PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Why do student pilots have to wear uniforms?
Old 31st Jan 2015, 18:45
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con-pilot

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Join Date: May 2000
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So they will turn out like this guy?

Many, many years ago I was flying a Kingair 90 and I do mean 90, an original 90, short wing and no reverse, that kind of 90. Anyway, I was sitting at an FBO at one of the airports at Waco, forget which one and noticed a brand new Piper Seneca land and taxi in. When I say brand new, I mean the Piper Seneca was a new type aircraft, like this was the first year they were manufactured.

As it parked I noticed that the pilot, only person in the aircraft, was wearing an airline uniform. So I figured that some American or Braniff captain had bought the Seneca to commute back and forth to DFW, major airline captains made that much money back then. So, the guy gets out of the cabin, puts his coat on, four stripes on the sleeves and puts on the hat, the airline style hat with the scrambled eggs on the bill, then walks into the FBO.

When he walks into the office, where I am sitting on a couch reading a book, I notice that he is young, real young. Younger than me which at the time was not saying much. He tells the lady behind the counter that he is Captain so and so and inquired if his passengers had arrived or checked in. She replied that neither had occurred. So the 19 year old looking Captain looks around, see where I'm sitting on the couch and sits down on the opposite end. Now, he's not really sitting in a relaxed manner, more like sitting at attention, knees together with his hat, with the scramble eggs on the bill, on his lap being held by both hands.

'Self I say, don't say a friggin' thing, for once keep your mouth firmly shut, read your book and don't say a damn thing.' Course I never follow my own advice.

I look over at him, he staring unblinkingly straight ahead and open my mouth, "Uh, nice looking uniform, your company make you wear that?" I inquire.

He looks over at me and says, "Well, actually it is my idea, I decided that now we have moved up to more sophisticated modern multi-engine equipment, I should look more professional."

"Really."

"Yes, we had a Cherokee Six before we got the multi-engine equipment. So now that we have an airplane that fly in the rough weather I needed to look professional." When he said that, it was one of the very few occasions in my life that I was left speechless, I couldn't think of a thing to say. Thank God just then my passengers showed up and we left.

Course now I figure that this kid finally ended up as a senior captain for a major airline flying 747s. Things kind of work out that way in my life.

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