Do you agree with "The Pilot Personality" Article
09-18-2007, 12:56 AM
#1
On Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: May 2006
Posts: 15
Do you agree with "The Pilot Personality" Article
I found this article a bit "negative" about pilot in certain areas. What do you think?
__________________________________________________ _____________
The Pilot Personality
Pilots are a distinct segment of the general population. In addition to flying skills, pilots are selected for their personalities and for a distinct "pilot persona." These characteristics make them safer pilots.
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. There are those, however who would dispute this claim.
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. In moderation, this quality serves them well within their environment and is, in fact, a quality that managements look for in the pilot personality. 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. The suspicious/paranoid tendency also affects the way pilots function in their private lives, as well.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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. The spouses and children of pilots frequently complain that the pilot has difficulty expressing complex human emotions toward them.
This emotional "block" can create difficulty communicating. How many incidents or accidents have occurred due to poor communications? The vast majority of Professional Standards cases will be caused by poor communication.
Courtesy of ALPA
__________________________________________________ _____________
The Pilot Personality
Pilots are a distinct segment of the general population. In addition to flying skills, pilots are selected for their personalities and for a distinct "pilot persona." These characteristics make them safer pilots.
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. There are those, however who would dispute this claim.
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. In moderation, this quality serves them well within their environment and is, in fact, a quality that managements look for in the pilot personality. 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. The suspicious/paranoid tendency also affects the way pilots function in their private lives, as well.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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. The spouses and children of pilots frequently complain that the pilot has difficulty expressing complex human emotions toward them.
This emotional "block" can create difficulty communicating. How many incidents or accidents have occurred due to poor communications? The vast majority of Professional Standards cases will be caused by poor communication.
Courtesy of ALPA
09-18-2007, 05:19 AM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: B-737
Posts: 392
Originally Posted by sfblue
I found this article a bit "negative" about pilot in certain areas. What do you think?
__________________________________________________ _____________
The Pilot Personality
Pilots are a distinct segment of the general population. In addition to flying skills, pilots are selected for their personalities and for a distinct "pilot persona." These characteristics make them safer pilots.
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. There are those, however who would dispute this claim.
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. In moderation, this quality serves them well within their environment and is, in fact, a quality that managements look for in the pilot personality. 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. The suspicious/paranoid tendency also affects the way pilots function in their private lives, as well.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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. The spouses and children of pilots frequently complain that the pilot has difficulty expressing complex human emotions toward them.
This emotional "block" can create difficulty communicating. How many incidents or accidents have occurred due to poor communications? The vast majority of Professional Standards cases will be caused by poor communication.
Courtesy of ALPA
__________________________________________________ _____________
The Pilot Personality
Pilots are a distinct segment of the general population. In addition to flying skills, pilots are selected for their personalities and for a distinct "pilot persona." These characteristics make them safer pilots.
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. There are those, however who would dispute this claim.
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. In moderation, this quality serves them well within their environment and is, in fact, a quality that managements look for in the pilot personality. 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. The suspicious/paranoid tendency also affects the way pilots function in their private lives, as well.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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. The spouses and children of pilots frequently complain that the pilot has difficulty expressing complex human emotions toward them.
This emotional "block" can create difficulty communicating. How many incidents or accidents have occurred due to poor communications? The vast majority of Professional Standards cases will be caused by poor communication.
Courtesy of ALPA
Pilots are black and white, right or wrong, yes or no, on or off, 0 or 1. There is no in between. These traits keep us alive when the chips are down. On the hand, these same traits work against at the negotiating table, which is the negative part. It's important to understand this if we are ever going to regain some of the economic benefits of being an aviator.
09-18-2007, 06:02 AM
#5
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2007
Position: CRJ-200/700 FO
Posts: 106
not sure what the whole purpose of the article was anyway...yes our jobs are rather unique and require a certain skillset......but as pilots we are not god's gift to humanity. some people make way too big a deal sometimes.
09-18-2007, 07:30 AM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: Q400 survivor
Posts: 537
Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop
Except for the fact that it said we are generally intelligent, I would say that most of it is spot on.
i've even flown with a couple that couldn't pull the yoke all the way back due to their gut getting in the way
09-18-2007, 07:42 AM
#9
Beaches and Sand
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Position: Chasing Surf
Posts: 368
Pretty good but I lost connection on my Iphone. Luckily I can check it out at home since I had to drop a trip due to my family needing to "talk" with me about whatever. Something about me not getting them?
Anyway, anybody seen the new trek bike? I was getting my Rolex its five year update and talking with this guy about one....... (Sarcasm in all).
Yes it is spot on.
Anyway, anybody seen the new trek bike? I was getting my Rolex its five year update and talking with this guy about one....... (Sarcasm in all).
Yes it is spot on.
09-18-2007, 07:54 AM
#10
APC co-founder
Joined APC: Feb 2005
Position: B777
Posts: 5,853
Regarding the article, it was the product of profiling done by an airline management (not ALPA). The reason that we've published it is to give an insight into how at least one airline management (via industrial psychologists) "sees" pilots. While the findings are generalizations, they can be used to "push buttons" in day-to-day operations as-well-as in negotiations.
Last edited by HSLD; 09-18-2007 at 08:14 AM.
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