So what makes a good pilot?

[rattler]

I just read an entire thread on riddle bashing that I though was about bottom feeding...WTF?

So here's the deal. We all fly to the same standards, fly the same profiles, have the same callouts, the same proceedures, etc. After a little time in the airplane everyone can get that special "greaser" landing. we take the same PC's every 6 or 12 months. I honestly don't get it. Everyone I fly with is a professional and flys the airplane well. So does it come down to who I can hang out with for 4 days? For me it does.

 

[blzr]

There is alot more to being a pilot than flying or greasing a landing.

"We all fly to the same standards". that's very subjective and debateable.

From what the Southwest guys and Fed Ex guys say, you are correct. You have to be the kind of person that can spend 2-5 days in the cockpit with someone else and play nice.

 

[Nova]

So here's the deal. We all fly to the same standards, fly the same profiles, have the same callouts, the same proceedures, etc.

Standards don't equate to experience or decision making ability. Does holding altitude to PTS standards help when making decisions about dealing with weather or other variables we see on a daily basis. We all know that training teaches standards but does nothing to teach experience or how to adjust to new variables, that comes with line experience (or previous job experience).

I passed the same driving test at 16 yrs old as professional race car drivers but does that mean I'd be competative in that environment? Doubt it. Such basic standards don't prepare one for more advanced environments where advanced experience is key.

Some, not all, Riddle and other pilot factory products feel that meeting the same standards as more advanced professional pilots puts them on a higher level than similar training pilots if not equal to the advanced professional pilots. These flight schools are selling such intense training as a key to leaping into the right seat somewhere. "Why get 1000 hours when we can breed you to be a similar pilot at 300 hours?"

A pilot could be bred to fly the 737 sim from day 1 of their training. I'm sure after 300 hours of doing that they would be a competent 737 sim pilot as they can meet all the standards. Would or should Southwest hire them? Does flying to predetermined standards make that pilot an asset in the cockpit? Not really as the autopilot can do the same thing.

 

[belchfire]

The good pilots don't just meet
standards, they exceed them as
a matter of routine. There are some
that just get by the sim rides, and
a very few that you wonder how they
got through that first PC and IOE.
That's it for the flying...

Getting along as a FO with CA's that
range from non-standard, do it my way
or else pricks to ones that might not
even be sure of themselves, male, female,
left wing or right, queer or hetro...all walks
of life...that's the toughest part!

As CA, the tough part is working with a
crewmember you might not like, don't
want to be seen with, can't wait to get
to the room, change clothes and ditch,
and still maintain a civil, professional,
responsible command presence while
flying. It could be someone that trys to
usurp your athority, or just undermine
it...or someone that just ought not to
be there.

These bad cases are rare in my experience.

And then, once in a blue moon you get to
fly with someone that almost reads your
mind, is in this fuqued-up business for the
same reasons you are, that you not only
can go to supper with but look foreward
to the time with them away from the
plane...yeah, you're probably still going to
bs about planes, women, whatever. But
those are the times you're going to
remember...looking out the window at a
pitch-black dimond studded sky, sunsets
sunrises, whatever you haven't seen before,
what makes it all worthwhile!

I just strained the waxing-philosophical
lobe of my addled brain...sorry...but you
asked. Given that you asked we could
probably get along fine in an airplane...or
at least have a few beers!

 

[rattler]

Sure, I could not agree with you more about the value of experience. I see your point. I was not trying to make reference to a new hire pilot. I was thinking more about an average line holder. The average line holder has experience. Some of the most junior FO's may only have 1500TT in this day and age and yes I agree that is green. But on the top end of the bid packet are FO's that have been flying the same jet for 4 years and have over 6000 hours. I consider that rather experienced.

Also, I made reference to the people I fly with, which since I am an FO, would make them even more experienced. I have seen a very few (possibly 2) reserve CA's that were "rusty" as far standards go, but the other 99% are top notch.

Let me add a few more things to this list. Unity, teamwork and a good additude.

 

[belchfire]

"Let me add a few more things to this list.
Unity, teamwork and a good additude."

Well said...and if they can fly the airplane
good in addition to that they have it made!

 

[Guitar Guy]

A "good pilot", to me, is someone who seeks to constantly improve their skills and knowledge. So it's good basic airmanship and also having a desire to constantly learn and improve. For instance, when you step out of the sim, you know how to fly the sim. Then you have to learn the actual airplane. Then once you get a good feel for the plane, you'll also be improving your knowledge of the aircraft's systems as well as learning how to make the plane fit well with ATC, weather conditions, etc. I think a good pilot keep up with memory items, limitations, and systems between checkrides instead of madly cramming before a 6- or 12-month ride.

Another topic for a good-pilot discussion is judgement. At my last job, I flew with a few guys who'd made it through sim and a checkride and yet were woefully bad in the judgement area. One guy had busted upgrade a few times and as he discussed it with me, it was very clear why he'd failed. Despite his protestations that the company was out to get him, he simply had poor judgement about handling emergencies, such as where/when to turn, options instead of returning to the departure airport, etc.

A good pilot has the stick and rudder skills to save the day but uses superior judgement so that he doesn't have to use those superior stick and rudder skills.

 

[Kaman]

Hello,
Pardon the old cliche', but a good pilot is always learning and more importantly keeps an open mind. In the brief time that I have flown professionally I've learned many lessons from my own errors and also from other pilots.
Another mark of a good pilot is how he/she uses their resources. The further we go up the ladder the more important our decision-making skills become. In order to make a good decision we need to know where we can get the information quickly to make a timely and correct decision.
Finally, being an asset in the cockpit if you are flying SIC. Learn to anticipate the Captain and what he/she needs to do the job efficiently.

Regards,

ex-Navy Rotorhead

 

[nyboilermaker]

Someone I can sit next to for 14 hours without wanting to throw myself out the cockpit window.

 

[JediNein]

Someone I can sit next to for 14 hours without wanting to throw them out the cockpit window.

 

[flyer172r]

What makes a good pilot: Being able to deal with management's BS on not let it get him down too much.

 

[CF34-3B1]

It's the big watch man, it's all about the watch.

 

[RUhiring?]

What makes a good pilot?


The ability to interview well.

 

[100LL... Again!]

Checkrides and callouts do not make or prove the pilot.

Being good is about the intangibles. It takes a great deal of maturity as a pilot to truly realize this.

A brand new mechanical engineer has passed the same tests for licensing as a seasoned one. Are they the same?

A fairly new A&P applies for a job. A 20-yr airline A&P (who has spent the last 15 years overhauling jet engines) applies for the same job.

That job is working on single engine aircraft. Are they the same? Or do you need to know a lot more before you make a hiring decision.

It's all about attitude. Too many of those with a fast-track mindset are so rushed to move on to a job with prestige that they willingly believe that 'paying dues' is a waste of time.

For all you 300hr guys who really want to believe that instructing in a 172 has nothing to do with flying airliners, IT DOES.

It may have very little to do with passing 121 checkrieds, but a truly professional and sharp CFI will become a much better and more seasoned pilot than those who are produced from a pilot factory.

The choice of school is less important thatn the personal choices the pilot makes.

The trap is this:

Because of their marketing goals, many schhols will have you believe that simply completing their course will make you 'the best'. It will not.

You, and only you, can achieve this. However, out of a combination of laziness and youthful hubris, many young people believe the marketing hype, and become outcome-oriented instead of being their own quality-control supervisor. I have seen this in airline training over and over.

One fellow had excellent credentials from a good school and top-notch grades. Barely made it through. Why? Too convinced that his schooling was PROOF that he was at least as good as the others - if not better.
He was not even that cocky - just too 'sold' on the load of crap he got from his school. (A BIG one).

He took his humbling like a man and passed training. Finally, he began REAL learning for the first time.

MAybe your dad can beat up my dad. But YOU are not your dad nor am I mine.

Maybe your school's training is excellen. But YOU are not your school - and my airline training department is not either.

 

[belchfire]

What makes a good pilot?


The ability to interview well.

I'm screwd.

But you're avatar! MMMMM!