AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2018 - 14

LETTERS

FROM OUR JULY 2018 ISSUE

Job satisfaction
Readers say Ian J. Twombly's account of airlines snapping up pilots rings true.

Mike Ramaha
AOPA 4340459
Temecula, California

As a captain for a major U.S.
airline I read with interest Ian
J. Twombly's article about the
effects of the airline pilot shortage. I have enjoyed a wonderful
flying career but people starting out in aviation need to do
so with open eyes.
The first issue is cost. I have
carried regional airline pilots on
my jump seat who owe nearly a
quarter of a million dollars in
aviation-related student loans.
If you are not going to be trained
by the U.S. military (as I was),
plan accordingly.
The second is technology.
Pilots starting now will see
the single-piloted commercial
14 | AOPA PILOT September 2018

PILOT BRIEFING
MUSINGS

matter how qualified you are-
there will simply be no airline
jobs available. Airlines are businesses; some thrive, some go
bankrupt, and others vanish.
This does not mean young
people should abandon the
dream of a career as an airline
pilot. There is no better office
view in the world. Just realize that, like all careers, there
are risks over which you will
have no control. The important thing is that if you decide
to become an airline pilot do so
because you love to fly.
HEADLINES THAT
AFFECT YOU

I was happy he was going to learn to fly, but jealous that his
opportunity was coming at such an early age.

Passing of the
headset
Memories, regrets, and inspiration on a first flying day
BY KEN LINDSEY

AN INVITATION is meant to convey importance and value.
When someone values you enough to want you to share an
important moment in their life, they invite you to that event.
When my 15-year-old grandson, Matt, invited me to share his
special event of escaping the surly bonds of Earth on his first
introductory flight in a machine heavier than air, I felt that
sense of value.
Last summer, Matt flew to Seattle with a group of young
people to participate in an international quizzing program.
Flying at 30,000 feet, he was infected with the aviation bug.
When Matt returned home, he talked nonstop about flying.

So, for Christmas, his parents surprised him with a gift certificate for an introductory flight at a local airport. With a sense
of joy and excitement fanned by my own love of flying, my
wife and I drove from Nichols, New York, to Milford, Ohio,
to be cheerleaders on Matt's special day.
I packed one of my two David Clark headsets in an AOPA
case as a gift. The idea of giving it to Matt made me feel as if
I would own a part in his new adventure.
Saturday morning arrived, charged with excitement as
the family climbed into the van and headed to Clermont
County Airport in Ohio. This turned out to be a double treat

STUART BRIERS

I really enjoyed Ian J. Twombly's
article "Snapped Up" in July's
AOPA Pilot. I recently was
"snapped up" as well. I was a
sheriff 's deputy in Southern
California and felt I needed
a change. Even though I took
a pay cut to make the transition, I have never been happier.
The stress of police work could
sometimes follow me home, but
since flying professionally that's
all behind me.
The job satisfaction I have
getting my passengers to their
destinations safely is fulfilling. The quality of life I have
with family is more than we all
expected.
Thanks for putting out a
great article. Nice to know I am
not the only one out there who
took the leap of faith. Don't
regret it for second.

40 | AOPA PILOT July 2018

for me since Clermont County is the home
of Sporty's Pilot Shop, where my headsets
were purchased using their online services.
Walking into Sporty's, I was like a kid walking into a candy store filled with delightful
treats-a true mixture of museum and
aviation.
We were warmly greeted by Trey, a
young man with a firm handshake, who was
Matt's flight instructor for the morning.
After initial introductions, the family took
the elevator to the second floor where we
could observe Matt and Trey as they walked
past a lineup of gorgeous Skyhawks-each
one begging for the air-until finally reaching the chosen one. I felt a sense of pride
watching Matt carry his headset alongside
Trey carrying his. The headset dangling
from his left hand gave the appearance that
he was already a part of the flying world.
Watching them from the observation deck, I could almost hear what Trey
was saying as they arrived at the airplane
for the preflight inspection. I became the
interpreter for the eagerly watching family, answering their questions at each stage
of the preflight inspection: "What are they
doing now?" Later, Matt said that when he
put on his headset, Trey remarked, "Your
headset looks just like mine."
"They will start taxing and then stop to
check the brakes," I explained to the family-which they did, then off they went
down the taxiway heading for Runway 22.
In the absence of questions, my thoughts
now turned inward as I remembered when
I walked toward a Cessna for the first time
and headed for the right side of the airplane.
But then I was directed to the pilot's seat by
the instructor, who jokingly declared that he
was along just for the ride.
Strange feelings of envy challenged my
feelings of joy for Matt. I was happy that
he was going to learn to fly, but jealous
that his opportunity was coming at such
an early age. I earned my certificate at the
age of 67, purchased a Cessna Skyhawk,
and flew for eight years. Eventually, I sold

Recent news from the aviation world

it after retirement and haven't flown since
then. I envied the young flight instructors
who had years of flying adventures ahead of
them who could climb into a Skyhawk and
own the sky for a few hours or experience
the delight of teaching others how to command an airplane from the ground to the air
and back again.
I watched the line crew guiding airplanes after landing to their taxied spots
welcoming pilots to Clermont County. If I
could turn the clock back, I would train for
a flight instructor certificate or even gladly
become a "hangar bum." Or, in some other
way, step back into that secluded world of
aviation; but Father Time only smiles without any reset. It was a great day, however,
even with the emotional struggle. The invitation, the headset, and being the family
interpreter delivered me from a total emotional grounding.
After landing, Trey filled out Matt's flight
certificate and entered 0.6 in Matt's first logbook. He then expressed appreciation that
we had come and encouraged Matt to continue flying. Back in the family van, Matt,
who was all smiles since landing, expressed
with great enthusiasm that he had taxied
the airplane, rotated it on takeoff, and flew
except for taking pictures, which immediately found their way onto Facebook.
Matt's experience rekindled the spark
for flying within me as I wondered what to
do. Make an appointment to see if I can pass
the physical, and then rent an airplane? Or
fire up my simulator in the basement and
be content to fly there? Or, be satisfied to fly
vicariously through Matt in his future experiences and just "suck it up" and deal with
the generational shift?
I will not use the headset I gave Matt
again, but only hope that he will find hours
of fun-filled adventures listening through
them. The headset has successfully transitioned the generational shift, and I will, too.
KEN LINDSEY is a private pilot living in

upstate New York.

VIRGIN GALACTIC SPACESHIP FLIES
AFTER FOUR-YEAR HIATUS
Richard Branson says his space
tourism venture is "back on track"
after a 2014 fatal crash of SpaceShipOne.
-Flying magazine

MICHAEL GOULIAN LEADS
RED BULL AIR RACES
Michael Goulian is the lead racer
with 24 points in the Red Bull Air
Races as the event moves to Budapest, Hungary, June 23 and 24.
-AOPA Online
AOPA'S WINGS 'N WHEELS
ATTENDANCE JUMPS
The third annual AOPA Wings 'n
Wheels at Frederick Municipal Airport in Maryland was the biggest
yet, drawing an estimated 6,500
people, an increase of more than
50 percent compared to the previous year.
-AOPA Online
DOORS-OFF HELICOPTER FLIGHTS
MAY RESUME
The FAA has established a procedure for commercial helicopter
operators to secure permission to
resume doors-off flights. The FAA
had issued an emergency order
prohibiting helicopters for hire
to remove doors after a March 11
helicopter crash in New York City's
East River.
-AOPA Online
SFRA, LEESBURG AIRSPACE
DEVIATIONS MOUNT
Spring is here, flying is enjoying a
seasonal uptick-and so are pilot
violations of the Washington, D.C.,
Special Flight Rules Area and Flight
Restricted Zone, and failures to follow correct operating procedures
for arriving and departing at Leesburg Exeutive Airport in Virginia via
the Leesburg Maneuvering Area,
located just inside the northwestern sector of the SFRA, the FAA
said.
-AOPA Online
EMBRAER UNVEILS ELECTRIC
AIR TAXI CONCEPT
Embraer unveiled its concept for an
electric air taxi capable of rooftop
service at the Uber Elevate Summit.
-AOPA Online

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 41

Ken Lindsey's article
"Passing of the
Headset" just floored
me. His bittersweet
tale and the topic
covered was so
eloquently brought
to life in his words.
Made my day!

Mark Becerra
AOPA 7314449
Harlingen, Texas

transport during their flying careers. The U.S. military,
Airbus, and Boeing are all
hard at work at this with artificial intelligence and remote
monitoring. It will happen-be
prepared for far slower career
progression than you may have
been led to believe.
The third is that the
demand for pilots works like
a light switch. When the economy turns down it will not

Guy Wroble
AOPA 3510812
Denver, Colorado

Tuning out

Thank you for the July
"Dogfight" discussion on music
in the cockpit. I particularly
enjoyed Dave Hirschman's
article because it is the view
contrary to my own and therefore motivated me to think
more about the topic.
In my airplane, I operate in
a mode where nothing mutes
the music. However, I prioritize ATC communications by
way of volume control.
I keep the music at a relatively low volume, and I keep
the com radios at a relatively

high volume. I can't recall
ever missing a call from ATC
because my music was playing. On the other hand, I can
remember missing radio calls
due to being involved in deep
conversation with enthusiastic passengers.
I also treat the music
as low-priority in other
ways. I don't turn it on until
t h e d e p a r t u re wo r k l o a d
decreases. I also turn the
music off at least 10 minutes
prior to arrival (usually 20
prior) so that there is no risk
of distraction in the terminal
or pattern environment.
In terms of being sensitive to the musical tastes of
my guests, there was the time
I had an "experienced gentleman" in the right seat. Out
of respect, I tuned up some
majestic '40s music for him.
Only to learn that shortly after
takeoff he had unplugged his
headset to enjoy the quiet.
I listened to his music the
whole flight for nothing.
David Bunin
AOPA 1363854
Rockwall, Texas

Up the ranks

To Barry Schiff's first question
about military pilots who rose

Have you filed a confidential, voluntary, nonpunitive report
to the aviation safety reporting system (commonly known
as a NASA report)?
4%
Yes

53%

43%

Not sure what a NASA report is

Aviation eBrief poll

43%

53%

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2018

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