I have been a frequent viewer of PPRuNe, and have noted that some pilots, who I respect by their informative posts, appear to have slowly become grumpy since the 9/11 locked in security door feeling, disconnecting them from the mainstream public (SLF's as they are now referred to) referring to those PAX who regularly made requests to view the front office for a bit of a chat about all the gauges and why is it so etc?
Back in the old days, the cockpit tech crews where regarded as the nice guys many of whom always greeted curious pax warmly, they were the great ambassadors for aviation and the airline they worked for.
Only the other day an Australian long-haul pilot friend of mine with 27 years flying the heavies, felt that it was time to move on as he feels the good old days of relaxed long haul flying has become the loneliest job on the planet. Some of his fellow pilots have been having similar discussions.
Of course there must be pilots who love to be locked away from the (SLF's) and their silly requests/questions, but I feel that there are plenty others who miss a bit of a chinwag with interested aviation enthusiasts.
Would be interested in pilots views on this subject, have we become grumpy old men/women or a little too serious in an industry which was once known for its very special sense of humour?
