Originally Posted by
Dingus
Maybe some of you are familiar with Reddit. It's a fairly common and exciting circumstance with someone of note does an AMA. An "ask me anything." This is an Internet forum platform where folks can ask someone anything they want. Most people who do an AMA do an excellent job of being honest and answering questions as best they can.
Here's why I bring up the idea. I'm new to the airline world, but I'm disappointed by what I've seen. People who are too smart to be herded like sheep end up swept up in a world of rumor and speculation. Some profit while others suffer from a severe life and low pay.
I've yet to meet a pilot who has any concrete knowledge of what the company he or she works for makes on top of their efforts.
I've yet to meet anyone who has a connection to any actual knowledge about how the company they work for functions.
I know some of you reading are veterans and have more knowledge than I, but still. If your CEO did an AMA, an "ask me anything," what would you ask? What would you ask if you could get a clear answer that made the process you support transparent?
You will find the same conditions in most other jobs as well. I've worked with attorneys and doctors. Guess what? The same thing exists there (on some levels worse than pilots. I'm convinced that most lawyers are mentally ill). I had a doctor tell me always wished he could be an airline pilot while I told him I really wanted to be a doctor. The grass seems greener anywhere you look. In any for profit industry, as well as some non-profit ones, there will always be this feeling of disconnection. It's a job. Like taking a dump, I do it but give little thought or emotion to the task.
The pilots with whom I enjoyed trips spoke very little of the company or its problems and shared their interests outside of aviation. I am amazed at how many talented musicians and artists we have among the pilot ranks. That is where I found the "glue" that keeps us working together as a crew for many days in narrow tubes across many miles.
I would not be able to ask a question that has already not been asked to other CEOs of other companies and would expect the same answers. As one other poster said, sociopathic or narcissistic behavior runs amok within the executive ranks. It's all the same no matter where you look.