What traits make a good pilot?

I'm at the start of flight training. I've done intro lessons with a handful of schools in my local area, trying to find the right fit. I think I've narrowed it down, but I've heard the same kinds of things from each one, but I can't help but think they're blowing smoke.

The last guy, after landing, made the comment that I "appear very comfortable with the aircraft." He went on to say I seemed much more comfortable than his average student in the beginning, leaps and bounds apparently. The last couple instructors also said I had a good feel for what I was doing.

The flattery is nice, but in all honestly I'm about to embark on some expensive training in a field that's completely different than what I do today, and I need realistic feedback, not fluff. I have a desk job in a highly regulated industry, sort of like a project manager, and it's all well and good to get encouragement, but I'd like more input on what makes a person a good candidate for an aviation career.

 

I think being well educated about what your getting into is one so there are no gotchas somewhere into it. Further you have to really want it. I really want ( wanted it ?? ) and even still it was really hard forking over a few hundred for 1.4 in the logbook.
In that same regard I guess there is comfort in knowing that everyone else has done it so ( paying big bucks, ups and downs, etc ) so you should be able to too.

In regards to schools I think this. A place that has lots of bells and whistles in the room, a silver SR20 for primary training and a brand new frasca simulator have spent allot of money on something and thats going to come out of your pocket while you should know that after your checkride the piece of paper and then wallet sized card is the same for everyone whether it was in the SR20 with a ballistic parachute or in a beatup C152 that rents for 90$ an hour wet. Frankly ill have plenty of fun in the 152 and have some money left over for other things like buying my instructor lunch. BTW if you like them you should do that.. Im not an instructor but I did and they will appreciate it.

One of the best schools that I actually didnt do my private, instrument or commercial with but was in the area was a little school with some really good rates C152, 172, PA160 all under 100$ barely wet.. Actually I think the PA160 was 107$ anyways they had a great culture there, were interested in what you wanted to do as a pilot or just shoot the breeze and never complained about me renting a plane for the whole day to go out somewhere with my friends but only put 2.2 hours on the clock. Thats a good flightschool!

Get the instruction but dont get sold on a bunch of bells and whistles. The FAA PTS might be your friend in this regard as it will show you the minimums that you need for any rating. nothing more nothing less, try using that for a guide maybe compared to what your being told. Just a thought.
Cheers mate.

 

I find that the students who have a true interest in learning to fly, for the sake of learning to fly tend to show better aptitude v.s. the ones who are focused on the airline career that's still years down the road.

Also, keep in mind, that you will be earning your certificates and ratings in stages. After you receive your private pilot certificate, you'll be in a better position to evaluate whether you want to take things to the next step.

Food for thought, these instructors that you've done your intro flights with might not be blowing smoke up your arse. Given the fact that you've done several discovery flights you might just be less of a "deer in headlights" than they would expect from someone who's never done a discovery flight before. I.E. you're more comfortable in the airplane since you've already experienced flying in one before.

 

There are some good points in the first two posts, but since you aren't very clear about whether or not you are planning to fly professionally, I'm going to say this is a two-pronged answer.

First, enjoy learning to fly just for the sake of learning to fly. Enjoy the process of achieving new skills, and progressing from one rating/certificate to the next. Continue for as long as you enjoy it.

Second, flying for an airline is a different thing altogether, because now you are combining the flying with the J-O-B. Some pilots get to the airlines and decide that they hate it, and it can be for a myriad of reasons: pay, crazy schedule, living out of a suitcase, family pressures, etc. Some will love it for a myriad of reasons: the travel, the adventure, the fact that every day is different.

In time you, you will have to decide what is right for you.

 

I'm assuming you're considering a career change...

Good stick and rudder skills are a fundamental requirement, but they're not really that hard to acquire. If you're reasonably intelligent and athletic you should be fine in that regard. Meathead jocks may have trouble with some of the technical intricacies, and non-athletic types may struggle with the seat-of-the-pants and multi-tasking aspects. Being good at video games is no guarantee, again because of that seat-of-the-pants thing.

That's good enough for light GA, but for a professional turbine pilot you also need some tech savvy, good study habits, high degree of organization and self-discipline, and top-notch multi-tasking abilities. Additionally people skills are useful in and out of the cockpit. There's really no 9-5 equivalent to this, it's more of a package of various traits that all need to come together. You can get by without people skills in some aviation segments if you're methodical and consistent.

The ideal pilot candidate would probably be a HS or college team-sport athlete, engineering or computer degree, with some people skills and street smarts. A work background in a dynamic field where the laws of physics matter could also be useful (military, fire, fishing, logging, oil, etc...anything that keeps you on your toes). Also no serious "personality issues". Not to say you can't do it if you don't fir that exact background, but that's probably as close to ideal as you could describe.

White collar workers live mostly in a world where what really matters is what other people *think*. That mentality in an airplane can be a bad thing if you're so concerned about what the boss, the CA, ATC, the FAA, etc thinks that you forget about what Sir Isaac Newton thinks.

 

Evidence suggests that proper grammar is not one.






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Based on one very real 121 Captain, those traits include:

Ability to talk about self continuously and to the exclusion of other topics.
Propensity to brag about his equipment.
Affinity towards oversized watches and leather loafers.

 

Having good athletic skills and high intelligence (high IQ).

 

The ability to focus intently while still multi-tasking and not losing sight of the big picture. In 121 simulator training and testing, a whole lot of things can be happening at the same time. Obviously aviate, navigate and communicate are the big three, you will have a host of other details to attend to also.
The real world is not so overwhelming, but you must be up to the task if something bad comes your way.

 

Excellent point! I think this is a very important aspect of being a good pilot. You have to be able to make decisions that will occasionally result in some personal embarrassment or making someone angry. If you're overly concerned about what others think, you can easily get yourself in a bad situation quickly. For those used to playing office politics, being a "yes man" or (better yet) having a "yes man", this will be a big shift.

As a pilot, it's essential to be able to fess up when you make a mistake or get in over your head. Trying to cover it or hide it can lead to major problems (e.g. the Pinnacle CRJ crew that was goofing off and had a dual engine failure...and didn't tell ATC for several minutes). Decisions that are made to preserve ego are rarely the safest.

It's also essential to be able to make a decision that will be unpopular and make people angry. It could be disagreeing with the Captain, writing up a maintenance problem at an inconvenient place, deciding to divert instead of going below minimum fuel, etc. The most unsafe pilot I ever flew with was a great person and was very easy to get along with. However as a captain, he just could not make a decision that would inconvenience the passengers. I had to step in multiple times and say no. If I hadn't, he would have flown across the Sahara on one generator, continued a takeoff with a "No-Takeoff" red warning message, landed on an unlit runway at night in a corporate jet, all just to keep the owners happy.

There will be times where you have a make a decision that will make people angry and might even get you in trouble. Having the courage to do the right thing is very difficult sometimes, but is extremely important for a pilot. The "stick and rudder" skills are the easy part.