When do you know you've made it? (light-hearted humour.)
 

Hi all.

I don't know about yooz blokes, but I'm in the mood for a light-hearted thread. I'm looking for the phrase that best describes when it's obvious that you've "made it". When will YOU know that you've "made it" in your aviation career. I think we can come up with some pearlas. And to get things started, here are two of mine......

"When your nose wheel makes TWO tyre tracks.":rolleyes:

....or....

"When you arrive at Golden Grove Mine to drop off your pax, and you can actually pee in a TOILET without leaving the aircraft, instead of trying to hide behind your aircraft for your little indiscretion on the red gravelled parking area".:uhoh:

...yeah.......I know....so feel free to outdo me!!!

............The Monst.:ok:

There are three things required that say I've made it:

1. I want to be able to walk on board my aircraft (as opposed to climbing up the wing)

2. I want the option of taking a cr@p inflight because my aircraft is fitted with a dunny.

3. Someone that will bring me a coffee in cruise.

Give me those three and I'm there until retirement.

It's all good.

When my pax are the lighter side of pale.

You know when you've made it when you get paid to go to sleep at 35,000 feet.

It would be nice:

-To be told by ATC to 'Reduce speed'

-To have a flightplan and weight + balance given to you for your approval.

-To get in a cockpit and not see a single 'INOP' or 'U/S' label.

-The only baggage you touch is your own

-You wear a hat with the company's name on it but it's not a baseball cap.

-You get pushed back away from a terminal instead of helping to push out of the hanger.

-An inflight drama is when 1 of your 3 VHF COMs goes a little scratchy

Keep the dream alive...

1.) Switches in the roof.

2.) Control column out of the floor.

3.) Nice pair of legs carrying the coffee.

:ok:

Larger size pants to accomodate the wallet.

Gold Rolex watch.

gotta have a "b-ding" button!

:ok:

You've made it when you can press a button and a pretty girl brings you a cup of coffee. :}

1. You are based in a place where you do not have to describe it's location relative to somewhere else.

2.You can walk upright ,or slightly bent over inside your aircraft.

3.You are unable to use it's fuel in your car.

4.You look down at the award as a minimum safety net instead of a target to aim for.

5.People outside of aviation know what you are talking about when you tell them what aircraft you fly.

6.You do not need to take your own food with you.

7.You regard a car pre 2001 as old.

8.When overnighting you stay in a major hotel, with mini bar and room service.

9.Even after a good meal you still have a large % of the allowance for it in your pocket.

10.Your shirts are not covered in oil stains ,and are less than one year old.

11.There is a space designed for you hang your jacket.

12.Every where you go has at least one instrument approach.

13.The real estate boom has been good to you.

14. You check your investments.

15.Your kids are in private school.

16.As a passenger you are at least in business class.

17.You can talk to the other pilot on the flight deck ,without using intercom or raising your voice.

18.You wonder how pilots with analogue instruments manage.

19.The yaw damper is a no go item.

20.You recieve training in subjects such as CRM ,RVSM ,ETOPS.

...When the co-pilot says to you;

'Number two engine is out' and you can say - which wing?.

When you order full mains you get 36 000kg of fuel

When you report "leaving FL430 and reducing to M0.8 due turbulence":ok:

You know you've made when you are able to:

1. say "request cancel speed restriction".

2. put "RVSM capable" on the flight plan.

You Know you have made it when:

u walk up more than 3 steps to enter your aircraft
You can walk between the seats (GA-8 excluded)
You no longer enter A0__ on the flight plan
The only pistons on the aircraft are in the hydrolic system

Last but not least:
you really know you have made it in aviation is when the only problem to do with ice is when the trolly dolly put to much in your coke

When you roll up for your first day at work and you have to get your head measured for your shiny new hat. You sit there thinking do they make one big enough.

You really have made it when you leave the white shoe brigade, and the "keep up with the Joneses group" behind, and do some useful flying, like flying for the RFDS, airmedical services, coastwatch etc.

You know when you've made when:

1. When clear prop is something you tell people from your ski boat during your 8 weeks holidays plus the rest.

2. When an engone failure is only "a small diversion"... "nothing to worry about"

3. When your uniform has more gold then white

4. Your co-pilot always has good breath

5. Turbulence is considered when you spill a little dribble of coffee down the side of your mug.

6. "clearance not avialable" is something you read about as folk law and "that never happens"

I just want to fly something with an aisle!!!!

When the go-around or diversion you conducted makes the evening news...

You know you have definately made it when the CASA inspector says "Excuse me Captain - do you mind if I come to the flight deck?"

For the GA guys: You know you've made it when the date of manufacture is more recent than you date of birth.

....when you can write in the "Endorsements" section of the MR without your hand shaking nervously.

......when you can approach a LAME about the fact that the whole vertical stabiliser has just fallen off on taxi and he doesn't roll his eyes, turn to the other LAME's and say, "....ah, bloody pilot finger trouble!", and the rest of the LAME's don't roll their eyes, giggle and shake their heads..................................................or something like that........:hmm:

I think you know you've made it when:

-you wish you were back in an airplane with no aisle,

-you think back fondly about having to enter the cabin by climbing over the wing,

-you wish it was just you on board (no pretentious hosties grumbling about "He wants ANOTHER coke with ice...)

-you think how nice it was in the old days to be able to see individual trees/cows/whatever on the ground because you're not up at 41000ft catching cosmic rays,

-you wish you could fly a go-around without having to report yourself in the Log,

-you wish you didn't have to wear that stupid hat each day,

-you wish you could fly VFR like the old days so you don't have to deal with Bombay on HF...

Did I miss anything??

When you walk into the bank mangers office and he greets you with a smile and offers coffee and cake, then asks how much would you like to withdraw from your savings? :cool:

1) Aerodromes you fly to have a licensed code

2) You make more money than the stupid, heavy, dumb miners/politicians behind you

3) You have windscreen wipers

4) De icing doesn't involve a well timed throw of water just before take off

5) Putting flight levels/mach numbers on the plan

6) HF actually works

7) VHF works also

8) You laugh at people having to do orbits at 2000'

9) Laugh at the 1 in 60 rule as the FMC does the diversion for you

10) The plane you fly now is you weekend 'fun' plane to go fishing/surfing with.

you can quite ligitimately say

....." if it aint Boeing I aint going" :cool:

When your pre-take-off brief doesn't include the words..."mixture up, pitch up, power up...kiss my a$$ good-bye".:{

Your Passengers dont ask:

"So do you want to be a Commercial Pilot one day?"

Itchybum.

brilliant! :ok:

Very true.

Why do I get the impression that Airline Driver is the be all and end all for most of the posters here......;)

When I've made the last payment to the finance company :cool:

I'm with Itchybum
 

...With a few more additions.

- You can go flying for "fun" because you own the plane.

- You your wife and kids don't have to wonder where things are going/coming from next.

Cheers :ok:

Eeeerm....... when you get to retire voluntarily :p, reasonably intact, :} still married to wife #1,:{ :ouch:, respected by your peers:8, surrounded by your grandchildren :eek: and with a life well lived. :D :cool:

VRB03KT CAVOK

"-To get in a cockpit and not see a single 'INOP' or 'U/S' label."

Won't ever happen......never!!

I knew I had 'made it' when ....

1. I paid more dollars in tax in one year than i earned as a C210 pilot!

2. FA's apologised if they couldn't bring me an Earl Grey tea, white and a half!

3. Operations rang, apologised for ringing me at home on my day off(!!!) but would I be available for a call out that would be about a thousand dollars worth of flying, and happily said 'thanks anyway' when i knocked it back!

when you pull out of your parking bay and blow the absoulte crap out of anyone/anything standing behind you

Earl Grey?? Yukk!!:yuk:

English Afternoon Breakfast!!:ok:

You know you have made it when
1 Management try to help you out,
2 Aircraft is prepared on arrival,
3 Maintenance is quickly repaired not operating under a dozen MELs

When the aircraft has
1 A cockpit door
2 Call button
3 Flight attendant
4 you don't have to give a pax brief ( FA's job)
5 A toilet
6 Able to walk down the aisle, not hunched over.

When I think you've made it in aviation...

With a sweat-stained shirt covered in oil, dirt under your fingernails, sunburnt neck and tatty old thongs, you close the cowl on the aircraft you paid for yourself, built yourself, and fix yourself... point it into wind at an aerodrome with no known name in the middle of nowhere, and go wherever the hell you want, at whatever speed you want....

and simply enjoy what you are doing in aviation.

-Your mate on the 777 is jealous
-His missus tries to line you up with her friends