Originally Posted by
winglet
Good Post,
Oh, and for those of you I offended. Good! It means I described what you know is true. Put down the magazine, unplug the I-Pod, skip a drink, and crack a book occasionally. Go read an airplane book (start with an Aircraft Recognition Handbook), build an aviation library, hand fly more often, make a small effort to increase your aviation knowledge, observe the good pilots you fly with, ask yourself what makes them good. Take note of the bad habits of the crappy pilots you fly with and vow not to become like them. Oh and since I'm at it, go and get some quality cross-wind landing instruction and then read "Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" or "Fly the Wing" or "Fate is the Hunter", etc.
You'll find that with a continued desire to gain knowledge and experience, and the attempt to be your best, you'll develop the real confidence along with the real competence you've been faking thus far. You're an AIRLINE PILOT, act like one.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Now let's all get out there and reclaim the profession.
Winglet Out!
Another thing I found as useful reading for pilots in the NTSB website. It may seem gory or odd to some to read accident reports, but you truly learn from other's mistakes or misfortunes. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, you may not let it escalate the way the ones in the report did. There is also a book called "They called it pilot error". The book contains all stories of aircraft incidents that were blamed on pilots.
Aviation is a place where you should never stop learning, which is one thing that keeps it interesting. If you ever sit back and say to yourself "Well, I know all they is to know 'bout this aviatin' stuff" then quit right away before you hurt yourself or others.