Originally Posted by
exfocx
OMG, I think I'm gunna be sick! Christ, they talk about shiny jet syndrome, it should be whiny jet syndrome. Look at most science degrees and you get nowhere near the salary that a FO gets, let alone a captain. Don't get me wrong, don't hand it back to the company as management will only get an increased bonus, but don't whine about how hard you're doing it.
I've worked with a lot of intelligent people and they don't always make good pilots, but you'll get more who can train down as pilots than you'll train pilots up to any high end uni degree etc.
Academia is not benchmark here. Every-time a pilot takes to the sky he/she has an incalculable amount of rules and regulations which form a very firm (potentially life changing)noose around his/her neck. Pilots are scrutinised and monitored like no other profession on the planet. Many are paid very low wages and treated like absolute sh*t until they gain their first liveable pay and unless (in my day) you have wealthy parents or join the forces then all the education expenses come out of your own pocket (no gov't loans or handouts). Then there is the element of responsibility, these highly intelligent people you reference may be able to write a thesis on a smart phone while waiting is a fast food queue which is incredibly impressive but carries no real responsibility. In the aviation world one small error can lead to the loss of many lives and millions upon millions of dollars of equipment. Do you think that is worth something? Do you think that "responsibility" maybe the reason why Air traffic Controllers' salaries at busy airports base are circa 250K/year? Are your highly intelligent persons' every move continuously monitored? Are they subjected to continuous rigorous testing? Do they have to fill out detailed reports for every minor deviation that occurs in the course of their job. When you have a few spare months work your way through the labyrinth of aviation regulations and you will find all responsibility ultimately falls on the pilot. Then add to that a few thousand pages of equipment and procedural operating manuals all of which pilots are required to carry in their heads such that it can be instantly recalled whilst operating a highly complex piece of machinery in a three dimensional environment during a highly stressful event. Your comments do have some validity to the extent that pilots may not be the smartest people around because who would take on the level of responsibility, accountability and scrutiny for the peanuts that pilots are paid.