you find damages your personal sense of self worth?

Quite frankly, I know a number of pilots who ride motorcycles. Contrary to the assertion others have made here that doing so is strictly a sign of inexperience, these individuals fly as captains, first officers, and flight engineers internationally on large, complex turbojet airplanes...all have substantial experience, and all can afford other forms of transportation...but prefer their Harley to a pickup truck, BMW, or corvette. That you think it demeans you, for any of us to ride our motorcycles to and from work, to and from the grocery store, to through the drive-in at McDonalds, is YOUR problem. Not theirs, and not mine.

We're not only representing our specific company when we're in uniform, but we're also representing our profession.

When I put on a uniform, I couldn't give a stuff about you, or your profession. My uniform represents my work clothes. The costume I put on to go to work. I go to work not so you can get paid, but so I can get paid. Quite frankly, I don't care if you like my uniform, or the way I wear my uniform. You're not doing my job, and you're not collecting my paycheck. Your opinion on my uniform, or anyone else's for that matter, is therefore meaningless.

Your arrogance in assuming that you have any say in the matter, however, and your foolishness in sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, is well noted, and speaks quite poorly of you.

Yea I know, everything is done for you. You just put the AP on.

Where are they requesting catering at? The local 7/11?

You really don't know. Obviously. It's "Yeah," by the way.

I've left the airplane to go get catering for passengers or to stock an airplane on many occasions. It may be a quick bite to eat that the passenger has requested. It may be a specific kind of beer. It may be newspapers that aren't found at an FBO. It may be mini-booze of a particular kind that the client particularly likes. It may be that the client's dog threw up, and now we need more napkins. It's really not important why.

I've gone to restaurants in uniform while on duty. I've gone to 7-11 in uniform while on duty. I've gone to liquor stores while on duty, and in uniform. I don't drink. I may not have been going for food for myself. I've done all sorts of things for the company and for the client. I once went to a hardware store in uniform to get a roll of masking tape. I needed the tape to clean the dog hair out of the airplane, that the celebrity client's dog had left behind. I've gone tool shopping, gone into pet stores, picked up food and catering, and have delivered tennis rackets to movie stars (that they'd left behind on the airplane). I've done it in rental cars, busses, vans, limousines, and any other transportation I had. I would be more than happy to go do it on a motorcycle.

All one has to do is turn on the autopilot, you say? Are you actually a pilot, or do you only play with computer games and other such "simulators?"

 

[regionalcap]

How do you know he was a pilot? You do realize that many other professions wear epaulates. Heck, the van driver that picked me up the other day had 4 stripes. Wonder how long her upgrade was?