Food For Thought

oldman

oldman

Well-known Member
Location
PA
This thread probably will not interest too many people, but I thought that I would share it anyway as it is something that is important to those that travel. I received my monthly on-line newsletter from my previous employer yesterday and something that I read did stand out that immediately struck me as an issue that should be dealt with now.

The airline industry has estimated that in the next five years, 20,000 new pilots will need to be hired due to the rise in the number of travelers, the number of added flights and the number of new planes being ordered at Airbus and Boeing. As a former pilot, I find this to be somewhat amazing. The industry has further stated that only about 12% of this number is attainable as of right now. There are very few college students studying aviation, which is where it all begins. I was trying to think of reasons why men and women have little interest in flying. As of now, the benefits are very good and the pay is excellent compared to what it was when I started my career. Do you realize that a Captain with a minimum of ten years of experience can earn up to $300.00 an hour, and in some cases more, while flying, not to mention being paid for down time and other perks?

The newsletter also had a section in it that stated many airlines will be sending out cards to employees and former employees that will ask them a variety of questions, which centers around what our opinions are as to what the airlines could do to promote hiring. I have already started making a list. The biggest reason that I can think of is the same reason why people don't want to become over-the-road truck drivers, that being; being away too many nights during the week while trying to raise a family. I know that my two kids didn't like me being away so many nights, but I took the routes that I did because of what they paid and thinking about what I could provide for my children and my wife's and my future making the bigger bucks. It worked out OK for me, but the kids do remind me from time to time that Mom had to carry most of the load while I was off "jetting around the country" like my kids tell me. They make it sound like I was on a vacation. But, I get their point.
 

Flying has become a so "everyday" sort of thing that it's lost the glamour it once had.
During WWII if you sprouted a pair of pilot wings on your uniform you were the male counterpart of "The Belle of the Ball".

Todays kids have too many other things on their minds to think about becoming pilots.
 

This is Kenny. I have known him since he was just a teeny guy-he is a close friend of my grandson and I have been friends with his mom for years (she is a flight attendant). He is a licensed pilot,has been since age 16,and is nearing the end of his second year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida :)
 

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Good for him, Mrs. R. Embry-Riddle is a quality flight school. I hope that he has aspirations of flying commercially.

Falcon, you are right for the most part. People today look at pilots as being just another job. They have no idea how much training and studying pilots continue to do throughout their career. It doesn't stop after graduation.
 
I admire pilots, but could never be one. The idea of having hundreds of people's lives in my hands would scare me to death!
 
During my travels, I used to socialise with pilots who stopped over in the same hotel as me. Worryingly, many were heavy drinkers. One common complaint they had was that the job was generally boring because most of the time they were simply monitoring a machine that was flying itself. One pilot said that sometimes he would switch off the auto-pilot and fly the plane just to relieve the boredom. His wife described him as a 'bloody taxi driver'.
 
Capt Lightning said:
During my travels, I used to socialise with pilots who stopped over in the same hotel as me. Worryingly, many were heavy drinkers. One common complaint they had was that the job was generally boring because most of the time they were simply monitoring a machine that was flying itself. One pilot said that sometimes he would switch off the auto-pilot and fly the plane just to relieve the boredom. His wife described him as a 'bloody taxi driver'.
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I normally hand flew the aircraft to at least 5000 feet before turning on the A/P. Never drank on the night before a flight or take any cough or cold medicines, just Tylenol. We had random alcohol and drug tests. A pilot would suffer greatly, if they were yanked from their flight, if they proved positive for either substance.
 
oldman said:
I normally hand flew the aircraft to at least 5000 feet before turning on the A/P. Never drank on the night before a flight or take any cough or cold medicines, just Tylenol. We had random alcohol and drug tests. A pilot would suffer greatly, if they were yanked from their flight, if they proved positive for either substance.
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I have an in-law who is an air traffic controller and he says he can't drink for 48 hours before a shift and they get breathalyzed often.
 
ATC's have a huge responsibility. Keeping planes spaced apart is definitely important and keeping them out of each others way is also as important. You can't have blurry vision to be an ATC.
 

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