NOTE: This diatribe is a little off topic – but I think every aviator should revisit the thoughts expressed here every so often to have a much needed reality check - especially TRAINERS!
Why did you get into aviation in first place?
Was it for the sheer joy and thrill of flying? Did you make model aircraft as a kid, join the Air Cadets, do any crappy job on your school holidays just so you could scrape together the “astronomical fortune” to afford a few flying lessons? Did you hang out at airfields just so you could watch airplanes take off and land?
Did you have your head well and truly in the clouds?
Almost everyone I know of in this fickle aviation game initially got into it because they WANTED to. There were no other options. Flying was their motivation, their goal, their burning desire.
Can you remember what it was like when you first soloed? Your first cross country navigation exercise? Your first aviation job (well maybe that one is not a pleasant memory – but it was a stepping stone towards your future goal(s), right)?
Unfortunately, a lot of pilots in today’s business, economic driven Aviation Industry have forgotten why they got into aviation in the first place. Airline Aviation especially can become “sterile”, passionless, boring, tedious – it can become just another job, just another pay check to pay the bills and keep the family in the luxury (or poverty) they are accustomed to.
This way of thinking is entirely up to you. You do have a choice about whether you feel good about your job (or more correctly, your profession) or not.
I choose to enjoy every flight I go aloft on. I still look forward to going flying, the challenges and skills, the joy of aviation. I still smile, I still feel good about myself and I take pride in being a professional, safe and proficient aviator.
So if you find yourself getting stressed out, pissed off, hassled, just RELAX, SMILE, ENJOY yourself. You’ll be less stressed out and will learn better.
TRAINERS TAKE NOTE!!!
As a further reminder of how much fun flying can be check out The Inner Art Of Airmanship and Great Aviation Quotes (both by Dave English).
You really do need to have a reality check every once in a while.
Why did you get into aviation in first place?
Was it for the sheer joy and thrill of flying? Did you make model aircraft as a kid, join the Air Cadets, do any crappy job on your school holidays just so you could scrape together the “astronomical fortune” to afford a few flying lessons? Did you hang out at airfields just so you could watch airplanes take off and land?
Did you have your head well and truly in the clouds?
Almost everyone I know of in this fickle aviation game initially got into it because they WANTED to. There were no other options. Flying was their motivation, their goal, their burning desire.
Can you remember what it was like when you first soloed? Your first cross country navigation exercise? Your first aviation job (well maybe that one is not a pleasant memory – but it was a stepping stone towards your future goal(s), right)?
Unfortunately, a lot of pilots in today’s business, economic driven Aviation Industry have forgotten why they got into aviation in the first place. Airline Aviation especially can become “sterile”, passionless, boring, tedious – it can become just another job, just another pay check to pay the bills and keep the family in the luxury (or poverty) they are accustomed to.
This way of thinking is entirely up to you. You do have a choice about whether you feel good about your job (or more correctly, your profession) or not.
I choose to enjoy every flight I go aloft on. I still look forward to going flying, the challenges and skills, the joy of aviation. I still smile, I still feel good about myself and I take pride in being a professional, safe and proficient aviator.
So if you find yourself getting stressed out, pissed off, hassled, just RELAX, SMILE, ENJOY yourself. You’ll be less stressed out and will learn better.
As a further reminder of how much fun flying can be check out The Inner Art Of Airmanship and Great Aviation Quotes (both by Dave English).
You really do need to have a reality check every once in a while.
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