First off I'd like to say that I'm glad there are so many currently employed senior pilots on this forum for people like myself to get information from.
Also, as this is the wannabe forum section, I feel that I have a right to say what I think here.
I am in no way comparable to a pilot with more hours and experience than I have and yet I still feel that anyone can do what I did i.e. become a pilot -- just get a line of credit, study for a while, pass some tests, and voila you too can be a CPL/IR even a flight instructor for god's sake! It's not right. (For the record: even I have experienced an inflight emergency -- not just a pan pan!)
I have people that think "wow a pilot" and I just think that they too can become a pilot.
HOWEVER, a big however, not everyone is cut out to deal with an ever changing environment as well as dealing with the multitude of life threatening emergencies that can occur (that no box could prepare you for) and no amount of academic schooling or having the best marks will get you through that situation. It's hit and miss.. either you have it in you or you don't. As I don't know what the complex aircraft are all about I'm happy learning what I'm learning now and hope that I can one day be appreciated for a job well done -- of course some pay & holidays wouldn't hurt either.
Just incase someone out there who's not a pilot wishes to shoot me down... trust me, I don't think I'm special. I believe that it was mostly luck that I survived -- my decision making skills were next to none in those slow motion minutes so I don't know if I'm truly cut out for it. I just know that I still love it. Like I said anyone can become a pilot but can anyone become an old pilot.
I have deep respect for every old pilot out there and I'd love to be able to hangar fly a bit and shoot the s^^t.
... and now back to the thread that is way over my head, but still in the wannabe section, for pilot jobs in the airlines...
Regards
