Originally Posted by
CE750
I agree.. I recall when I was at a then well respected Southeastern "commuter" how many of the pilots (oddly the more senior ones) were so sloppy looking or in some cases completely out of uniform and contrasting it to the DAL pilots who (say what you want about them) were always in uniform..
If you want to get paid like a professional, then dress like one..
Here in the cargo world, we wear what ever we like once the cockpit door is closed, but at all times while in the sight of customers/and the public we are in uniform.. and I've year to see anyone who doesn't wear it properly and with some pride.
Good post Saab..
My dad got onto me about being professional and it cost me about $100 bucks in alterations. He gave me a number to a lady that does a bunch of alterations for him/his other fedex co-workers in the memphis suburb area. I am far from the "sloppy" pilot and get my stuff dry cleaned every 2 weeks and home dry cleaned every time I come home from a trip. I cant wear pilot shirts "out of the box" b/c I have a size 17 neck and 34in. waist- yea I think its called excercise if you are fat. I had never tailored shirts but man does it make a difference to have them tailored. The "V" just makes the suit instead of the shirt being all bunched up at the waist. You can shine your shoes 2-3 times a month (takes a whole 5 minutes) and keeping yourself well-groomed should not just be a "professional" pride, but a pride in yourself. If your shirt has the "yellow rim" at the neck- you can bleach it, takes NO extra time! I have a pair of raybans that I have had for a few years that I wear while flying- if I go into the terminal and forget to take them off beforehand they can fit in the inside pocket of the sportcoat or you can put them on top of your head if its for just a minute (such as running from the plane up to the gate agent for paperwork or something). As far as ipods- while deadheading or jumpseating I will use it in the back, in the cockpit or walking through the terminal its unprofessional in my opinion. I know some use IPODS while flying but how would you explain an incident investigation if it came back that you missed a radio call cause you were "jammin" and you almost hit another plane? Do you see businessmen walking through the airport with them on? Until we are in the cockpit how do we appear any different to the public while in our suit compared to business men in suits? Everyone can talk about reputations, cause everyone has one- its just a matter of "do you fit in" to the norm. I have had CA's put on the XM or MP3 player, and I dont say anything- but about 75% of the radio transmissions that the CA's have missed also have an amazing statistic of listening to something else through the ears. But- thats why there are 2 of us up there! These are just my opinions...