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How is your health?

Mine is pretty good. I’m lucky.

Except for a bought with basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer) on my ear, I am hardly ever sick. And this is after flying around the country for hours on end in a silver tube with between 50 and 70 people from all walks of life carrying germs. I do this sometimes four times a day. Then after the flight, we, the crew, have to go through the cabin picking up snotty rags, leftover cups, crossing seatbelts, digging into seatback pockets and pulling out mysterious items. Yuck!…you say? Yeah, it can be nasty.

If you are a germ-a-phobe and are afraid of getting sick, this is not a job for you. It can be a bit disgusting. But for me, I don’t think twice about it.

And there are several reasons why…

First, my body is acclimated to it.

I’ve been flying these airplanes around for seven years plus I have a pre-school daughter. I’ve had my colds and sickness. I also have 30 million years of evolution behind me that say that most the time, I’m going to be able to fight off any germs that invade my body. If I get sick now, it’s most likely because I haven’t been taking care of myself or haven’t been washing my hands enough.

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I don’t know about you but I NEVER have enough time!

If I’m not flying, I’m doing military work. If I’m not doing that, then I’m usually fixing something around the house. And the list goes on…

It is a vicious cycle.

So I can’t even imagine what I would have to do if I had to prepare for another airline interview. I would have to brush up on my Airman Information Manual (AIM) knowledge. I would have to review my Part 61 and Part 91 Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR). I would really have to review all the information on being an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP).

And finally, I would definitely review my CRJ200 systems to make sure that I have it down solid.

Granted I have a good working knowledge of this information since I live and breath it practically every day. But interviews are something different and the obscure fun-facts-of-know-and-tell get pushed back deep into your memory until you need them.

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One of my favorite questions when flying with a new first officer is to find out how they paid for their flight training. It seems that everyone takes fairly different routes.

- Some have parents that pay for it.

- Some flew as officers in the military and let them pay for it, then made the transition to airline pilots.

- Some, and these are the majority, worked at it piece-by-piece-by-piece until they had achieved all their certificates and ratings and had enough hours become flight instructors and eventually apply at a freight company or interview at a regional airline. All the while going into substantial debt to do it.

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If you are an airline pilot, you always get a funny response when you tell someone you ”commute” to work. This is because when you say “commute,” you really mean that you drive to the airport, request the jumpseat, and fly from one city (your home most likely) to another city (your base), to go to work, all along hoping and praying that you won’t be bumped out of the jumpseat, that the airplane won’t break, or that weather won’t cancel the flight. It is by no means a “normal” commute, i.e., driving.

The reason I’m talking about this is because the other day I was notified that I was awarded ORD (Chicago O’hare)…AGAIN…which means I will start commuting…AGAIN! The reason I say “again” is because for the first three years of my career at SkyWest, I commuted either from ATL to SLC or I commuted from ATL to ORD.

Now many pilots “commute” to work. I don’t know the exact percentage, but it seems like a lot of pilots do. Being an airline pilot allows you the opportunity to live where you want to live and work from where you want to work even if you have to fly there. It’s a strange combination and a strange way of living…believe me. But there are things you can do to make it more enjoyable and less stressful, but I will get to that in a minute.

I got out of “commuting mode” when I transferred to COS back in April of 2007. It gave me a chance to spend more time with my family and not have to worry about “getting” to work.

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Are You Ready to Make Your Flying Dream Come True?

Now I have been an airplane lover since I was eight years old when my grandpa took me up in a Piper Cub. My love affair with aviation started that day and though I have had a lot of detours in my life, as you know, I ended up a captain at a regional airline flying the CRJ200.

If you like flying stories, Cubs on the Loose is an intriguing adventure of a Cub, NC87881, as she takes her pilot flying like in the beginning – without modern instrumentation and any restrictions. Lots of fun!

Well today I was given I treat that I wouldn’t have expected if you told me it would happen. We landed in LAX on 25R, after nearly taking out a taxi light clearing the runway, which I didn’t, thank you very much, we started our taxi to the south complex. As we are approaching taxiway ‘C,’ we notice a lot of cars, people, and a helicopter hovering overhead. We thought someone had gotten hurt or something of that nature. Well, as we turned the corner, there sits the Quantas Airbus A380 which had just landed. Wow! — What an airplane! — This thing is HUGE! (Oh, and by the way, that is a SkyWest Brasilia in the background.)

We continue to the gate and deplane. Several passengers thank us for pointing the airplane out and then they are gone. After our “chores” are done, my first officer and I start talking about how do you get to the point in your life that you are the captain on a such a revolutionary, exciting airplane as the Airbus A380.

Click for larger image

We basically conclude that it is a little bit of luck but that it is mostly dedication, perseverance, and a desire to achieve that level of flying. No doubt there is a tremendous amount of sacrifice as well.

I have found that people that fly airplanes for a living got there because they focused intently on achieving it. If you read my “About Me” page, you will see that I loved flying for a long time but circumstances pulled me away from it for a long time too. Then one day fate pushed me back into it and I never looked back. Once I made the decision to fly, I was totally focused on achieving that goal. All or nothing as I remember it.

But how do you get there?

Well unless you have a parent or relative that has flown for the airlines, it can be as confusing as any other endeavor. A mentor or someone that has gone through the process is always helpful, but, as in my case, I had to search out the information and then act on it and that is what I did. I bought the book, Professional Pilot Career Guide, which is a goldmine of practical tips on career opportunities, training, building flight time, and hiring practices. Another great resource, once you have your hours is Job Hunting for Pilots.

But I think the most important ingredient is “desire!” You have to stay focused, like a laser on want you want and then go after it!

So follow your dream and become a pilot, whether it is a recreational pilot or a professional pilot, but don’t stop till you get the certificate that you want. Pick up the books I mentioned then plot your course!

To Your Future Flying Success…

Jeffrey

P.S. Visit MyPilotStore for other great deals on aviation products!

Other articles you might be interested in:

• The Dreaded Airline Interview
• Five Things Every Pilot Needs to Know
• How To Become An Airline Pilot