Lack of professionalism (an example)

[QOL_is_great:)]

I never chime in on anything here but I feel the need to now. I don't wear my hair like the mainline guys. Yes I might have a little spike in mine, but does that make me an unprofessional pilot? I might not always have my shoes polished, but does that make me an unprofessional pilot? I might not always have my shirt freshly pressed after my 9 hour overnight, but does that make me an unprofessional pilot? You cannot judge an entire group of regional guys on one thing you have seen. Yes we have all had days where we could have looked better or even maybe acted differently, but that does not make us unprofessional. Every day I come to work trying to look my best and also acting my best. I will be the first one to admit that I cannot do that 24/7 while on the job. My first responsibility is making sure I get the passengers and myself safely to their destination, and then I will make sure I look professional while doing that, just so I can make myself and "those who watch" feel good about themselves.

btw read it, tear out the Sudoku, and throw the rest away

This is not only where experience comes into play, but common sense. You may think if your shoes, hair or shirt are unkept then you still remain professional. I disagree!! So do many others within our profession. Your uniform, conduct and overall appreance ARE part of being a professional pilot and that is how our society still views airline pilots. How do you view an unkept doctor, lawyer, or other professional we pilots like to be compared to?

Let me pose this question. You skip on ironing a shirt due to a nine-hour rest period then what else will you skip on? Shorter preflight? Not use a checklist or do it from memory even if a checklist is required? Do you shorten your preflight based on the wx outside?

One poster made mention about flying in wx in the southeast and a crew was cruising around with no wx radar on, geez. I remember once reading that all equipment must be on and in a STBY mode while operating the aircraft. That's a failure to be professional.



pro·fes·sion·al (prə-fěsh'ə-nəl) http://dictionary.reference.com/help/ahd4/pronkey.html
adj.

1. 1. Of, relating to, engaged in, or suitable for a profession: lawyers, doctors, and other professional people.
   2. Conforming to the standards of a profession: professional behavior.
2. Engaging in a given activity as a source of livelihood or as a career: a professional writer.
3. Performed by persons receiving pay: professional football.
4. Having or showing great skill; expert: a professional repair job.

n.

1. A person following a profession, especially a learned profession.
2. One who earns a living in a given or implied occupation: hired a professional to decorate the house.
3. A skilled practitioner; an expert.

Let's face it, we do need to clean up our act throughout the industry and more so in the regionals then any other sector. It's not hard to act and look like pilots; hell, it's been done decades. If you think this profession is a game, a way to look cool or impress the ladies then find another line of work. This "game" has real stakes involved, the consequences are high and the results are final. I am tried of explaining to someone why a pilot is walking thru a terminal acting and/or looking the way they do. And yes, they are regional pilots that I am questioned about.

Again, a small few ruin it for the vast majority.

 

[DX Rick]

Let's face it, we do need to clean up our act throughout the industry and more so in the regionals then any other sector. It's not hard to act and look like pilots; hell, it's been done decades. If you think this profession is a game, a way to look cool or impress the ladies then find another line of work. This "game" has real stakes involved, the consequences are high and the results are final. I am tried of explaining to someone why a pilot is walking thru a terminal acting and/or looking the way they do. And yes, they are regional pilots that I am questioned about.

Again, a small few ruin it for the vast majority.

It's not going to be solved here on FI.com by you, me or the next guy trashing each other on here. It needs to be done my the CP's and management, busting down on guys who wearing the yellow stained shirts or the shirts so old, they have holes in them.
I know, I hate the hat too. But seeing how most airlines have dropped the hat from the uniform, they're going to be lax on everything else regarding your looks.

 

[SEVEN]

Lack of Professionalism II (pictures don't lie)


Here we have FO Cheeseburger (I don't know her name, but being at least 50 pounds over weight, she obviously likes McDonalds).

And yes, there we have the newspaper in the backpack!

http://picture.vzw.com/mi/400645671...345,345&outquality=56&ext=.jpg&border=2,0,0,0


Here we have the professional pilot hanging her very large butt off the side of a chair waiting for her Saab to arrive. It was at this point that I began to get nervous that she might be my pilot.

http://picture.vzw.com/mi/400645159...345,345&outquality=56&ext=.jpg&border=2,0,0,0


FO Cheeseburger made two landings that day from Hilton Head to Atlanta. The first probably broke something and the second one slightly less violent.

I hate that I did not take a picture of her text messaging someone on her phone in the cockpit entrance as we got off the plane, but I was on the phone with my father in-law (AA 737-800 Captain) telling him how much I hated flying regional airlines.

When you bitch and moan about passengers paying $40 a ticket, don't get pissed when we (passengers) call you out for looking like slobs...

I can't see the pics.....

 

[Stifler's Mom]

I can't believe it hasn't been written yet...so here goes....

"I'll act/dress/look like a professional when they start paying me like a professional."

 

[Captain Morgan]

I'm with the original poster and his message about policing our own. It's always a few that ruin it for the rest. It appears that this crew just doesn't realize how preception is everything. Does Shuttle America now days have an SOP entry against non-flight related material in the cockpit? I know that the clever placing of porn was outlawed back in 2000 or maybe it was late 1999. I guess newspapers will be outlawed next.

It's not hard to act and look professional while on the job. The public will travel no matter what takes place, how you look, but you can bet they talk about what they see. Boy do they and the things I hear and/or am asked from them. Geez, some of you guys need to help a brother out and clean up your act.

I get a kick out of watching the regional pilots stroll around the terminals with unkept (read wrinkled and unpressed) uniforms, shoes unshined or a pair that can not be shined, hair a mess, no undershirt, iPod headphones on and not realizing they are a freaking joke or don't care. I have yet to see that description fit a mainline pilot. Now I'm not talking about a pilot that is overweight and should be on P90X; because that's a whole different story.

I am sure some of you hotshot regional pilots that have taken offense to the original post will step up and say something to my post. It'll only confirm that you are part of the problem and not part of the solution. From day one of wearing a uniform (police dispatcher @ 18), I understood what it meant to present myself and the uniform correctly.

If any of ya have any questions feel free to drop a line or stop me in any terminal I may be in. Oh yeah, I am the guy wearing not only a pressed uniform, but I sport Army colors on a lanyard.

Let's all do our part to keep our professional image and standards high.

I agree with you, all but the part about the Army colors on your lanyard. (Go Navy!) The reason I never went military was there were no pilot slots when I got out of school and I thought I'd have a better career through the civilian ranks. Because of this, I am grateful that the airlines hire from the civilian community, but the thought has dawned on me lately that maybe they need to hire predominantly from the military again.

 

[HA25]

I can't believe it hasn't been written yet...so here goes....

"I'll act/dress/look like a professional when they start paying me like a professional."

It's a vicious cycle, but frankly we're on the losing end of it.. if you can afford to subsidize your career thru CFI work and the costs of getting a job and crap wages that come with it, you aught be able to keep 2-3 pair of pants, a jacket or two and 7 or 8 shirts at the ready for work. I've seen mall security guards look better than some "Airline Pilots"..

Some of you who things we are pompous are part of the problem, not the solution.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

My quoted comment was TIC. It's a favorite line around here by people who don't take pride in their appearance.

My Grandfather many years ago when I was a little kid told me you can tell how much pride a pilot has in his profession by looking at his shoes. I didn't know what he was talking about at the time, but almost 30 years later, I still remember that conversation, and think about it everytime I put my uniform on. Of course, my Grandfather came from the era where you dressed in a jacket and hat as a passenger.

I know it's not entirely true (see AceyFO's post), but the point he was trying to get across was that people are watching, and they are judging us on our outward appearances. My shoes at the end of a 4-day may look like they were dragged behind a car after kicking rudder pedals for 15 legs, walking through snow and rain, but I now understand his point. Take some pride in your appearance.

 

[WAZUP]

hehe :nuts: This thread is full of some of the most pompous, egotistical asses I've ever read. :laugh:

hahaha so true. "Come meet me in the terminal I'm a bad ass Army guy and I'll kick your a$$ if your uniform is not pressed!"

 

[SSDD]

To answer AceyFO: Yes, all of that makes you unprofessional! There is more to being a professional than your stick and rudder skills.

No one can be perfect 100% of the time. But if you blow it off and accept it because its someone else's fault(9 hr overnight), then perhaps you need to take a step back and reevaluate your concept of professionalism.

 

[Dubya]

I can't believe it hasn't been written here yet, but, here it goes,....


....Mesa sucks.

 

[QOL_is_great:)]

I agree with you, all but the part about the Army colors on your lanyard. (Go Navy!) The reason I never went military was there were no pilot slots when I got out of school and I thought I'd have a better career through the civilian ranks. Because of this, I am grateful that the airlines hire from the civilian community, but the thought has dawned on me lately that maybe they need to hire predominantly from the military again.

Best damn football game on each year is the Army v. Navy game and ya know who I pull for!!
I have had a great time over the years flying with all sorts of pilots with wide or diverse flying backgrounds. Makes for great conversation on a trip of four to five days.
At least with the military the initial training and follow-on courses were a common thread and a known variable. I don't have to talk about the uniform wearing issue within those ranks.
I only hope that the folks that are wearing crappy uniforms and not even acting like a mature person get the picture. I don't know how every company handles uniform replacement (i.e. $400.00 per year uniform allowance), but for some pilots there is no excuse for not having serviceable uniforms.

 

[j41driver]

When I saw the topic of this thread, I was thinking of someone wearing their pants down at their knees, or swearing in public or some other crazy action. I didn't think it would be some petty thing like this.

It's not petty. It's about our perception in the eye of the traveling public. The OP said there were several negative comments from people around him in the terminal about the newspapers in the cockpit. I'm sure they weren't impressed with the professionalism that this crew demonstrated. That said, we all know that newspapers/magazines are in the cockpit on a regular basis...just keep that crap out of sight of the passengers.

 

[markminus100]

Too bad the autopilot could not take this Shuttle America crew to the correct airport. They landed at the wrong airport 20 miles away from the intended destination.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/42803/us_airways_flight_lands_at_wrong_airport/index.html

Different time, different Shuttle America...

 

[HA25]

Different time, different Shuttle America...

That was like 2004. I remember 2004 like yesterday. Did they turnover their entire workforce inside 5 years?

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

That was like 2004. I remember 2004 like yesterday. Did they turnover their entire workforce inside 5 years?

In a word, yes. Republic conglomo bought them and basically flushed it.