Excargodog

Went in to the local FBO/Flight School/Pilot Shop to get a couple if cans of Aeroshell. It's a pretty decent size operation with 8-10 CFIs and maybe a few more part-timers. One of the two CFIs there that I know fairly well saw me and nodded toward the back door when another CFI was stepping to the airplane with his student, and rolled his eyes. The immediate impression was that the student had green hair, but he got out the door before I saw much more of him.

That particular CFI is a fairly liberal guy - well, his car had a Bernie bumper sticker anyway - and I was surprised at the eye roll. And it wasn't like Seahawks fans didn't dye their hair green or blue - sometimes both - before games. And even if it wasn't the kind you could wash out, eventually the hair would grow out - and could be cut off. Then he explained.

The guy was in his early to mid 20s and had been with them since he'd been a student pilot and his announced goal was to become an airline pilot. He was currently working on his commercial and instrument rating, but along the way had acquired a series of tattoos that were now pushing up the back of his neck and down his arms to the point that neither could be readily concealed with a short sleeved shirt and the most recent addition was pierced ears, not discrete studs, but with inch diameter plugs in them. Along the way the guy had been counseled both by the flight school director and a few of the CFIs that his tattoos and - especially - the ear plugs would be a real obstacle to an interview with a major and even the regionals might not want to hire him. They advised him to stop with the body art if he wanted a career in airline aviation and he had sort of blown off their advice.

They'd discussed it among themselves and decided they'd warned the guy,and it was the guy's money and they were in the business of training people for ratings and certificates, so they were just going to shut up and take his money. But unless the guy landed a Part 91 job flying some rock band around in their private jet, they doubted the guy had much of a career in aviation. Personally, I'd tend to agree with them. The guy was on a course to make himself unemployable in the airline industry assuming he hadn't done so already.

But that's just my opinion.

SonicFlyer

I worked with a company where one of the female pilots had nipple piercings... sometimes it was more obvious than others depending on temperature and clothing. She was a fine pilot and was a hard worker, smart, but she was just weird (of her own admission) LOL.

galaxy flyer

A fool and his money are soon parted. Apparently, the innate conservatism of aviation was missed by this student.

GF

CaptainYoda

Piercings can be taken out. Hair color will grow out and/or get cut.
Tattoos can be removed or covered.


I don't see it as a big deal.



It's also filed under the "not my problem" file.



I'm sure he will stay off your lawn.

Excargodog

Indeed they can, although rebuilding ear lobes after stretching them for plugs is a much harder job with no guarantees of success:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.79caae813793

https://www.dassmd.com/earlobe-repai...rly-hills.html

Yeah, I believe I covered that in the original posting

Yep. But again, not quickly, not cheaply, not covered by medical insurance, and no real guarantee of success:

https://www.dassmd.com/picosure-lase...val/index.html



Me neither, since I'm not the one who might be funding the attempted reversals or going through the time or discomfort. But the object of the thread is "career advice" and I don't think it is unreasonable for people who may be contemplating an airline career to consider the possible career implications of cosmetic surgery. Most of my favorite baristas at my local Starbucks have body art and I have no more problem with it personally than Starbucks does. Major airlines don't seem to be quite that enlightened.



I don't know about that. I'm sure the company who mows my lawn would have no hesitation hiring him. UAL, American, or Delta probably not so much though.

Flyhayes

Tats aren’t a big deal as long as they can be concealed by clothing. There are several pilots who wear long sleeved shirts for this reason. Most piercings will close up, even moderately gauged ears.
I had piercings when I was a teen, wasn’t until I began instructing that I permanently removed them. And while they closed up, there is still the telltale scar of what once was. United didn’t seem to mind....

tomgoodman

Some people feel the need to make a “statement”. Then the employer gets to make a statement.

PotatoChip

I’m fine with all of the “body art”.
I’m not fine with the attitude associated with it (in this instance).
To completely shrug off well placed advice from folks with experience in getting you to your goal is foolhardy, disrespectful, and arrogant; none of which make a good airline pilot candidate and will likely be seen well before one even gets an interview.

I can say this as a person who has tattoos in coverable locations, and had earrings that were gauged to the size of a pencil (certainly not an inch!). All my “body art” was done with my ultimate goal in mind of becoming an airline pilot, and now I look as clean cut as necessary and can still play punk music in my car.

To each their own, but this fella is making his own bed.

TiredSoul

Nature will fix this problem.
Last I checked you need 1500hrs for the Regionals.
With his CPL, assuming he will finish, he will have 250-ish, 280-290 with his CFI/CFII.
He won’t get a job flight instructing and he won’t qualify for anything else but banner towing or similar where you never deal with customers.
He may end up in Alaska with some bush outfit but you’ll never seen him at a major airport.

And it’s not just this dude.
Certain jobs just require certain things and once you have excluded yourself from those jobs you’ve just limited how your life will pan out.
In the end it is what it is...a choice.

urp99

My tattoos and piercings have never been an issue, but I made the decision long ago that the airlines weren't the place for me. I usually fit right in where I work. Even though I have no desire to fly for the regionals or majors I could easily cover my tattoos with a long sleeve shirt and get rid of the piercings. It seems odd that somebody intent on that career path would ignore the advice of his peers, and common sense, and continue on with more body art.