All that's left..

[FlowPack]

I was sitting in my lofty seat today and a sad thought crossed my mind.
After peeling myself out of bed at 3:45am, being the only car on the road driving into work (because the rest of the world is sleeping), checking the logbook for snags and defects to ensure the airplane is legal for use (lest I be fired for overlooking even the smallest detail), file several legs with tight alternates and minimum fuel, call catering because the food is late, get a clearance, load bags (don't miss one or you may get fired), fire up and go over for a spray even when I know it isn't necessary (because the next guy in line waiting to get my job is watching so he can tell on me if I take-off 'contaminated' thus getting me fired), wait in a long line of airplanes while pax complain that they are going to miss their meeting. Finally get going and have a long discussion whether or not we can legally attempt the approach (if so, after we land can we offload and then be legal to taxi out for a departure?) based on the available approaches and visibility (not in the mood for a CADORS and\or getting fired). After the next leg we get to hang around in a small terminal with little/no services for hours. In the meantime, the begging for a reasonable flow time begins, which often results in an hour or more delay which will now really push the duty day (which will be nearly the full 14 hours). Oh, and the airplane is all frosty from sitting outside so lets deal with that while the pax indirectly blame you about having to wait when they 'really need to get to XXX' where a less than desirable hotel room awaits etc etc...
Long hours, high stress, high level of responsibility requiring hard-earned experience, competence, stamina and ingenuity. Did I mention the low pay and low job security? Absence of any sort of Pension? Days away from home?

I was thinking all these things at a very smooth FL310, the cold wind rushing by the airframe and a hot coffee in my hand as I stared out at a stunning sunrise, the stratus below illuminated pink and the horizon a fiery red fading in strength to a cool blue-black with stars gasping for their last breaths above that.

My thought was this: is the only really good thing left about this job as a pilot...the view?

[North Shore]

A guy (we'll call him Mr. Black) I once worked with told me a story about another co-worker (Mr. White) sitting around the pilots lounge listening to all of the other pilots complaining about the company/pay/conditions etc.. After a few minutes of listening to all of this, White got up and left the room, leaving Black to listen to the endless bitching. After about 15 minutes, when all of the perpetrators had left to do other things, White came back into the lounge, fixed himself a coffee, and quietly observed to Black: "I dunno about those guys, but I got the best job that I could."

[KK7]

I was thinking all these things at a very smooth FL310, the cold wind rushing by the airframe and a hot coffee in my hand as I stared out at a stunning sunrise, the stratus below illuminated pink and the horizon a fiery red fading in strength to a cool blue-black with stars gasping for their last breaths above that.

I like this part of your story.

As for the rest, a little over dramatic and negative? I can't say I've felt like that before. Would you rather be sitting in your cubicle doing data input of how much rubber dog $hit the government imported from Hong Kong last month? I love my job and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

[magyar]

dude its all about the view...and other things like getting turnred on by things like turbulence, approach lights, the noise a propeller makes in Beta, ahh! or check out all that ice we picked up! or talking like roger wilco cause in real-life normal conversation we don't talk like that:)

yes it's those little things and the view is one neat part;)
(TCU fly'in is one of the neater one's...)

[seniorpumpkin]

That's funny, I was doing some thinking today too.
I was thinking how great it is to be enjoying the third day of my weekend (they're all three day weekends). I was thinking about the last day at work where the weather was below our company minimums, so we got paid to sit around just about all day. I met a friend of mine, who was trying to use one of the many many buddy passes we are issued, to fly somewhere. Due to the weather we had lunch instead, then I took another break from reading my book to pay some bills with the decent salary that I am allotted.
Now I am thinking about taking some of my vacation time and going on a trip across the continent using our reciprocal jump seat agreement. Should I go to Mexico? Thailand? Montreal? Europe? Oh wait, I've been to all those places, maybe I should go somewhere new?

The view is certainly one of my favorite parts of this job, but there are other, often overlooked aspects. What drew me into this world in the first place was the desire to do something interesting with my days, and to work in an industry where we work to live, not live to work. So keep your chin up FlowPack, don't ever forget to breath in that view! Next time you meet someone new, relish the chance to tell them how interesting your job is!

[CL-Skadoo!]

Flowpack, that was flawless. Mentally, I'm sitting to the right of you right now.

[TG]

I'll stick with aerial work and you can call me Mr White as well.

[Nark]

I think a few of you hit it right on the head without realizing it.

It's a job. Nothing more, nothing less.


Some of these jobs pay the bills, some don't.
Some equate to great bar stories, some are incredibly boring to repeat.

Some days it beats sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours, some times it doesn't.

In the end, it's just a job.

[iflyforpie]

Today I got up at 7:30, got my kids up, breakfast, and dressed. Made lunches, dropped the son off at school, daughter off at daycare, rolled into work around 9. Poor wifey had to be up at 5:30 for an 0700 start...

Because it's been so stinking cold here, I had to remember how to use an engine tent, since the hangar was a little frosty this morning to just use the hangar heater for pre-heat. I still don't remember how to use those wing cover thingys. Coffee on, gas fireplace on, sign on, internet on, answer some emails, AVCANADA. Get a walk in, four middle-aged people from Wales want to go look at some mountains. 30 knot uppers at 12, but only 15 at 9 and I know these mountains like the back of my hand. I tell them to come back at two.

Have lunch, the wife's left over seafood pasta. Walk around in the cozy hangar. Then heat off, hangar door open, and the plane rolls out under a CAVU sky. People arrive. Paperwork and potty breaks done. Safety briefing, load up, fire up the engine I've spent the last month tuning up for the new year, and off we go to 10,000. Majestic peaks, trackless snow, and endless forests under a deep blue sky. Tunes going in the headset, zero radio chatter. Zero chatter at all as my guests all have their jaws dropped. Nothing like this in Wales eh?

Back down to earth after chasing the ridges to lower altitudes with several spectacular drop aways. Runway is icy, but winds are calm and I get it stopped in half the three thousand feet I have. Pull in, shut down, and take care of business. $15 tip, not the best but not bad either for a half hour flight. Put the plane to bed, fill out the logs, clean up a bit and BS with the itinerant rotary pilot that is working on elk survey. Close up at 5. Give him a ride to the beer store and get a six pack for my troubles, drive home to a home cooked meal and time with family.


The view is still the best part, but it's not the only part!

[seniorpumpkin]

I think Avcanada needs a "like" button. That was a good one iflyforpie!

[iflyforpie]

Thanks seniorpumpkin. I do wish we had recip agreement though, and the pay could always be better, but it's all in appreciating what you have....

The view from my office the other day....

[DanWEC]

Wait, 3:45am?? That's less than 2 hrs after last call!

Damn, I'm finding another line of work!!!

[Hawkerflyer]

Personal assistant first, pilot second. That is corporate aviation for ya. Most guys will never understand this due to their oversized "I am a pilot" ego.
As for the view, I plan to never give that up!
Cheers fellas

[burninggoats]

I had to do a double take of this thread and make sure I was still on Avcanada. All this happy talk and "I love my job".... It threw me off for a sec, but I like it.


Even instructing, having dealt with 4 flights in a row of my worst students frustrating me and annoying me, and even worse, my best students having an off day (much mroe frustrating) I can still go up, loot at the mountains and think "yep, I get paid for this".

I really have no complaints.

[raven54]

I think it's time for flowpack to find a new job. Dude, your gig sucks!

[FOX69]

Drive to work, chat with flight attendants over coffee, check paperwork, check airplane, push some buttons, taxi, take off, push some more buttons, read paper, make jokes with F.O. about nine-to-fivers, office types, and ground dwellers in general, land, taxi, go to hotel, chat with flight attendants over drinks, try to get ideas on cool new holiday destinations to spend 6 weeks annual paid vacation, pass go, collect 6 figure salary, repeat as necessary (but not more than 16 days per month), then retire to someplace warm where they have dolphins and boat drinks.

It's a tough job, whiners need not apply.

[slowstream]

Flowpack,

Yeah, I think that for the majority of the flying jobs out there, thats exactly what it equates out to............ the view!

After nearly 20 years I'm looking at other things. Like someone else said before, (sorry I forgot who) some of the jobs barely pay the bills, others pay them okay, but there are very few jobs that pay wow, I get that much!

After nearly 20 years, I'm tired of going to bed before my kids because I have to get up at 3:15 and missing out on my family, the view just doesn't cut it anymore, sorry.

Good post BTW flowpack

[pilotidentity]

Iflyforpie, I liked that, Flowpack, looks like its time for a change or are you waiting for something better in the not too distant future?

[gear_down_3green]

Wake up at 7, accidentally fall asleep for an extra half hour. Out of bed and into the shower by 730. Crap I'm late. No time for breakfast. Grab a granola bar and I'm out the door. 1 hour 15 minute car ride in rush hour traffic. I cant move closer to the airport because i don't make enough to move out of mom's house. Arrive at airport, realize the true implications of sleeping in and not getting breakfast or making a lunch. Prep for my 4 back-to-back students with no breaks in between. Complain about my stupidity to another instructor for the 5 spare minutes I manage to grab before my first student. First student is late... now we only have 1.5 hours to accomplish what I could really use 3 hours to do. The plane is late for my second student.. now I'm 1 hour behind. Walk into the office after my second student. My co-worker went and bought me a subway sammich in their spare hour. I profess my love for them. Wolf down 5 dolla foot long. Off to the 3rd and 4th. Standard frustrations. Right F*cking Rudder!!! As I'm walking in from the ramp after my last flight of the day, the sun is setting. It's a beautiful blood red sky. My student confides in me that they had some pressure from home to get their pilot's license, but in all honesty they have ended up loving it. Suddenly, it all seems so wonderful, and I realize this is what its all about. Sharing the dream.

I walk into the lobby of the school with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. I'm ready to go home, reflect on my day with my family and have a nice warm meal. A student walks up to me and says "I last minute booked us for a night x country tonight."

Good feeling gone.

Back to the Nav canada web site. Any forecast for fog? Arrive back at base at 8:00. Put the plane away, and finish paper work. Out of the school by 830, staring down the 45 minute drive home. At least there is no traffic. Home by 9:15. Cram the 4 hour cold dinner into my mouth, check the schedule for the next day. Looks like a carbon copy of today.

Crash into bed by 10 and realize the smile on my face after a hard day's work and not only living my dream, but sharing it, is priceless. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my job.

[Dhc6to8]

…

[Ag Driver]

I get up before sunrise and wander over to the plane with coffee in hand. I do my walk around, cleaning off bugs from the windscreen from the days work before. Engage the starter and allow 9 cylinders of deep rumble to come to life. As I take off with a full load, I over fly fog laying in low patches of some fields. 3 Green lights for my track and the GPS is counting down the miles. Just ahead grows my golden canola field awaiting the money handle. After a generous field inspection, I sinch the seatbelt tight before I line up for my A B line. As the sun begins to rise the helmet visor gets pulled down. "Waiting A" as I line up.

'Click' - A Set.
Adrenaline - ON.
Clear power lines on field entry - Booms ON

Ensuring all systems are functioning as per norm, avoiding the tree line off my right wing tip, keeping a low position over the crop. As I near the end of the spray run, I keep an eye on the obstacles that stand at the finish line.

'Click' - B Set
Booms - OFF
Pull up to clear the trees on field exit.

Back to back with the downwind 180 degree turn. Let's do it again with 3 green on the light bar.

Flight levels, flight attendants and FO's? No thank you.