America's Most Stressful Jobs 2011

[built4flying83]

yeah the article is crap... but doesnt hurt i think to get some public sympathy... too much of the public despise us pilots

[fourgolds]

Stressfull sure , probably the most accountable definately. Would love to see the worlds Bankers , Airline managers etc enjoy the same level of accountability as pilots instead of aportioning blame to all thier subordinates for every bad decision they make.

[Shell Management]

Clearly nonsense.
Now, Air Traffic Controllers, they have a far morse stressful job.

[Rob21]

Hours of boredom...

An ATP job could be defined as "hours of boredom followed by seconds of pure horror"...

[11Fan]

Hogwash, all of it.

Most stressful job?

Home remodeling, with the wife anywhere in the vicinity.

[bubbers44]

Stress is usually self induced by the pilot. Sometimes the airport choice or controllers not being able to communicate because of congestion might cause some but most is caused by the pilot him or herself. Weather shouldn't, problems boarding shouldn't, delays for takeoff shouldn't and flight attendants shouldn't. Once you are a captain the other pilot shouldn't. Flying stress free is pretty easy if you don't try to do somebody elses job. A few times in your career something will happen to cause some stress but it is short term so do what you have to do and go back to low stress mode. Your choice.

[421dog]

Further stress reduction:

Having the trip I had originally scheduled for last night (which would have put me just about over STL at around 0100z) rescheduled for this am. (Beautiful, smooth, no unhappy pax)

[mauijim]

Most guys ridiculing the article may have not had the misfortune of experiencing life and death situations.
Air France 447 flight crew and many others, sadly some not able to tell their stories, would not be so quick to judge.

[Wildpilot]

Mauijim,

You are missing the point by a country mile.

In Fact most guys would probably agree that there GA career was a great deal more stressful than there airline career.

And there are stacks of jobs far more stressful than anything we do, soldier in Afghanistan comes to mind for one.

[N1EPR]

Stressful career

Flying airplanes is the most relaxing thing I ever did. On rare occasions there were some hard decisions to make, but those times were short and didn't cause stress because they were over before you had time to be stressed.

Anyone that is routinely stressed in the cockpit should be looking for a different career.

[3.5 stripes]

most stressful job

If you take into account the financial uncertaintly that plagues the job than I guess it could be one fo the most stressful!!!

[Baywatcher]

The only stressful think is getting to the airplane!

[soullimbo]

Very little stress

I started flying in my late 30's early 40's after a career as a middle level manager. The levels of stress as a pilot are far less than the constant stress of having to perform, be on time and budget. There are a few spikes of stress now and then but they're quick and you have a sense of achievement. Continuously having to worry about your performance as a manager is draining and soul destroying. Belief me, flying is a walk in the park compared to that.

[Huck]

The only stress I have: watching a once-great and once-honored profession be reduced, bit by bit, to the status of a bus driver.

I've got 20 years to go in this job. I do not think things will get better; indeed, I think they will get much worse.

Twenty years ago my pilot father made twice what I do, in real dollars, with a full pension and a union with some power. And I've got the best contract there is.....

[aguadalte]

Stress is usually self induced by the pilot. Sometimes the airport choice or controllers not being able to communicate because of congestion might cause some but most is caused by the pilot him or herself. Weather shouldn't, problems boarding shouldn't, delays for takeoff shouldn't and flight attendants shouldn't. Once you are a captain the other pilot shouldn't. Flying stress free is pretty easy if you don't try to do somebody elses job. A few times in your career something will happen to cause some stress but it is short term so do what you have to do and go back to low stress mode. Your choice.

On spot BB44!

[bubbers44]

Thanks for the back up. I watched so many of my captains try to control other people so when I became a captain I just did my captain stuff and only when it was necessary to intervene did so. It made life easy. Sometimes getting nonrev pax on when the agents wanted to shut the door you had to intervene but that was rare. I loved my flying career and the stress level was very low. You make it what you want.

[bubbers44]

Once at Anchorage six Flying Tigers Flight Attendants came out on the ramp we were pushed back at waving wanting to non rev on our flight so I shut down the left engine, waved them over, and everybody was happy. That is how it should be done.

[ehwatezedoing]

[Disclaimer]Me = Pilot, two crew, aircraft>12500lbs, aerial work.[/Disclaimer]

Um... lifting... bubbers44 & of course con-pilot
You definitely brought valid points.

But I have to break the party here, besides a few posts I think there is two pages of bullsh!tting in a way of:
"Look at me, I'm cool, I'm a pilot and will never stress for anything"
441A might have agreed but look where he is now.

While that is certainly the image I too want to project, I'm not flying to go up and relax.
But to do my job!
I know, you too! Well guess what, when nothing goes according to plan it brought stress. Saying otherwise would be lying unless you are a First Officer sitting on his/her both hands completely relying to your Captain.

And before N1EPR or anyone else jump on me, I am certainly not routinely stressed in a cockpit.



Now to say that is the most stressful job, that is a bit over the top too...






whoaa, I darned post something on Rumours & News, let see if I will come back... Or leave the "expertise" to Shell Management

[fokker1000]

ehwatsitdoing, I think you make a valid point.
What seat you're in, what Co. you fly for and where you operate in and out of makes just an ever-so-slight difference on your view on it.. As any pilot reading this will agree.
Fourgolds makes a balanced comment in my opinion too.
As for the majority of the macho BS on this thread (mainly I'd bet from none pilots or from raw FOs), well, are you surprised airline bosses don't want to give you a pay raise, if not a pay cut as the job is so easy, and so non stressed, and basically any one could do it, which is what you imply.
You guys are talking yourselves out of the pay you deserve.... If you do deserve it that is?

[bubbers44]

Stress has little or nothing to do with your pay. If you like to believe it go ahead. Once you have the experience to confidently fly your airplane and don't have to deal with the a** hole in the left seat you can usually make it pretty stress free. We are not pounding our chests saying we have everything mastered, we are just saying why put your own stress into the job trying to make the job harder than it is. When I was a copilot the stress of the day was dictated by how stressed the captain was and made me stressed. I have been told by check airmen giving me a line check, I run a very relaxed cockpit. I considered that a compliment.

One of my favorite captains had me laughing most of the sequence with his humor. His PA's were hysterical. No stress. The next guy, micro managing everything, including me and causing stress with everybody he dealt with made it a long day. I wasn't as funny as the first captain but tried to make the cockpit stress free. Leave the stress for when something bad happens.
Maybe it never will, but when it does you will still make it to retirement.