I once had enough of flying helicopters and all that it entailed....invested some money into a hard wood sawmill business in Washington State.
At the time, I deemed it right to get a commerical drivers license to complement all the flying licenses I had. Heavens, I even drove truck for a period of time until one day the cellphone rang and one of the reasons I had left helicoptering offered me a flying job.....and I accepted.
The whole time I drove the truck, people asked me if I were crazy for not being in flying......really didn't have a good reply for that except it was easier to tell my dear Mum that I was a trucker than have to lie to her and tell her I played piano in a brothel (knowing her son was a chopper pilot would have broken the old dear's heart!). So here I am again, flying helicopters, lying to Mum, and now I am asking myself if I am crazy for not being a truck driver!
The main differences I can see between the two jobs, is the air horn.....and management at trucking companies know good drivers are not a dime a dozen.
Ever wonder why we get the managers we do? How dedicated they seem to be at furthering the welfare of the boys and girls that fly and maintain the aircraft! (Not!) It is said at a "Bitter Helicopter Company" in the Gulf Coast.....that pilots feel like they are at war with the management......wonder what a warm feeling the managers must have to know the staff made public those sentiments to the CEO during a company wide visit.
At least in the big truck....when I tooted my train horns....I could get people's attention! What does it take in the helicopter industry to get people's attention?
The union movement in the Gulf Coast has made a significant change in pilot pay and in time will also work to improve the work environment as well if the pilots work together towards that goal. Hopefully, at least one group of pilots can get the attention they deserve from management. The rest of the story is the union could have been avoided by good management alone.
