The Professional Aviator
Last year, I was approached by EAA Chapter #863 to write a monthly newsletter, I agreed immediately to produce the column. I have enjoyed a warm welcome from the Chapter (the decision to become a member was a no-brainer) and writing for the newsletter is a both a privilege and an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
I wanted to expand and offer the information that I provide the chapter to anyone who is interested, thus my blog was born!
I will start by saying I am eager to share both my real-world experiences and my passion for the future of safety in the field of general aviation. My writing here will focus primarily on examining specific aircraft incidents and accidents, their causes and how we might work to avoid repeating these causes in the future.
In addition, I will explore a variety of flight planning tips to help the GA pilot make the most conscientious “Safety of Flight” decisions.
THE PROFESSIONAL AVIATOR
How do we determine what makes someone a “professional” pilot?
I believe it is all in the attitude a person takes when it comes to flying an aircraft. This attitude (unsurprisingly, perhaps) will usually correspond to the way each of us approaches anything in our lives (focused vs. unfocused, meticulous vs. cavalier, responsible vs. irresponsible, etc.). When flight is involved, however, our tasks take on an element of danger not shared by the more mundane things we do every day. We need to be as engaged and highly prepared as possible to be ready for the many peculiarities of flight.
On occasion you may hear pilots brag about the size and type of aircraft they fly—as if the larger or more complicated it is, the better they are as pilots. I hate to disappoint anyone, but this is simply not true. The size or weight of an aircraft has nothing to do with determining a pilot’s skill level.
The true measure of a pilot is shown by whatever the pilot puts into the task of flying and what he/she takes away from that task and what it means to them. In other words, the more work and preparation a pilot puts into a flight and the pride they take away from the flight is the true measure of being a professional aviator.
It is important to learn something from every flight we make. We can either learn more about the aircraft, the people we fly with or even about ourselves. We can learn from how we plan for a flight, how we react to situations, and how we make flights safer as we gain experience. The pilot who boasts that they “just get in and go” is not a professional aviator—these types of pilots are missing the very essence of the responsibility of flight and are not the ambassadors we need to move aviation forward in the 21st century.
Fly Safe! Will Rondeau