The Rogue and the Professional

[Dash8]

sounds like someones having some passive agressive issues lol

 

[Ill Mitch]

Great post.


I just ordered a copy of the book.

 

[AA717driver]

So you're dissing my Margaritaville T-shirt, huh?! Well, you can take my pilot hat and shove it! I ain't wearing it 'till you appologize...TC

P.S.--People who take a flashlight on a daytime walkaround are still DORKS!

 

[TurboS7]

Just leave on time not before not after

In non-sked stuff you have to be a little Rogue just to get the job done.I really got pissed off at a AA captain the other day. We had to go on AA MIA to AUS. We were suppose to have 24 hours off then go do a military flight. Our flight was 2.5 hours late due to a mechanical out of CLT. It was an engine control light, since the airplane was the same that I fly I understood that and had no problem with it. We taxied out and sure enough at start the same engine control light comes on. The captain was gracious and did everything in his power to communicate his problem to us. We finally found a gate to return to. We deplaned then maint. eventually cancelled the flight. We were rerouted MIA-RDU-AUS. You guessed it at 1500 down came the rain and the RDU flight is delayed and we miss the RDU-AUS. Plan C was to go MIA-RDU-DFW-AUS. We finally got on the airplane at 1615 and did not depart the gate until 1650, we did not get off the ground until 1705 giving us an ETA of 1850 at RDU. Our DFW flight was scheduled to leave at 1907. The captain of the 737 did everything he could to make up time even doing a nice tight visual approach. We touched down right at 1850. I couldn't believe what I saw. Our DFW airplane was already pushing back, 15 minutes early. WE had messages sent to RDU etc, etc to let them know we were on our way. It turns out that the captain of the MD-80 decided to leave early as it was his last leg of his sequence and he wanted to get home. It resulted in us staying overnight and over a 16 hour duty day on Saturday the next day. I WAS PISSED AND STILL AM, IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE AN AIRLINE CAPTAIN THEN BE ONE, THAT MEANS LEAVING RIGHT ON TIME, NOT BEFORE AND NOT AFTER. JUST DOING WHAT YOU PLEASE TO FIT YOUR SCHEDULE AND WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS BEING A ROUGE CAPTAIN, I GUESS AA HAS SOME.I used to fly Crandell around in Lears, he said he had 10, 000 little Ceasers working for him, now I know what he was talking about. As for the other 9999 American pilots overall they all are great but it only takes one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch. Total time MIA to AUA 32 hours.

 

[sky37d]

I try to operate as a professional, even though I fly a lowly bug smasher.I wouldn't call being in position to get my wife to take this picture as being a rogue.
http://www.337skymaster.org/messages/attachment.php?s=&postid=8656

You folks call your self professionals, because you do the same thing day after day, and get paid for it.

How about the pilot that flies fires, or crops, or the recreational bugsmasher pilot who goes out and practices formation stuff. Is it only the AIRLINE pilots who can be prefessional. I follow the rules. I challenge my skills. I don't fly to ORD or JFK, I guess that means I can never be a professional. I do fly to MDW, TEB, DAL. I guess those airports are for rogues, or weenies.

 

[Bryan D]

The Rogue and the Professional.
A rogue has an empty void that can never be filled. He is missing something in his life.

Like Johnny Ringo

 

[Dash8]

Like Johnny Ringo

i'll be yo-ah huckleberrah

 

[DCitrus9]

sky37d, I think you missed the point. Nobody is dissing GA flying. The thread is about intentional disregard for safe and professional aviating, which is not limited to any one branch or even to commercial flying.

 

[Lead Sled]

sky37d, I think you missed the point. Nobody is dissing GA flying. The thread is about intentional disregard for safe and professional aviating, which is not limited to any one branch or even to commercial flying.

By definition, a professional pilot must be a pilot by profession. However, a non-professional can (and should) have a "professionial" approach to his/her flying. It's as much of a "mind set" as anything else. I've flown with a few high time airline captains that were very unprofessional and some low time private pilots that had a very professional approach to the way they flew an airplane.
'Sled

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

How about the pilot that flies fires, or crops, or the recreational bugsmasher pilot who goes out and practices formation stuff. Is it only the AIRLINE pilots who can be prefessional. I follow the rules. I challenge my skills. I don't fly to ORD or JFK, I guess that means I can never be a professional. I do fly to MDW, TEB, DAL. I guess those airports are for rogues, or weenies.

PROFESSIONALISM



Professional in the dictionary is defined as a person engaged in the occupation or one who receives pay. One can choose to define themselves as a professional simply because they receive money for what they do however this at times cannot yield a high standard. A high standard ensures safety, respect and results in a minimal investment for the greatest return.



A professional is an individual who chooses to maintain a high standard and an attitude to compliment it. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the governing agency to regulate the US aviation industry, can violate individuals who break the FARs to the extent of criminal prosecution. One reason the FAA does this is simply because they cannot be everywhere policing the aviators, ensuring they are obeying the law. As aviators we do not want the FAA over our shoulders. As professionals we can choose to police ourselves. If we choose to adhere to the FARs and company policy we will reduce the chances for a certificate violation, earn the respect from our peers and ourselves and enhance safety. Any other course would be counter productive to an aviators income, professional and personal life.



It has been said that pilots today do not have the respect of the public that they once did during the earlier years of commercial aviation. This may or may not be true, however as pilots we can influence both the public and our own industry on how we are perceived. It is very important to understand image. The image may or may not be true, but what really matters is the idea or impression we project. This ranges from uniform to behavior. First and foremost a professional pilot must lead by example. It is quite normal to judge ourselves by our thoughts and others by their actions. “I never go below minimums” may be what you said, but what you actually did will be remembered differently by a fellow pilot. In addition, professionalism can only be demonstrated if it is practiced. The desire or belief is not the same as the practice.



Aviation is the application of logical science. Emotions are quite necessary at times but many times are not. For certain, outward expressions of anger are counter productive. When you get defensive, personal or petty and use profanity what you are really saying is this; ‘I do not understand or like what is going on and I am confused or fearful. The situation has exceeded my limits and I do not know what to do. I am no longer in control.’ The ability to remain in control depends on an aviator’s commitment to professionalism. The professional pilot knows his limitations and doesn’t exceed them.



If a flying operation always went as planned, there would be no need for mechanics and meteorologist. If a pilot expects an operation to run smoothly, he will only set himself up for disappointment. However, if a pilot expects a change of plans and welcomes the challenge to handle such changes, he will be very effective and a pleasure to fly with.



Professional pilots maintain a high standard because when the cockpit becomes task saturated the ability to maintain safe flight from mediocrity is impossible. The aircraft will crash. The art of a high standard in aviation is called Airmanship.

AIRMANSHIP



The difference in being a good “stick and rudder” pilot and a professional aviator is tremendous. A pilot may be able to land aboard an aircraft carrier or fly a crop duster under power lines, but does this make them a professional aviator? Under what conditions are these maneuvers executed? Ultimately, what are the risks? Judgment and decision making is the deciding factor and cornerstone between piloting and professional airmanship.



Judgment is a skill that can be illustrated but is really acquired through experience. However, there is a standard that one can choose operate at. Consider two pilots with 350 hours of flight time; one pilot flies a Cessna 150 while the other flies a tactical jet from an aircraft carrier. Which one operates at a higher standard? It could be the Cessna pilot. What can aviators do to operate at a high standard?



Professional pilots choose to operate at a high standard. This commitment is the same in any profession. An aviator once said, “when I go home I don’t think about flying until I return to the airport.” Can a ballplayer win consistently if he shows only for the games? A professional athlete cannot function this way and neither does the professional aviator. The professional pilot studies and prepares on his time off. He studies the FAR/AIM, the company operations manual, the aircraft operations manual, aircraft systems and normal/emergency procedures, Jeppesen and weather information. Emergency procedures are the least used and the most critical to survival.



The professional aviator has is own personal library which includes the above listed references and many more books such as; the ATC Controllers Handbook, FAA advisory circulars, high and low speed aerodynamics, weather flying, aircraft systems and engine operations, airmanship, an aerospace dictionary, crew resource management, human factors, instrument flying and navigation.



A very simple way to fly at a high standard is to know and fly by the book. Can a crew conduct a flight with minimal preparation? Most likely, but how well did they fly? Did they have to reference material often? Did they have to change plans because they didn’t know how to function in the system? Were they reactive or proactive? Did they get frustrated and angry?



The complimenting side to a high standard is the right attitude. Professional aviators have the right combination of confidence, modesty, integrity, and pride. Confidence comes from a pilot’s previous performance and knowledge, not his title. [Knowledge is power and to re-emphasize, knowing the book will empower an aviator.] Modesty is a welcomed characteristic. An aviators peers and co- workers don’t care for arrogance or aggrandizement, an attitude that one self imposes to elevate themselves among their colleagues. There is no I in team. Integrity is critical because what is good for an individual is not necessarily good for the organization. A professional aviator’s colleagues and superiors need to know that he isn’t just looking out for himself. The right level of pride will give self-respect. Too much pride can bring a person down.



Leadership is the most critical characteristic of a professional aviator. Aviators are ultimately the ones in control and responsible for the aircraft. The ability to do this relies on the coordinated efforts of many people doing different jobs. Therefore the aviator depends on others for the efficiency and safety of the operation. The attitude and behavior of the leadership flows down the chain of command and, good or bad, will be reflected by everyone. This is critical to understand. Aviators cannot expect good job performance from others if they do not demonstrate it. Aviators who break the rules have people who they depend on break the rules.