Greeting aviators!
I have recently joined PPRuNe and the experience has greatly been possitive so far... however (!!!), this morning I was happily browsing through different posting when I came accross a particular one that made me shiver... my day was completely ruined. Here is the quote:
Flying great big aircraft awesome fun, through the night, to major time zone changes, stuck in a tube for 15hrs, straight to bed because your'e knackered, 27hrs later back in the tube 15hrs, home for 2 days totally knackered, off in the other direction for 15hrs, same heavily fat fortified aircraft food to get some taste out of it, sim very 6 months on 3 aircraft types, only a job for the next 6 months again, doctors complaining I'm not looking like superman any more, the pay and conditions constantly being pushed down and erroded.......it goes on. Tell your wife to sit on the loo in the bathroom from dinnertime to lunchtime the next day, as it gets dark read a paper with a torch light only, put the hair dryer on outside the bathroom door for the noise effect, only get up out of your seat for 5 mins every 3 hrs or so and talk to hardly anyone else for the 15 hrs, except of course to a foreign controller who you cannot understand or Bombay on HF, live out of the suitcase when she gets to the bedroom and do it all over again the following night. She will admit you are lucky to have such a glamorous job no doubt.
Don't know about you guys, but for me to say that i am sad and very surprised by this attitude, is not to say anything at all...
Unfortunately, aviation is not my current area of employement (yes, UNFORTUNATELY), and from a personal experience I can say that the quotation above is more likely to apply to a routing office work, than to a career as a pilot... I can see a clear association link between "sitting on the loo" for the whole day and sitting on your chair in your claustrafobic cubical "office" for the whole day. Papers, papers and more dusty papers... and let me assure you, spectacular views, sunsets and sunrises do not usually come as a part of the package with your cubical... And what do you get when you get off this "loo sit" at the end of the day? well... its usually a stuffy elevator to the ground floor and a "fabulous" ride home in a completely packed train/bus... unfortunately the night lights of the world's capital cities do not come as a part of the package either...
So what I cant understand is what happened to this pride and glory of being a pilot??? Where did it go?
Perhaps someone knows hidden areas of employement where the grass is sparkling green? would love to know your oppinion...