Originally Posted by
jayray2
Nice post, for the most part I agree with you and I understand that I am making vast generalizations. Yes, in both scenarios you are technically flying an airplane. However take an airline pilot 30 years ago and compare that to the job of a pilot in a CRJ today. The connection between pilot and aircraft is so far removed that pilots are now more a computer monitor/operator rather than a pilot. I think this was my point back in my original post. It is a lot more fun to fly a plane rather than just monitor it. There is no arguing that this is the current direction of aviation and I'm not saying that is bad - it is just the way it is. I've heard from 777 pilots that V1 cuts are so simple that sometimes they don't even notice they lost an engine, these are the kinds of things I am talking about.
Who is stopping you from flying it? Stop monitoring, & fly.
Originally Posted by
jayray2
I will offer the caveat that yes, there were exceptions to the rules when a flight crew is presented with a plethora of difficult decisions that a GA pilot could not even comprehend. This is the reason you have a job - if the possibility didn't exist for someone to have to make difficult decisions then there would in the end be no humans, just computers. This is however the exception and no where near the rule. I understand you had to make some difficult decisions about what flight level to fly but luckily there were two people thinking together. You don't think people in light aircraft have to make those same decisions. I understand there are more people in the back of your aircraft - does that change the way you make decisions? Give me an honest assessment was changing flight levels and going around thunderstorms that difficult of a decision? In 90% of flights what kind of decisions are you making?
Changing altitude in a C172 is hardly difficult, & certainly an easier then doing so in an airliner. You really can't go that high. More things must be considered in an airliner. In a C172 you won't even go near icing, where as in a airliner we operate in it everyday. Why is going around TS in an airliner any easier then in a C172? In a C172 you're moving much slower & have much more time to make a decision. You really shouldn't be operating a C172 around TS anyway.
Originally Posted by
jayray2
I never said your job was worthless or simple. And how am I wasting your time? See herein lies the problem in this industry, you prop this profession up to such a high level (maybe it deserves it and maybe it doesn't) that 10 pilots will always be right behind you to replace you at half your wage - it is sad. I am not saying I don't like being a pilot but I am not going to lie to myself so I can sleep tonight telling myself this job is something that it really isn't. I am not belittling this profession. I think pilots should be highly education, highly trained and highly paid professionals. As I passenger I would expect nothing less. And as a professional pilot I try to hold myself to a high standard of proficiency, professionalism and competency. I understand why it needs to be that way. This does not mean I think being a pilot is something that I need to over-glamorize put up on a pedestal.
Does it really bother you that much to think that on most days flying a 172 is harder than your current job? Does it bruise your ego that much that you have to come on her and tell me to quit my job because you don't agree with my opinion. We are just having a friendly discussion here.
I still don't see how flying a C172 is more difficult then flying an airliner.
Originally Posted by
jayray2
I never compared the level of responsibility. It started out by me saying that flying for the airlines is not as fun and actually quite removed from the actually flying of an airplane. And then I went on to say in most cases the pilot of a 172 has a plethora of decisions to make while airline pilots biggest decision is sugar or cream. I said in rare occasions this is not the case. This is why there are two pilots in the actual cockpit and not in some office somewhere flying remotely. For every Colgan or Air France accident I can give you 100 GA accidents - to me the crash statistics tell the whole story. Flying around in the aviation system outside an airline environment is more deadly by 100 times (yes, I made that number up). What does that tell you?
Did it ever cross your mind that this paragraph is completely proving our point? Those GA accidents occurred because the pilots made POOR decisions, just like AF 447 & Colgan 3407. Airline flying is less dangerous then GA not because it's easier, but rather because it's been made more SAFE.