Words of advice for new pilots in this industry...

[TA/RA]

Here is a list I have compiled of advice for new pilots in this industry, hopefully you can learn from the mistakes I have made and the things that I have learned over the past 10 years. I'm sorry if this isn't the most up-lifting piece but its the truth (In my case)

Please don't hang me out for slaughter!

1. If you are young, people will always judge you based on your age before anything else. (Suck It Up)
2. Do not feel entitled to anything in this business except for a fair pay cheque & humain working conditions.
3. Keep your cards close to your chest, your best friend will stab you in the back to get ahead in this industry
4. Stay focused
5. Take a ton of pictures!
6. Enjoy what you are doing at any given time, when you are at FL350 flying at 400 +kts you will wish you were back in the bush
7. If you are going to burn a bridge then demolish it
8. Stick by your principles!!! it may mean that your career progression is slower but at least you will be able to sleep at night with some form of self respect
9 Don't be the guy who excels through this industry by sucking d$&k and taking it in the a$$ and always paying the boss lip service.
10. Stand up for what you believe in
11. Never stop learning
12. Keep work and play separate, the less people at work know about your personal life the less that can come back to haunt you later.
13. Network, network, network. You could meet some of your best contacts in line at the fast food restaurant.
14. Represent yourself, your fellow pilots and the profession in general in a positive light.
15. Take whatever you read on Avcanada as advisory but not gospel
16. Stay informed with the happenings of the industry
17. AND FINALLY HAVE FUN & TAKE PICTURES
18. Persistence pays off!

[Severe Clear]

Not bad.... Although a few things may have been missed...

1: You will get yelled at at some point in your career.. Look at it as a learning experience, and never yell at your co pilots... They could save your life someday...
2: Try and fly floats at least once in your career... It will teach you good hands and feet...
3: Take many many pictures with the most expensive camera you can afford...
4: If your airplane has autopilot, hand fly that baby as often as possible (SOP'S permitting) Because of number 6 above...
5: Go to work with a smile, and leave with a smile... You just flew an airplane!
6: Try and fly medevacs at least once in your career. It's the most rewarding flying i've ever experienced.....
7: Go skydiving at least once in your career... Just to say you did!
8: Go to the great white north at least once in your career... You may get yelled at....
9: Ask your captain any question you can think of at anytime... Someday they won't be there...
8: and last of all..... Get that camera out and take as many pictures as you can!

Cheers!

[flyinhigh]

Most important, even if you think you know it all. You don't.

First and Foremost always LEARN as you go.

Don't push your captains/FO's to fly/do the things the way you do, if you curious as to why someone is doing something a particuallar way, Ask. It may just make sense.

[Meatservo]

For some reason, I like #7 in the original post: If you're going to burn a bridge, DEMOLISH it.







edited for brevity.

[Panama Jack]

Great post TA/RA! Thanks for taking the time to put it together!

[V1RotateV2]

Good post!

Just my $0.02: Fly for you, don't fly for others. Do what you think is right and safe.
If someone asks you to go when you think you should not, say no. If you feel compelled to show someone what you are able to do, don't show off. Quite a few pilots' last words were "Watch this...".

And remember, you don't marry your company, it is just a job to get you to your next one. If you don't like it, or don't like how things are run, or you are just plain bored, move on, you will not regret it.

Good reading for aspiring airline pilots: http://thetruthabouttheprofession.weebly.com/index.html

[Old Dog Flying]

Learn something new every day...the day you quit learning is the last day of the rest of your miserable life.

At 75 I'm still learning

[TA/RA]

A few things are inevitable.

1. You will meet some people that you just cant please
2. You will meet people who will try to hold you back
3. The better a pilots thinks he is the more you should watch your back
5. A bloody nose from speaking up is better than a bloody mess on the side of the hill 15 seconds after you should have spoken up.
6. We have all lost friends in accidents, they were your friends they would want you to learn from their mistakes.

[Old Dog Flying]

"Learn from the mistakes of others...you won't live long enough to make them all yourself". Something that I tried to instill in all of my students...hopefully it worked for them.

[peakbagger]

5. A bloody nose from speaking up is better than a bloody mess on the side of the hill 15 seconds after you should have spoken up.

Well put. One of the biggest challenges of the right seat.

[Big Pistons Forever]

1) Make haste slowly. Fast hands have killed a lot of pilots.
2) Curiosity is a an important quality for a pilot. Know your airplane and how it works and spend some of your off time in the shop. When things are not too busy every AME I have ever met has been glad to explain what I am looking at when the aircraft is apart.
3) Related to point 2 is to write good snags. An additional note with amplifying info could potentially save hours of troubleshooting. (eg bad snag = No 1 radio is US... good snag = No 1 Comm will not Tx but Rx's normally. Tx light on radio does not illuminate. Nav side works normally, NavCom 2 works normally. Tried PTT on both sides and hand mike with same result of no Tx.
4) Your airplane is the tool that results in your paycheck. Take care of that tool by being smooth and carefull in how you operate all its systems and controls and especially for turbocharged pistons, how you manage the engine temperatures
5) DON'T BUY YOUR PPC

[iflyforpie]

Take lots of pictures. I don't think that was mentioned...

[slowstream]

Great post!!!

One of the better ones I've seen here

[meflypretty]

I like it.

Expanding on #4 above. The airplane is a tool, learn to use it properly, stay current. You not only don't want to kill yourself in it, you don't want to kill the pilot who uses it after you.

Don't instruct for too long.

[DHCdriver]

Also to add, The day you know it all, quit flying. Fly Safe.

[MrMerth]

One of the better posts ive seen in a while.


1. Dont forget where you came from, just because you now have 3/4 bars dont act like youre better than the guy loading/fuelling the plane.

[Tubthumper]

8: and last of all..... Get that camera out and take as many pictures as you can!

5. Take a ton of pictures!

17. AND FINALLY HAVE FUN & TAKE PICTURES

Definately some posters here after my own heart!

It's not just who you know in this business, but who knows YOU.... that will work for or against you in this profession, right from the very beginning.

[loopa]

This is an awesome post.

I'm a low time class 4 and this is very informative. Thanks TA/RA, you're a good friend of mine off of the boards, and obviously a fantastic character on the boards to be starting this thread.

Best of luck everybody !

[. ._]

Damn! This post is changing my whole outlook on entering the industry.

Here I was working on building up a good 5-10 year stockpile of KY jelly only to find out that if I do things right, I won't need it!

-istp

[MrWings]

This is a small industry. If you do not get along well with others you will not last long. Consider that before you set a bridge on fire.

Once you get a reputation, it is hard to shake that label. So get yourself a good one!