Character Analysis - The Atypical Aviator

Coffee. Couch. Bed. Repeat.
That basically describes the last several days. Thus, I am able to offer my loyal audience no event-based update for the past two days. Thursday warranted a narrative solely due to the training and subsequent flight with Dan, which I sought independently and outside of the sanctioned training curriculum set forth by the company. Since my boredom these last few days has granted me a lot of time to think, and since I am also chastised when I don't update frequently, I've decided to step outside the box and offer an introspective post. That being said, today's Weekend Update will be a character study, based on my own self-image as it is compared to the world around me.

You may find this difficult to believe, but I'm rather strange. It's hard to believe, I know, but please try to mitigate the shock that you must feel as I offer the following evidence. Generally speaking, when compared to the average 21st century pilot (we'll call him Captain GenX), I find myself to be the odd duck. I'm a pilot and a member of this population, yet I stand out amongst the crowd. Not necessarily in a good or bad way, I just don't fit the mold of a young pilot in this generation. This, obviously, contributes to the slightly relieved, but still ever-present, social anxiety which I face in this program. During my time in Atlanta, I was able to observe a great many other pilots that are roughly at the same point in their career (or very near) as me, although pilots at this juncture are usually slightly older than me. The average pilot at this stage in his career seems to usually be in his mid to late 20's (I'm 22), and a Caucasian, heterosexual male (guilty as charged). Specimens from this same demographic often transit the facility to which I am currently assigned, thereby allowing continued satisfaction of my people-watching hobby. These aviators reflect a generally accurate, majority representation of this experience-based demographic. I assert this based on the random sampling of individuals with whom I have interacted during my six-ish years in aviation, not just the pilots in this program. My experiences lead me to identify three main areas of difference between me and the average junior pilot: attire, flying style, and conduct.
First off, and most obvious, is the simple fact that I don't look anything like them. I dress totally different than most other pilots my age. A polo shirt, casual leather shoes, and nice blue jeans are my every-day-of-the-week attire. You've all seen it. It's how I look on any given day. That might seem strange that this is unusual, but you'd be surprised what some of these people wear. And in Atlanta, I was the one considered to be in violation of facility dress code. Half of them looked totally ridiculous; I've come to learn that they are members of what is known as the "emo" movement. Don't try to church it up, son. Whatever you call it, it still looks ridiculous. I often wondered if I missed the memo on some specially themed dress-up day. "On Monday, everybody dresses like a band member from Devo!" or something idiotic like that. In contrast with the other half of that spectrum, I also do not appear as if I just strolled off the set of Top Gun. I wear neither wrap-around Oakleys nor the big gawdy sunglasses that one might expect to see on a Texas State Trooper (You in a heap 'a trouble, boy!). Simple, metal-framed Revo's suffice for me. I'm certainly not muscular, and I'd probably sooner die than pay a gym membership (You mean to tell me that if I pay somebody a monthly fee, that they'll let me come inside once a day and lift something heavy? Sign me up!). My hair is neither bleach blond nor spiked, and I could never be mistaken for Iceman, Hollywood, Wolfman, Slider, or any of the other stereotypical, silver screen military pilots. I stress the word "military" because some of these people also seem to have forgotten that we're flying twin-engine, propeller-driven grocery-getters, not Tomcats or Hornets, and that no one is particularly impressed. Least of all, me.
This brings me to my next point: flying style. Captains GenX tend to fly completely different than I do, and often heckle me for it. The average Captain GenX will brag often about the things he has done in his aircraft (forgetting again that it is not one of the aforementioned fighter jets), and is, actually, usually accurate in his boasting. I've been able to fly with several members of this species, and frankly they'll scare you to death. I don't like flying with them at all, because I believe them to be members of a grand conspiracy to end my time on this earth prematurely. They're the kind of people that yell to their buddies, "Hey! Watch this!" Bending the rules (and sometimes the airplane), and always pushing the envelope to see just how far they can, are the main items in their repertoire. The pursuit of bragging rights doesn't interest me. "War stories" make for great hangar talk, but pitiful eulogies. My grandfather always said, "there are old pilots and bold pilots, but not too many old bold pilots." I believe this, so as a result, various Captains GenX have accused me of flying an airplane like an old lady drives to church. I'm rather proud of that, actually. I subscribe to the philosophy set forth by the great 80s band, Whitesnake: Slow and Easy. It is my opinion that John Q. Passenger is often much more impressed with a smooth, easy flight as opposed to an impromptu attempt at an aerobatic display.
Third in the trio of traits is our conduct. The first impression I get from the average Captain GenX is one of immaturity, like the really obnoxious guy in front of you in the checkout line in Wal-Mart who curses repeatedly and laughs loudly into his iPhone. Again, no one is impressed. The average GenX'er is a loud, boisterous, hard-partying, overly-confident cigarette-smoker. He swaggers across the ramp as if he had ridden a horse to the airport. He moves hurriedly in all ways considered, and every single clone of Captain GenX seems to have the exact same accent, speech pattern, sentence structure, and lexicon. The ultimate cool guy. He carries himself as he has flown for 20 years. Captain GenX is absolutely confident that he has completely mastered the art of flying an airplane, and will gladly tell you that. He speaks in terse, rapid-fire phrases in the cockpit, whereas I am often slow and unsure of myself. As you have seen first hand, I'm full of self-doubt in my flying. I've not mastered it, and I don't ever plan to do so. There's always room for improvement, and plenty of ways to get yourself killed. I'm a pilot, yes. But I'll be the first one to tell you that I'm probably not a good one, and have never claimed to be "the best" (you'd be surprised how many times I've heard a pilot claim to be just that). I've also had several pilots and instructors get impatient with me for being slow in the airplane and cockpit processes. I'm still building my confidence, I admit that, but I don't like to get in a hurry. A pilot should project a confident air, to be sure, but not a reckless one. Nobody wants to ride with a cowboy, and as I've said for a while now, half of being a pilot is knowing when to say "no."
Being completely immersed in this population for the past month has been another source of anxiety for me. Aside from the fact that I don't enjoy being around Captain GenX (and steadfastly refuse to conform to the status quo), my disparity from the group often makes me wonder if I'm indeed supposed to be here. I don't act like the crowd. If this is the airline's everyman, and I'm so different, then how can there be room for me? The ALPA commissioned a great study on the successful airline pilot personality, which can be found here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I find several comforting traits in there that I also see in myself. And while I don't fit in with the GenX crowd, I have discovered that I seem to do well in the company of the senior aviation professionals on the field. Ed, Dennis, and Dan, for example. People with no false airs and nothing to prove. I'd rather be on the ground with Dennis as in the air with any Captain GenX. These people seem to accept me, and they're obviously successful in aviation. So maybe there is a place for me after all, who knows. I'm still not for sure about all of this, but I'm learning. One day at a time, to quote the great Hailey Dishman.


One day at a time.

Joey