I'll take the freight pilot

[T1bubba]

Yahtzee,

Great post. I'd forgotten that they took the team rides out of the syllabus just before I left.

I spent way too many mornings looking at 20+ destinations trying to find one that had the wx for a team ride.

Anyway, enjoy those last few flights!

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Quigs,

You seem so proud to be that "freight dog" running around all night in crappy piston twin with no radar skirtin around thunderstorms like a real bada$$ pilot...really sharpening those IFR skills for the next sim ride eh?

you know what it sounds like to the rest of us?

sounds like you are an idiot

We have all been there, done that. And we keep it quiet as it really is not something to be PROUD of! Its a crappy job that gives you the ability to get a GOOD job, where you dont risk anything to get a few bank checks somewhere...or a billionaire CEO, or a load of 250 passengers...

And those military guys with all that jet time who went around those TStorms....got news for you buddy, they will get THE JOBS a lot sooner that you will!!!

Think a little harder before making such a stupid statement!

Be careful out there, dont hurt yourself.

 

[Yahtzee]

T1Bubba,

Dude, sorry I didn't mean to show any disrespect to you, and just edited my post to reflect that. My deepest apology!

Congrats on SWA. Well Done!

I'm moving on to a cargo hauler, but will hopefully get a chance at a SWA interview one day.


Yahtz

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

So many are unable to see the fire for the flames....

 

[Huck]

I have flown with pilots from civilian, USAF, USN, Marine, Army, and USCG backgrounds. Oh yeah, and a heap of foreign pilots (Captain Airbus, you still out there?)

Wanna know the worst ones?

The ones that think they're bad ass, that's who! Matters not one whit where they came from, they're either humble or they're dangerous.

Incidently, this same exact opinion was expressed to me recently by the head of FDX 727 training. He said: lose your preconceptions about pilots based on their backgrounds - they're worthless as a predictor of performance.

And buddy, I soloed a Tomahawk and flew BE-18's for a living once. I'd bitch about military guys too, but they (usually) are cool as beans and can fly as good, or better, than me....

 

[Trout]

Huck, everytime I see your avatar I get cold!!

Cheers.

 

[quigs]

Sorry!!!!

 

[Gumbydammit]

If they were picking three states away based solely on weather i am truly disappointed...the priority is always:
1) Great party town
2) Max per diem
3) Free stuff from the FBO
4) One good reason to justify the previous three in case the skipper asks

 

[embdrvr]

Guilty.
I've been one of those gung-ho hard charging freight pilots. When I got a little older and lost a few friends needlessly my outlook changed.
One reason we still see so many accidents in PT 135 single pilot ops is the combination of employer pressure and pilots succumbing to that pressure or even worse thinking it's cool or macho to invent your own approaches, bust minimums, and fly unairworthy equipment.
If those T-1 drivers were smart enough to plan safe alternates then good on them. I'm sure they all made it home safely with clean underwear. If it was a training mission their instructor would have been remiss if he did not enforce the applicable standards.
The one thing we need in the Pt 121 environment is pilots that can abide by FAR's, Ops Specs, and the SOP and still manage to get the pax or freight delivered safely. The military is a different animal because there are clearly times that they have to incur far greater risks than they would in the training environment. On the civilian side if we don't complete a mission it costs the company money. In the military if the mission is incomplete or a failure it can be a whole different story.

 

[100LL... Again!]

-----------------------
Incidently, this same exact opinion was expressed to me recently by the head of FDX 727 training. He said: lose your preconceptions about pilots based on their backgrounds - they're worthless as a predictor of performance.
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Good to hear someone in a position truly qualified to comment feels this way.