I recently got an ‘unsolicited’ email from someone who found my aviation
career story on my website. He really enjoyed the story and said it was one
of the best he’d read (thanks!). He observed that pilots often have
‘stories’ to tell and he’d enjoy reading some of those, too. Maybe someday I
should write them all down.
Like the one where I had 60 knots of wind shear going into Cedar Rapids… Or
the time I flew into a thunderstorm somewhat unexpectedly with my instructor
in a Cessna 172… Or the unexpected low weather missed approach in Nigeria
(and low on fuel, too). Or there’s the St. Elmos fire over Thailand… The
northern lights… So many things I get to see as a pilot. Granted not all
of them are ‘fun’ (the bad weather stuff isn’t). Fortunately, my stories
generally have at least acceptable endings.
Then there are the things that aren’t directly flying related, but that go
along with the job. That covers a wide range of enjoyability, too.
Everything from hard beds, dirt floors, and probably toxic waste dripping in
the bathroom in Malabo, Equitorial Guinea, to the long layovers in 5-star
hotels in exotic destinations. Whole months of being home and whole months
of being away from home.
I’ve been considering giving a class or seminar in Careers in Aviation and
thinking about all this brings some questions to mind. What character traits
make for good candidates to be airline pilots? What would I tell my
‘students’? Do I tell them all the good stuff, all the bad stuff, or some
kind of mix of the two? How do I help someone figure out if a career in
aviation is really right for them?
As I was thinking back on my career so far (funny to reflect on a whole career
at age 30), a thought occurred to me. I think the answer to the first
question lies in a person’s outlook in life. On the one hand, I could tell
them how the TSA has made it unbearable to fly and if I knew then what I know
now I wouldn’t have gotten into flying. I could tell them how tiring the
long days can be. I could tell them how frusterating it is to be a flight
instructor at a large flight school. I could tell them about the
frusterating nature of the organized labor environment.
Though I can think of all those negatives, my memory of the intensity of the
pain seems to have diminished. I think maybe that’s the underlying key to
optomism. If your personality is such that every bad thing the happens to
you causes a lifetime of intense pain, you probably shouldn’t be an airline
pilot. Of course, there’s probably lots of other things you shouldn’t be
either…
But if you can endure the hardships, even the ones after you’ve ‘arrived’ at
the dream job (as if there is such a thing anymore), you’re probably a good
candidate. Anyone can learn to fly. Not everyone can keep a good attitude
about it.
So as I look back, I can remember all the things that I’ve hated about my
career path. But when I close my eyes and reflect on flying for a living, I
instinctively re-experience the pleasures of the good times. I can still
feel the warmth of the sunshine on the beach in Nassau. I can remember those
month long stretches of time with family, collecting ‘airline welfare’. I
can taste the Pad Thai that cost a whole dollar (inflated airport prices).
The awe inspiring vista in St. Peters at the Vatican is fresh in my mind.
Though not so pleasant itself, the smell of the Grand Canal going under the
Rialto Bridge in a gondola brings back wonderful fresh memories. I can even
feel the mist in the air at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.
Nah, it’s not perfect, and I don’t have to be happy. I could complain. But
today, I’m thinking the grass is pretty green on this side of the fence. And
that’s the kind of person that it takes to enjoy an airline career. That’s
the kind of person I like to work with.
And here I am writing about it all, cruising over Ireland on my way to Germany
in the middle of the night. Even with it’s disadvantages and challenges,
this really is living the good life.
V-