Back to Squawk list
  • 32

Why be an airline pilot when one can do this instead.

تم الإرسال
 
I love aviation. There is nothing like flying for a living and being a commercial pilot. However, not all flying is equal. There is the kind where one merely sits there, watches the instruments, and let's the plane fly itself. This is the job of the airline pilot. Then there is the kind where one really flies and is in full control of the plane and becomes one with it. That's the kind of flying I love. To understand what I'm talking about just watch with the video. (vimeo.com) المزيد...

Sort type: [Top] [Newest]


LordLayton
Leighton Elliott 2
Love the cockpit visibility of that plane!
jmilleratp
jmilleratp 2
There is a new TV series about just the kind of flying mentioned in this squawk: It's called "Air Pressure," and it's on Discovery:

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/air-pressure/
Colgor8
Jhon Lewis 2
It was originally called "The Worst Place To Be A Pilot", but air pressure seems like a better fit...being in the American regionals is the worst place to be a pilot. Long hours, little pay, etc. , no real flying...
Dl8698
David Loh 2
Not in Singapore. All we get on cable is endless repeats and all sorts of silly " history" docus about pawn shops and worst! Discovery channel is no better here..
allench1
allench1 2
stick and rudder judgement flying. Best flying memories for me back in the very early sixties a crop duster taught me how to understand and fly an airplane after I had acquired my PL & ME on my 16th birthday, I remember well the first thing he showed me was tying a string on the ceiling with a nut hanging down to give me bank info. realy hought me how to feel what the airplane was doing. Thank you Walter Reed.
allench1
allench1 2
extension tp first post: for ghelping give me over 18,000 hours of safe flying. Rest in peace.
krellisii
krellisii 1
As a 30 year airline pilot, I am blessed enough to be able to do both. Yes, the career is not the same as it was when my Dad did it, but it pays the bills and gives me the resources and the time off to do GA flying from my home - on an airport community. I have a lot of respect for those professionals who choose to fly in the bush, or in Alaska (my son has done that at 22 years old with 600 hours), so I know how challenging that can be. Airline pilots make their job look easy, but so do race car drivers and major league sports players - because we are all professionals with years of experience. That does not mean the job is easy. Enjoy your job - I will enjoy mine for a few more years, then plan to tour North America in an RV-10 I am building - another perk of the major airline career.
gearup328
Peter Steitz 1
You go guy. Sounds like you're living the dream.
Navy65
Navy65 1
I loved my job at Eastern Airlines; 7 different airliners, prop, turbo prop, & jets. But I had to walk away early when 100% of my airline salary was going to the IRS for taxes. I had invested in commercial real estate and it paid so much that my airline Captain's salary was solely to pay taxes.
Looking at today's airline pilot, I wouldn't waste my time in the airliners that are designed to remove the Captain out of the decision making process in how the flight is conducted. Am I wrong? Ask the unwilling passenger Sullenberger who landed in the Hudson River.
ADXbear
ADXbear 1
I Like it.. only way to really fly... thanks for sharing
jbbooks1
Lewis Tripp 1
Great Matt. You gotta be good to fly into some of the places that you do. Look forward to more videos.
jbqwik
jbqwik 1
Well done videography and good editing. I prefer bringing in more of the ambient sound, modulating the music track to fit (little music goes long way), but overall great job. Thanks for the effort and the posting.
WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 1
Great flying, great video. Those places are really inaccessible or many miles from "civilizaton" and depend on pilots like him to bring supplies in. What person wouldn't want to see the grins and smiles on the kids faces as you come in with goodies?
tinwhacker
Andrew Lackie 1
Very entertaining, can you repeat the video in the rainy season!
sullivanmanagementconsulting
John L. Sullivan 1
This is what it's all about. It is not about making the big money or even supporting troops on the ground, though the last has a fond place in my heart :)

John L.
Colgor8
Jhon Lewis 1
This is what I plan on doing to gain hours, there is no 1500 hour rule where this place is, it's just 200 hours and a work visa. The downside is there is no "pilot shortage" there, so there is going to be much more competition.
markbayliss
mark bayliss 1
Love the camera setup.Provides a great view of the plane and landscape.

gearup328
Peter Steitz 1
If you don't like your job, find one that you love to do. A job isn't a job if you love what you do. Commercial flying today is an endless day of procedures over and over. Everybody is watching to see if you are following the book. Same thing day after day. When I hit the magic 60, I walked out of the airport and never looked back. Still, I don't know any other profession than an airline pilot. It was a life for me and a good one. Where are we going to dinner tonite? What's that hotel like? Is there any place to walk or run? What can we see in 24 hours? Show time is 0630 tomorrow. Let's do it again.
jmilleratp
jmilleratp 0
With me, being an Airline Captain, what most appeals to me when it comes to aviation is the higher level of safety and professionalism from maintenance personnel vs. small-aircraft aviation.

For me, it would be tougher to go back, because, once used to the many safety protocols in place at a 121, not having that would feel uncomfortable for me.
haroldrutila
haroldrutila 4
I don't buy the "higher level of safety and professionalism" argument. Having experience dealing with GA and airline mechanics, I much prefer interacting with GA mechanics.
sc1006
hugh macphee 2
I also spent many years in the industry Harold but as romantic and quaint as the GA industry is portrayed the safety stats are shocking. Where I live in New Zealand there are numerous GA aircraft still missing. Only recently a helicopter crew discovered a light aircraft embedded into a hillside that hadn't even been reported missing from the previous day. Sadly a whole family were inside and had no chance. It seems we haven't grasped the importance of not landing or taking off in a tail wind here in NZ.
flywildblue
Chris Kirk 3
You don't have to buy it Harold. It's all in the numbers. Number of flights vs number of mishaps vs mechanic and pilot errors. Think what you want, but the training, oversight, reporting procedures, safety processes and other protocols bear this out without question. I love and support GA but we have a long way to go when it comes to improving our record.
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 1
I guess all those fines against airlines like SWA for MX violations are imaginary...
Just think about the ones that aren't discovered. It's foolhardy to think that the cover ups that happen in GA don't happen at the airlines.
Bayouflier
Bayouflier -1
Why be an airline pilot..... Hum...let me think. It might have something to do with the fact that they make TEN times your salary.
sgbelverta
sharon bias -2
I'll stick to runways that have concrete or asphalt please.

تسجيل الدخول

ليس لديك حساب؟ سجل الآن (مجانا) لتستمع بمميزات مخصصة، وتنبيهات الرحلات، وغير ذلك الكثير!
هل علمت بأن خاصية تتبع الرحلة التابعة لـFlightAware مدعومة بواسطة الإعلانات؟
يمكنك مساعدتنا بالإبقاء على موقع FlightAware مجاني بدون مقابل من خلال السماح بالإعلانات من موقع FlightAware.com. نحن نعمل بكل كد لجعل إعلاناتنا ملائمة ومناسبة وأن تكون هذه الإعلانات غير ملحوظة من أجل إنشاء تجربة رائعة. يمكن بكل سرعة وسهولة السماح لـإعلانات القائمة البيضاء الموجودة على FlightAware، أو الرجاء مراجعة الحسابات المميزة الخاصة بنا.
استبعد