Right I agree with some points and disagree with others.. Hmmm.. Seperating truth from speculation in that article is about as complex as the pilot persona. I will break it down.
Quote:
|
Pilots tend to be physically and mentally healthy. Pilots tend to be "reality based," because by the very nature of their work they are constantly testing reality.
|
No and no... I have seen plenty of out of shape gigantic pilots, I saw a guy flying an Embraer 145 who could probably get the yoke back like one previous poster mentioned. Mentally healthy? Not anymore than the general population. NASA is now realizing that even there super-human astronaut candidates have bouts with depression and anxiety that the general population has. This is normal. The brain is dynamic and there is no clear up exception for aviators. I do agree with the testing reality part however.
Quote:
|
Pilots tend to be self-sufficient and may have difficulty functioning in team situations without CRM and other training. They have difficulty trusting anyone to do the job as well as they can. Pilots tend to be suspicious, even a little paranoid
|
I absolutely agree with this. Pilots are also occasionally serious hypochondriacs... met a few. But not all. I have seen some that couldn't give a rip, its a mix up, but most seem to be slightly paranoid about something.
Quote:
|
Outside the cockpit, this quality shows up in the tendency of many pilots to set two or three alarm clocks-- even though he or she may generally wake up before any of the pilots go off.
|
Guilty!
Quote:
|
Pilots tend to be intelligent but are typically not intellectually oriented. They like "toys"-- boats, cars, motorcycles, big watches, etc. They are good at taking things apart, if not putting them back together. Pilots are concrete, practical, linear thinkers rather than abstract, philosophical, or theoretical. On a scale that ranges from analytically oriented to emotionally oriented, pilots tend to be toward the analytical end.
|
I don't agree with the "not intellectually" oriented part. I have met some seriously nerdy nerd pilots in my years flying and in and around airports. I have seen a lot of professors from my local university who fly. I have seen some extremely nerdy book worm corporate pilots. I am pretty sure, we are all nerds in some shape or form. I read books all the time, and I am a biology major/chemistry minor, because business bores the crap out of me! Now I also think that pilots are concrete thinkers as well and tend to be more analytical than emotional. However having said that I have seen some pilots who are wonderful fathers, and you can't be a loving wonderful dad by crunching numbers all the time. What about Bach, St. Exupery, Buck???
Quote:
|
They are extremely reality- and goal-oriented. They like lists showing concrete problems, not talking about them. This goal orientation tends towards the short term as opposed to the long term. Pilots are bimodal: on/off, black/white, good/bad, safe/unsafe, regulations/non-regulations.
|
Yes pilots are extremely goal oriented, and yes we really like lists... But I am an instructor and I like talking about them. And I have a lot of long term goals. What the hell? Bimodal?
[quote]on/off, black/white, good/bad, safe/unsafe, regulations/non-regulations.[quote]
It seems to me that pilots work in a very complex environment and that description doesn't seen to allow much adaptability... just my thoughts.
Quote:
|
Pilots are inclined to modify their environment rather than their own behavior. Pilots need excitement; a 9-to-5 job would drive most pilots to distraction.
|
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... ok.... I guess I can buy that in a lot of cases. still not buying the "bimodal" stuff entirely...
Quote:
|
Pilots are competitive, being driven by a need to achieve, and don't handle failure particularly well. Pilots have a low tolerance for personal imperfection, and long memories of perceived injustices.
|
That is absolutely no crap!
Quote:
|
Pilots tend to be scanners, drawing conclusions rapidly about situational facts. Pilots scan people as if they were instruments; they draw conclusions at a glance rather than relying on long and emotion-laden converstaions
|
Yep, I can't even begin to imagine how many times I have said "she's a bleeeeep" only to have her turn out to be a really nice girl... I might want to go out with her yet! thats just an example, I do it with all people. And if you screw with me, I may forgive you, but don't think i will forget it!
Quote:
|
Pilots avoid introspection and have difficulty revealing, expressing, or even recognizing their feelings. When they do experience unwanted feelings, they tend to mask them, sometimes with humor or even anger. Being unemotional helps pilots deal with crises, but can make them insensitive toward the feelings of others.
|
Yes and no. I don't avoid instrospection, but I will straight up mask my problems for sure. I don't know if it helps me with crises or not. I know a ton of pilots that are not sensative towards the feelings of others. I am not one of those pilots.
Quote:
|
The spouses and children of pilots frequently complain that the pilot has difficulty expressing complex human emotions toward them.
|
My wife will most likely complain about my refusal to grow up... Its never too late to have a happy childhood! Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional!
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........
Ok by the way - these are just my opinions. In my years of intellectual development and observation of people, I have noticed that humans are work of diversity, and these characteristics that ALPA published may be trends, but I really don't think their data is really that deep seated in reality. I am NOT just a walking cold calculator... I am loaded with passion, and enthusiasm... There are many pilot philosphers out there. There are many pilot engineers out there.
Things are NOT black and white...
I may get chewed up now...
LinkBacks (?)
Linear Mode
