When you tell someone you are a pilot, why do they do that hand gesture?

[91100 100 set]

While I was discussing a date to return to work with my occupational therapist, and we were discussing my various job duties, she did that hand gesture. I was trying to describe the various things I would have to do (mostly regarding my right thumb and the variety of buttons and switches it has to activate). She asked me "don't you guys have to hold onto the controls all the time?". No, it's not like Airplane, with the two guys hanging on for dear life the whole time. She was surprised that typically, we only have our hands on the yoke maybe 2 or 3 minutes on each end of the flight, and it's far from a death grip.

 

[Carl_Spackler]

Do you know Bob Jones, he's a 747 pilot for NWA?

When are you gonna fly the big ones?

Who's Pinnacle, SkyWest, Comair, Mesaba etc?

What is your route?

 

[Slice121]

Doesn't it scare you to be flying all those people around?

Why are we delayed? There's no weather problems, my husband says it clear over in xxx!

 

[8inMan]

Back when I was a flight instructor the most common thing I heard was "You're a flight instructor? Does that mean you can even fly by yourself?"

 

[$$$4nothin]

The best one. Oh wow, you must be really rich. I just laugh and walk away, or give them the middle finger and walk away. Depending on my mood at the time.

 

[User546]

I once had someone make the comment, upon me telling them I was a Flight Instructor: "Ohhh, so you must really be making the big money!" Uhh, yeaaa...

I read the first couple of posts to my wife and she was laughing hard. She says when she tells people that I'm a pilot, she gets asked some of the stupidest questions as well. I think the part about people just can't related, so they have to tell you something relatively stupid, hit the nail right on the head.

 

[Carl_Spackler]

"this one time, on American, we hit an air pocket..."

 

[XGmaninGA]

I usually just tell people that I'm a rabbi.

 

[Resume Writer]

No, I have the best one. I told a guy that I was a flight attendant at one time. He said, "Did you travel?"

Here's your sign......

What I should have told him was that I just went from plane to plane pre-flighting emergency equipment, but never left the airport!

 

[Headwind]

I don't tell people what I do for a living. If they ask I tell then I work for a Mfg. company. They don't need to know what I do for the company.Most people have no idea how or why a corporate flight Dept. operates and trying to explain gets old. I usually change the subject.

HEADWIND