Thank You
Posted: 15 Jul 2007, 15:42Last month, I changed my flights for my next holiday so I could extend my yearly jaunt across the pond by 2 days, and it got me thinking:
I pretty much work in a poorly air-conditioned office for getting on for 46 weeks of each calendar year, just so that I can spend 2 of the 6 weeks that I’m allowed to do my own thing on a weekday, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. I usually drive a very nice, comfortable car, that gets me from A to B and it regularly occurs to me that airline pilots must have one of the best jobs in the world. For a start, what a vehicle that you get to control on your “daily grind” and perhaps more enviable, what a feeling that you must get being able to see our planet from a few miles above the ground. I know it gives me goose pimples every time I see it from up there.
I recently was able to afford to hire a full motion simulator for an hour where an Easyjet First Officer guided me through how to fly the aircraft and the feelings and sounds were incredible. The experience left me considering my career and starting looking into doing this wonderful vocation on a full time basis. I didn’t realise before this, just how difficult it is to get into and costs an awful lot of money. It often results in huge debt to pay for the training and is a massive risk, just in case you don’t make it. Unfortunately, for me it’s going to have to stay a dream (until I win the lottery!).
The point of this post, is just to say “Thank You”, to all Captains, First Officers and other flight crew members, but especially those who work for Virgin Atlantic. I don’t think you are appreciated as much as you should be, after all, you make so many of our dreams (and business trips) possible. [^]
I pretty much work in a poorly air-conditioned office for getting on for 46 weeks of each calendar year, just so that I can spend 2 of the 6 weeks that I’m allowed to do my own thing on a weekday, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. I usually drive a very nice, comfortable car, that gets me from A to B and it regularly occurs to me that airline pilots must have one of the best jobs in the world. For a start, what a vehicle that you get to control on your “daily grind” and perhaps more enviable, what a feeling that you must get being able to see our planet from a few miles above the ground. I know it gives me goose pimples every time I see it from up there.
I recently was able to afford to hire a full motion simulator for an hour where an Easyjet First Officer guided me through how to fly the aircraft and the feelings and sounds were incredible. The experience left me considering my career and starting looking into doing this wonderful vocation on a full time basis. I didn’t realise before this, just how difficult it is to get into and costs an awful lot of money. It often results in huge debt to pay for the training and is a massive risk, just in case you don’t make it. Unfortunately, for me it’s going to have to stay a dream (until I win the lottery!).
The point of this post, is just to say “Thank You”, to all Captains, First Officers and other flight crew members, but especially those who work for Virgin Atlantic. I don’t think you are appreciated as much as you should be, after all, you make so many of our dreams (and business trips) possible. [^]