Is there such a thing as born pilots?

[scroggs]

The phrase 'born pilot' is generally used to refer to someone with exceptional innate talent for stick and rudder skills. As an airline pilot, such skills are nice to have but far from essential to the job, particularly if you are an Airbus pilot - as I am.

The ultimate finesse in manually flying an aircraft is rather irrelevant in the mainly management tasks you perform as an airline pilot. Even as a 'geriatric jet' pilot in one of the airlines so equipped, your opportunity to display virtuoso skills as a poler are severely limited, unless you wish to completely put off your airline's customers.

Unless you have ambitions as a military fighter pilot, or as a display pilot, don't get too worked up about being assessed as a 'natural pilot'; concentrate instead on being a competent, professional operator.

Scroggs