Originally Posted by pause (Post 596066)

Hair gel and an Ipod??

Originally Posted by SrfNFly227 (Post 595340)

As a pilot who has also worked for Part 135 and 121, I will try to respond to this.

Now my rebuttal to this. The unfortunate truth to the matter is that it is next to impossible to act professionally when you are treated like a child. Treated like you are completely expendable. I found it much easier to be professional while flying Charter. Management and scheduling valued me as an employee and weren't constantly threatening my job. The passengers were happy when they showed up to the airport and greated us while they were getting onboard. I can not imagine not slipping up every now and again with how we are treated by the airline. If they want professionals, they should treat us as such.

Originally Posted by N6724G (Post 596101)

I disagree with his statement. Professionalism has nothing to do with the way you are treated. Professionalism has to do with the way you carry yourself. As long as you carry yourself with dignity and pride and do the right thing all the time, it doesnt matter how someone treats you. Profesionalismis an individual thing. YOU chose to be professional or not. No one can choose it for you or make you act professionally or not.

Originally Posted by ExperimentalAB (Post 596042)

Ayep...nothing professional about toting a backpack around in Uniform guys.

And Duck's got a point...PAX don't think we do anything -- that we are on Autopilot from takeoff to landing. What is sad is that in many cases, they are right; they know the skill required to command an early-era Jet is lost in our modern equipment. 99.99% of the time, this is the easiest job in the world.

Originally Posted by ExperimentalAB (Post 596042)

they know the skill required to command an early-era Jet is lost in our modern equipment.

Originally Posted by V1 Cut and Run (Post 595272)

PROFESSIONALISM: Meticulous adherence to undeviating courtesy, honesty, and responsibility in one's dealings with customers and associates plus a level of excellence that goes over and above the commercial considerations and legal requirements.

First of all, please allow me to set this up...I've been flying for 30 years, in private, and then corporate aviation. I've had a very successful career in the Navy, and then in the outside world, so successful in fact that I was able to retire about a year ago. After a few months of retirement, I started giving some thought to applying to a regional airline, because I truly wanted to experience PROFESSIONAL flying. Although I flew for a corporate flight department that was run very professionally, I truly wanted to experience 121 flying.

I was lucky enough to get hired, and am truly glad I made this decision. However, I must admit that the one, overwhelming surprise, has been the lack of PROFESSIONALISM I see from my fellow flight crewmembers, across the board.

Guys and Girls, being a professional is not contingent on what you are being paid. Being professional is not contingent on who an associate works for. Being a professional does not depend on how much you like your management. You are either a professional, or you are not.

I am an ALPA member, and I see quite a number of my fellow members with the "Professional Union, Professional Pilot" stickers on their kit. That being said, I also have friends that fly for other airlines and for corporate flight departments, many of which are far more professional than many pilots who profess to be professionals.

Like integrity, professionalism is something YOU and only YOU get decide whether you will live it. Also like integrity, its all or nothing. It is simply not possible to act professionally towards some pilots or coworkers an unprofessionally towards others. Sorry folks, simply can't be done. You choose to lie, cheat or steal, and you have given up your integrity. You play silly games, block radio calls, and turn your back on fellow pilots, you have given up your professionalism. For ever. End of statement.

Call me an stupid, but I for one believe that WE can turn this industry around. But folks, here's a muppet news flash for you...we can't do it without the support of the public we fly for. If we continue to argue on whether we like to wear hats while we look slovenly in public, if we want to argue whether or not we deserve tips, if we are seen and heard *****ing about our wages and work conditions in public, and if we want to stick knives in the backs of other pilots because they don't work for a company that conforms to our way of thinking, we will continue to lose the support of the public.

Want a simple test of your professionalism? How many kids on your flights look up to you, and want to do what you're doing? How many people in the terminal see you and say "gee, that's a sharp looking pilot". Guys and Girls, say what you want, but if we continue to act like bus drivers, our wages and work conditions will continue to slide, and we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

Hopefully you did not join this profession to get rich. Hopefully you did not join hoping that every other pilot would join your union, or think exacly like you. Hopefully you did not join because you liked a particular uniform. If you did any of these, you are incredibly stupid. Me, I joined firstly because I love flying, and will until the day I die. If I have to work two jobs to continue flying, so be it. If I have to wear a stupid hat, I'm OK. The second reason I signed on was to fly with some professionals. Help me believe that I made the right decision.