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So you have a dream of flying airplanes. Not a Cessna 150 around the pattern. Not an old twin engine airplane with questionable maintenance. But a jet. Maybe a CRJ200 or even a Boeing 787. You could. But you need to act soon.

Why do I say this?

You have to take the big picture. Think about where the airplane industry has been over the last decade…then…think about about the future.

• The airlines have cut everything: pensions, labor costs, salaries, amenities, etc.
• They have extended the retirement age.
• They have had bankruptcies.
• The FAA has made getting hired by the airlines more difficult.
• The cost of getting your airplane certificates and ratings is so expensive that most people are in debt for years and for what? So that you can get hired by a regional airline for $20,000 a year, with no chance of upgrade in sight?

Well, that is going to change.

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In 2000, I left a nicely paying programmer’s job to become a pilot. OK, what was I thinking? I know what I was thinking, I wanted to live my dream of being an airline pilot, eventually.

Before I made my decision to the world, i.e., my close friends, colleagues, and my boss, I did a lot of research. But before I knew it, I had made of my mind. I was  going to take the plunge regardless of what my friends said and regardless of what the economy was doing. I was going to make it happen.

Granted the economy was a little better off then. Pilots at regional airlines were upgrading fast, getting their 1000 hours PIC and moving onto the majors. It was a good time, or the good ‘ol days as they say.

Then 9/11, and the world crumbled as well as my airline career. Poof! It was gone. Or so I thought. Actually it was just suspended but at the time I didn’t know it. I always joke with my friends that I should have gone back into programming and maybe, just maybe, my life would be better than it is now. It’s a grass is always greener kind of thing.

But I didn’t quit. I couldn’t! The desire to fly was still to strong. I couldn’t walk away. The resolve to become a pilot was so strong that I never thought that anything would get in my way. I could live through the dip. I couldn’t express it at the time, in fact I didn’t even know that it was there, but it was. Looking back I see it but at the time, I didn’t. So after a couple of months, I did what I had to do to get a job flight instructing again. Suddenly the clouds parted and I was back doing what I loved. Back on track.

All through it I somehow knew that everything was going to workout.

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One of the longest and most treasured privileges of being an airline pilot and in some cases a charter pilot, is the ability to ride on the flight deck jumpseat or jumpseats, i.e., the unoccupied seat on the flight deck.

However, with that said, the jumpseat’s primary function is to enable company check airman or an FAA Inspector to perform line checks on pilots.

As we all know though, since many pilots live in cities that are different than than where they are based, many commute to their domicile and this seat can be a life-saver for getting them to work.

Usually, if you are lucky, there will be at least one open seat in cabin and you won’t have to sit in the mostly, very uncomfortable jumpseat. I say that because the jumpseat on a Boeing 767 or Boeing 777 is almost just a comfortable as any seat on the airplane. On the CRJ or EMB airplanes, ouch, not fun to sit in at all.

So if you have to sit in the jumpseat, there are three things you should remember:

• Jumpseating is regulated by FAR 121.547, Admission to the Flight Deck, and applies no matter which seat you are in: jumpseat or in main cabin.
• While jumpseating, you represent your airline and the airline profession. Maintaining professionalism at all times is paramount.
• Jumpseating is not a right but a courtesy offered to all pilots in our profession, and it is our obligation to remain courteous to everyone we come in contact with.

FAR 121.547, Admission to the Flight Deck

FAR 121.547 covers many jumpseating issues and it would be wise to review it if you are new to jump seating. What is important to remember about FAR 121.547 is that this regulation allows pilots to occupy the cockpit jumpseat as an “additional crewmember,” and not as non-revenue passengers.

FAR 121.547 allows Pilot in Command (PIC) to exclude any person from the flight deck in the interest of safety. So even though you may be authorized to ride in the jumpseat, the captain may say “no” in the interest of safety. It is within their right to do so.

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As I write this, I’m sitting in Salt Lake City airport waiting for my flight home.

I just finished three days of training. Day one was recurrent ground and days two and three were the CRJ200 and CRJ700 simulator training.

Day one, the ground portion is always interesting. And I don’t mean that sarcastically. I mean it in a good way. The reason, because I learn something new every time and I re-learn something that I forgot. “

It is also a good time to meet new pilots and flight attendants plus reacquaint yourself with some pilots and flight attendants you may not have seen in awhile.

The airlines are funny that way. You may fly with a pilot or flight attendant but then never see them for several years, much less remember their name.

Anyway, so what are a few of the things that I learned this time around?

Outside the normal airline gossip, I learned that proper rest and proper nutrition are essential to avoiding mishaps. As it turns out, if you are not properly rested, your chances of missing something that leads to an accident goes up considerably as your reaction time goes down. Last year we had discussed this and had separated the words “tired” and “fatigue.” This year the instructors retracted that and said that they were the same. Surprise! Either way, we discussed when it is time to call into crew support and get yourself off the trip because you are a threat to your job and the safety in the airplane. Only you know were you say enough is enough. You can read more about the proposed pilot rest rules that are on the horizon here.

Go read this my last blog entry, that talks about staying healthy on the road. Remember saying healthy is just as important as getting rest.

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Pilots have it tough when it comes to staying healthy and staying fit. OK, yeah, it’s been a tough year physically for me. Since transferring up to Denver, my trips are more efficient which leaves me less time to work out on overnights.

Also, my days tend to be longer which means that I’m usually too (mentally) tired to work out. If I don’t get into the hotel and change into running clothes immediately, I won’t do it.

It’s sad to say but my waist is a little bigger, my pants are little tighter, and my running has seriously dropped off.

Plus, my eating choices have been strained too.

Download the Top 10 Travel Secrets to Lose Fat on the Road

And here is one more lame excuses, I fly into Canada a lot more and so my ability to take health fresh fruits and vegetables are greatly reduced. It seems in Canada, they are more worried about you bringing alcohol and cigarettes in from the states, probably so they can tax you on it, than bringing anything else in.

But when going back to the United States, it’s all about the fruits and meats. Never mind that you may have brought it from the states, you still have to go through Agriculture when you get back. It is always crazy to me because I never know when something is “in season” and when something isn’t, so I’ve had more than one discussion with Agriculture about that banana I’m bring back into the United States and how it is going to bring down civilization as we know it. They don’t know either sometimes.

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