AlbieF15
F15 Ret/FDX/InterviewPrep
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2001
- Posts
- 1,764
After watching the luffberry on the CAL/SWA thread, I thought I'd throw out a few thoughts...
The fact is there are more than a few ways to skin a cat, seduce a pretty girl, or get an airline job. Getting scratched up, shot down in flames in front of your buddies, and getting furloughed are all consequences of failure, but there are plenty of cat rugs, knocked up wives, and guys getting a paycheck to prove those things can in fact all be done.
Using the baseline that the ultimate aviation expert has a current CFII, flys for a major airline, is (was) an F-15 instructor pilot with 2300 F-15 hours, has a solid air to ground FAC background, and owns one of the most perfect flying machines ever made (a Navion, of course...), there are still plenty of other good aviators from other walks of life and backgrounds (...by the way....the if you cannot see the irony or tongue in cheek sarcasm here then consider let me make this plain (plane?)...the last paragraph was in FUN).
So...seriously...what traits DO we look for in solid aviators? What do you want from a solid F/O or captain? What does a good C17 IP bring to the fight? What makes a good F-16 weapons officer? Who makes a good LCA...or a captiain we want to be paired with all month? If we look at what does count--I think we'll find a lot of similar traits.
First--I think a good aviator is safe. He/she is tough enough to tell a CP, owner, student, or DO that "this ain't safe...this is dumb....and I'm not doing it". He or she is technically competent. They know the rules, the system, and how they are to operate within that system...either flying the B1900 into podunk USA or rolling down the chute on a TIC situation on a CAS mission.
Next--he/she is a good communicator. As an IP or LCA...if you can fly but can't teach you are worthless. If you make it easy for everyone else to understand what you need...work is a breeze. Make me guess and its a long trip for both of us. So...I relish flying with people who can articulate the plan...either as part of an 8 v x or briefing an arrival into Newark.
A solid aviator is always trying to improve. There is always something to learn, and a way to do a job more effectively. Flying with someone who engages their mind and doesn't just mindlessly drone along bored with their career and life is a lot more fun.
A good aviator doesn't dump 20 years of personal baggage on you--in the cockpit or at the squadron. I'll be your friend...but turning the cockpit into your personal therapy box makes the day very long for everyone else around you...
A NICE person also doesn't gloat or belittle others. Whether you are the "ICE MAN 20 years later" ******************************bag or the fighter wannabe with a huge chip on your shoulder....I'll be you have already done some pretty cool stuff in your career. If you have an interesting story that involves planes (or women, or boats, or booze) I'd much rather hear about your days pushing a Baron around the worst ice or taking that twin otter down the Grand Canyon than hearing another (*&^ Red Flag story....hell...I've BEEN to Red Flag but haven't done that stuff. So...let's chat...
What does all this have to do with FI? Let me share two stories from recent days on the line at my airline...
1. Flying with LCA. Discussion on backgrounds ensues... I make the comment "yeah...GA is still my favorite part of aviation..." His reply was something along the lines of "I dont' do that crap anymore. I dont' want to do anything and lose my ticket...."
2. Flying with LCA. Favorite layover? Captain informs me he and another crewmember went out to Dillingham on north shore of Oahu on layover and found some folks running the gliderport. Made friends. Henceforth, everytime they had 24 hours off in Hawaii they were skeedaddling up to gliderport and soaring with the locals over some gorgeous countryside and beaches. Same trip--he challenged me to fly the last 100 miles without touching the throttles. So--he's got more time in the 727 than I have total, yet we still found a way to have fun, challenge each other, and learn something along the way.
Hmm...who do I want to fly with? Granted--I am a sucker for guys who love to fly...but the second guy was a hoot to fly and chat with. Both were 100% civilian backgrounds...
If I used pilot one to represent a guy with a different background, I'd say "he stunk". If I used pilot 2, I'd say "greatest guy in the world..." The fact is it more dependent on the PERSON than where that guy was first.
I've flown with some pretty cool military background guys. I've also flown with some pretty boring ones, too. The guy who has no interest in any other flying but what he did "back in the day..." is boring to me too.
So--when I see posts that say "tool" and other similar silly stuff...I cringe. We got a great resouce here to help one another, learn from one another, and share some neat stories along the way. I choose to let most of that go off my back, as I've got enough different flying I can relate to about anyone... I know how tough finding a target at night on the East TAC range can be, how exciting a Green Flag push can be, and what it feels like to fly a Cat II approach to mins in LAX when a Pacific Coastal fog rolls in. Each takes it owns set of skills...
Gotta love this job...why don't we try to share the good stuff...
The fact is there are more than a few ways to skin a cat, seduce a pretty girl, or get an airline job. Getting scratched up, shot down in flames in front of your buddies, and getting furloughed are all consequences of failure, but there are plenty of cat rugs, knocked up wives, and guys getting a paycheck to prove those things can in fact all be done.
Using the baseline that the ultimate aviation expert has a current CFII, flys for a major airline, is (was) an F-15 instructor pilot with 2300 F-15 hours, has a solid air to ground FAC background, and owns one of the most perfect flying machines ever made (a Navion, of course...), there are still plenty of other good aviators from other walks of life and backgrounds (...by the way....the if you cannot see the irony or tongue in cheek sarcasm here then consider let me make this plain (plane?)...the last paragraph was in FUN).
So...seriously...what traits DO we look for in solid aviators? What do you want from a solid F/O or captain? What does a good C17 IP bring to the fight? What makes a good F-16 weapons officer? Who makes a good LCA...or a captiain we want to be paired with all month? If we look at what does count--I think we'll find a lot of similar traits.
First--I think a good aviator is safe. He/she is tough enough to tell a CP, owner, student, or DO that "this ain't safe...this is dumb....and I'm not doing it". He or she is technically competent. They know the rules, the system, and how they are to operate within that system...either flying the B1900 into podunk USA or rolling down the chute on a TIC situation on a CAS mission.
Next--he/she is a good communicator. As an IP or LCA...if you can fly but can't teach you are worthless. If you make it easy for everyone else to understand what you need...work is a breeze. Make me guess and its a long trip for both of us. So...I relish flying with people who can articulate the plan...either as part of an 8 v x or briefing an arrival into Newark.
A solid aviator is always trying to improve. There is always something to learn, and a way to do a job more effectively. Flying with someone who engages their mind and doesn't just mindlessly drone along bored with their career and life is a lot more fun.
A good aviator doesn't dump 20 years of personal baggage on you--in the cockpit or at the squadron. I'll be your friend...but turning the cockpit into your personal therapy box makes the day very long for everyone else around you...
A NICE person also doesn't gloat or belittle others. Whether you are the "ICE MAN 20 years later" ******************************bag or the fighter wannabe with a huge chip on your shoulder....I'll be you have already done some pretty cool stuff in your career. If you have an interesting story that involves planes (or women, or boats, or booze) I'd much rather hear about your days pushing a Baron around the worst ice or taking that twin otter down the Grand Canyon than hearing another (*&^ Red Flag story....hell...I've BEEN to Red Flag but haven't done that stuff. So...let's chat...
What does all this have to do with FI? Let me share two stories from recent days on the line at my airline...
1. Flying with LCA. Discussion on backgrounds ensues... I make the comment "yeah...GA is still my favorite part of aviation..." His reply was something along the lines of "I dont' do that crap anymore. I dont' want to do anything and lose my ticket...."
2. Flying with LCA. Favorite layover? Captain informs me he and another crewmember went out to Dillingham on north shore of Oahu on layover and found some folks running the gliderport. Made friends. Henceforth, everytime they had 24 hours off in Hawaii they were skeedaddling up to gliderport and soaring with the locals over some gorgeous countryside and beaches. Same trip--he challenged me to fly the last 100 miles without touching the throttles. So--he's got more time in the 727 than I have total, yet we still found a way to have fun, challenge each other, and learn something along the way.
Hmm...who do I want to fly with? Granted--I am a sucker for guys who love to fly...but the second guy was a hoot to fly and chat with. Both were 100% civilian backgrounds...
If I used pilot one to represent a guy with a different background, I'd say "he stunk". If I used pilot 2, I'd say "greatest guy in the world..." The fact is it more dependent on the PERSON than where that guy was first.
I've flown with some pretty cool military background guys. I've also flown with some pretty boring ones, too. The guy who has no interest in any other flying but what he did "back in the day..." is boring to me too.
So--when I see posts that say "tool" and other similar silly stuff...I cringe. We got a great resouce here to help one another, learn from one another, and share some neat stories along the way. I choose to let most of that go off my back, as I've got enough different flying I can relate to about anyone... I know how tough finding a target at night on the East TAC range can be, how exciting a Green Flag push can be, and what it feels like to fly a Cat II approach to mins in LAX when a Pacific Coastal fog rolls in. Each takes it owns set of skills...
Gotta love this job...why don't we try to share the good stuff...
