Stripes.........Gold or Silver?
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Stripes.........Gold or Silver?
Now that I am a professional instructor when can I wear stripes without being riciculed?
Having spent all this money to get this far I would like to be seen as a pilot and not as a prison officer or security guard!
However it seems that PPL instructors are not 'worthy' pilots!
What would be wrong with say 3 silver stripes (it's O.K for Cabair students!)
Anyway, what is the official line on wearing stripes and how many/colour etc
Any ideas anyone
Incog
[This message has been edited by In-Cog-neeto (edited 23 April 2000).]
Having spent all this money to get this far I would like to be seen as a pilot and not as a prison officer or security guard!
However it seems that PPL instructors are not 'worthy' pilots!
What would be wrong with say 3 silver stripes (it's O.K for Cabair students!)
Anyway, what is the official line on wearing stripes and how many/colour etc
Any ideas anyone
Incog
[This message has been edited by In-Cog-neeto (edited 23 April 2000).]
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I agree totally incog, QFIs should be recognised as professionals - without them aviation wouldn't exist. If that means stripes rather than canary wings or the such then good for you.
But gold not silver (or as airlines call it "platinum" hmmmm)and 1 when an AFI, 2 when QFI and so on...
keep up the good work!
But gold not silver (or as airlines call it "platinum" hmmmm)and 1 when an AFI, 2 when QFI and so on...
keep up the good work!
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strut around looking like a south american general and you become the but of much **** taking ,get on with the instructing and keep your head down you still have a lot to learn......but then so do i and i,v been in this flying game for 20 years.
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I think anyone crawling into a Cessna 150 with gold stripes on his shoulders should be taken out and shot.
What a ridiculous site that is.
Stateside, pilots were laughed at getting in Cessna 310's with stripes on their shoulders, but we had to.
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It's all fun and games 'til someone gets poked in the eye.
What a ridiculous site that is.
Stateside, pilots were laughed at getting in Cessna 310's with stripes on their shoulders, but we had to.
------------------
It's all fun and games 'til someone gets poked in the eye.
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What does it matter, 1 or 4 stripes, silver or gold. Surely it is a sign that you have reached a standard that Joe Public respects.
The maxim of Capt. having 4 and the F/O/ 2 or 3 seems to work for the airlines, why not for other branches of OUR industry?
We should all promote ourselves!
GG
[This message has been edited by GoodGuy (edited 23 April 2000).]
The maxim of Capt. having 4 and the F/O/ 2 or 3 seems to work for the airlines, why not for other branches of OUR industry?
We should all promote ourselves!
GG
[This message has been edited by GoodGuy (edited 23 April 2000).]
Glasgow's Gallus Gigolo .... PPRuNeing is like making love to a beautiful woman ... I take hours.
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When I was instructing 509, the CAA insisted we wear 4 stripes. It was extremely embarassing to fly a PA28 with all that gold braid- not to mention the extra runway needed to cope with the extra weight. I think it was just company policy that AFIs wore 1 stripe, QFIs 2, and BCPL instructors 3. Ours not to reason why...
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Cabair may want thear students to turn up with silver rings and ties but i,m pleased that the Ex-bcal flight engineers dont put up with this bull****.
[This message has been edited by A and C (edited 23 April 2000).]
[This message has been edited by A and C (edited 23 April 2000).]
Go to a golf coach and he will be wearing golf shoes and a golf shirt.
Go to a tennis coach and he (OK or she) will be wearing tennis gear.
The opinion of the other pilots doesn't matter at all (especially as you usually hold the same opinion of all the sparkles) but you are trying to attract customers, and hopefully impress & reassure them of your professionalism.
I wore sparkles while instructing, and thought nothing of it, but when work finnished I ripped them off. Never be seen in a shopping centre with bars (even if you are a Space Shuttle commander!)
Go to a tennis coach and he (OK or she) will be wearing tennis gear.
The opinion of the other pilots doesn't matter at all (especially as you usually hold the same opinion of all the sparkles) but you are trying to attract customers, and hopefully impress & reassure them of your professionalism.
I wore sparkles while instructing, and thought nothing of it, but when work finnished I ripped them off. Never be seen in a shopping centre with bars (even if you are a Space Shuttle commander!)
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I have found that the flight training outfits with all the gold stripes are the most agresive at sales and are usualy more interested in parting the punters with there cash than teaching them to fly.
I would not like to have to instruct for an outfit that uses restrictive rules to increase the flying time of a student.
Some places do manage to mix smart look with a high standard of training and not have the gold stripe BS (the wycombe air center dose this very well........and befor you ask i dont have eny financal conection to them.)
I would not like to have to instruct for an outfit that uses restrictive rules to increase the flying time of a student.
Some places do manage to mix smart look with a high standard of training and not have the gold stripe BS (the wycombe air center dose this very well........and befor you ask i dont have eny financal conection to them.)
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We give all our instructors a polo shirt with our logo, their name and the word 'Instructor' on it. (new one to come later this summer when we can get the new logo made up, chaps!)
We leave airline, military or ex-military rank and any associated ego at the entrance to the Club.....in the rubbish bin.
We leave airline, military or ex-military rank and any associated ego at the entrance to the Club.....in the rubbish bin.
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I instructed at a flying school for 2 years before I got a, ehem, real job. We all wore white airline shirts with black trousers and NO stripes. It looked professional without looking conceited. Seemed to impress the RAF as we hed a Flying Scholarship approval that required revalidating every year. BTW it was the hardest type of flying work I have ever done. Despite what a lot of none-instructors say, it is still one of the best ways to get in the right seat of something a little bigger!
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Instructing is all about how you interact with your student . Some people prefer the more regimented style of schools such as Cabair , others the relaxed attitude of a club environment . If you want to be recognised as a professional I would suggest demonstrating ability , competence , and intergrity would be a good start .
Sadly , there are a lot of folk out there who are driven more by a desire to dress up than a passion for flying . I flew with a guy once who asked if he were to obtain a PPL , how many stripes could he wear , and did I think he would pick up many women in the pub ? ( I said 5 and yes , but only if he was accompanied by me ! )
If you feel that you have to impress your students with gold bars , you probaby lack confidence in your ability to teach .
All the best .
Sadly , there are a lot of folk out there who are driven more by a desire to dress up than a passion for flying . I flew with a guy once who asked if he were to obtain a PPL , how many stripes could he wear , and did I think he would pick up many women in the pub ? ( I said 5 and yes , but only if he was accompanied by me ! )
If you feel that you have to impress your students with gold bars , you probaby lack confidence in your ability to teach .
All the best .
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Oh dear.......
And to think that part of the therapy for people with an "irrational" fear of flying is to impress upon them how well balanced, modest and self-assured the guys up front are compared to your average neurotic bod.
Perhaps the stripes help ward off nueroses, and so it all works out in a funny sort of way - yep, that'll do, professional integrity restored!
And to think that part of the therapy for people with an "irrational" fear of flying is to impress upon them how well balanced, modest and self-assured the guys up front are compared to your average neurotic bod.
Perhaps the stripes help ward off nueroses, and so it all works out in a funny sort of way - yep, that'll do, professional integrity restored!
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'pondlifescum' - you have already been invited to direct your allegations to those responsible so that, if they have any substance, appropriate remedial action can be taken. However, so far you have apparently decided not to avail yourself of this offer. In view of the tone of your remarks, perhaps you would prefer to reconsider your membership if you feel unable to write to the management of this RF/FTO? If your occupation is indeed as you state on your profile, then I'm sure that you will have no difficulty in finding another training organisation and paying twice as much for your flying training as you currently do.
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Sorry, but I think you probably will look more like a security guard or hotel comissionaire with your stripes, Incog. Surely braid is really for the military to aid discipline and identification of leaders in the heat of battle - hardly the scenario in a C150. Anyway its all bull**** in a civilian job. You must have a low opinion of the general public if you think they are impressed by uniforms. Other professions in civilian life dont insist on scrambled egg and braid - I cant remember the last time I saluted my GP, accountant, lawer et al (well, perhaps my bank manager is an exception) and they get respect because they do the job well - not because they look like a recently self-appointed South American president.
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Just a thought. If you are teaching someone to fly who is perhaps older than you, used to or still does earn more than you, is taller than you etc. etc. then sometimes you can have difficulty maintaining the necessary instructor/pupil authority gradient. I´ve never really found it a problem but then I look more like 30 than 20. However I know that some younger looking instructors, particularly where an airline sponsored hot shot knows he´s going to be flying a Boeing in 6 months feeling on top of the world student is involved, do have problems and take grief off students that they should not really accept. In such circumstances the gold plated shoulders can help at a sociological/psychological level.
Never worn them myself but I can see an arguement for their value.
WWW
Never worn them myself but I can see an arguement for their value.
WWW