Brian Abraham
30th Jan 2005, 00:20
I can’t say that in my career that I’ve noticed any one particular nationality, military or civil, entitled to have the title “Superior” bestowed upon them.
Ernest Gann writing of his time as an airline pilot just prior to WWII made the following observation in his book “Fate Is The Hunter”
“….. airline pilots are separated into tribes in spite of their common occupation. Gossip has provided legend, which in turn leads to generalisation. Thus United pilots are considered colorless and sticklers for regulations. Eastern Airline pilots are singularly determined and clever, not given to timidity. American pilots are thought to be a mixed lot, prone to independent complaint and rebellion. TWA pilots, highly regarded individually, are pitied for the chameleon management of their company. Pan American pilots, admired and envied for their long range flying, are thought to be shy and backward in foul weather work. The tribes are each healthy and strong in their way, but their characteristics, conditioned by their aerial territories, are as different as the Sioux, the Navahos, and the Cherokees. All of this is recognised as debatable. Yet the legends had to start somehow.”
I don’t think for one minute that Ernest is suggesting that one airline is superior to the other, but that the nature of the beast is moulded, among other things, by the area of operations (weather, topography), the nature of those operations (test flying, dropping bombs, air to air combat, long line, TV station, crop dusting etc etc), national characteristics and beliefs. I don’t think any one for one minute would suggest that Niel Armstrong, Bob Hoover or Chuck Yeager would have done a better job if they had been civil trained and of either Canadian or New Zealand nationality.
Enough. Blue Skies, Brian
Ernest Gann writing of his time as an airline pilot just prior to WWII made the following observation in his book “Fate Is The Hunter”
“….. airline pilots are separated into tribes in spite of their common occupation. Gossip has provided legend, which in turn leads to generalisation. Thus United pilots are considered colorless and sticklers for regulations. Eastern Airline pilots are singularly determined and clever, not given to timidity. American pilots are thought to be a mixed lot, prone to independent complaint and rebellion. TWA pilots, highly regarded individually, are pitied for the chameleon management of their company. Pan American pilots, admired and envied for their long range flying, are thought to be shy and backward in foul weather work. The tribes are each healthy and strong in their way, but their characteristics, conditioned by their aerial territories, are as different as the Sioux, the Navahos, and the Cherokees. All of this is recognised as debatable. Yet the legends had to start somehow.”
I don’t think for one minute that Ernest is suggesting that one airline is superior to the other, but that the nature of the beast is moulded, among other things, by the area of operations (weather, topography), the nature of those operations (test flying, dropping bombs, air to air combat, long line, TV station, crop dusting etc etc), national characteristics and beliefs. I don’t think any one for one minute would suggest that Niel Armstrong, Bob Hoover or Chuck Yeager would have done a better job if they had been civil trained and of either Canadian or New Zealand nationality.
Enough. Blue Skies, Brian