Pilotspotting: The Art of Recognizing a Pilot

https://www.nycaviation.com/2014/12/pilotspotting-guide/#.VIdBcsnqd_o

I can spot them. It’s not as easy as planespotting because each make and model are only slightly different from a distance, but on closer inspection, pilots behave, dress and present certain personality traits which helps me spot them in a crowd. I enjoy freaking my friends out because I can see someone and suddenly my pilot radar activates. I quietly gather clues and enough information to conclude that my radar was correct: that’s a pilot. My friends are in awe when I’m usually correct and then I’ll verify by asking the target “So, what do you fly?” They’ll raise an eyebrow and ask how I knew they were a pilot, but I don’t like to reveal my secrets. Often times, the clues are so overwhelming, I can ask, “Who do you fly for?”

The private pilot. They’re the easiest to spot. No matter the age, they have the most enthusiasm about aviation. Their love is pure and their motivation to be around aviation is endless. They read aviation publications and light up when someone asks about their flying. Since they passed the student pilot phase, many have already been weeded out from the crowd. Many people say they want to be a pilot, but most don’t obtain the actual license. Private pilots have officially entered the pilot herd and from here forward, they start maneuvering to other pilot corrals. Many pilots will stay here, loving everything about being in the air, and wouldn’t want to ruin it by being told where and when to fly. For others, they won’t be able to imagine not living without departing the earth on a regular basis, and getting paid for it. Either way, these pilots buy a pair of Ray-Bans and are constant optimists.

The instrument pilot. These flyers are slightly more confident than the private pilot because this is one of the hardest licenses to earn. Pilots at this level are still learning how to fly and then they add another level of skill and safety by being able to purposely fly in the clouds. This level of pilot can sometimes be bogged down by overconfidence, but usually one or two scares in the clouds with icing or low visibility approaches puts a healthy fear into their mindset. These pilots go from loving aviation to loving and respecting aviation. Those who don’t give it the respect it deserves are often discussed in the newspapers and NTSB reports. These pilots have coffee tables overflowing with aviation magazines, but are still detail oriented and self-disciplined.

The commercial pilot. No turning back from here. These pilots have made a commitment, but they’re at the point in their training where they might need to be committed. With the magic number of minimum hours raised to 1,500 for even the commuter airlines, I recognize the signs of a pilot with about 500 hours. Their savings accounts are empty and they’re questioning their career path while pondering how long a bank robbery conviction would stay on their record. It’s just a rating in the sequence so they can take the next step, but it’s nice to say you’re a commercial pilot. These pilots have to keep reminding their parents that a commercial pilot is not an airline pilot. The first set of bags will appear under their eyes and temptations from the outside world will push hard on pilots during this phase. By this point, these pilots do not have enough hours to get hired anywhere, but too many hours to let go. These pilots are holding on to the dream by a thread, but that thread is unbreakable. They’ll try ag/spray piloting, banner-towing, traffic reporting and nonprofit volunteering. Somewhere along their timeline, they’ll have to fit in that pesky bachelor’s degree too. At some point, between private and commercial, they’ll own a manual transmission car.

The multi-engine pilot. Walks with a straighter back by having stronger calf and thigh muscles. These pilots have learned that multi-engine does not necessarily mean safer. Stomping on the rudder pedal on the good engine, repeatedly, will increase leg as well as brain muscle strength. Grabbing a fistful of throttles is thrilling while going higher and faster which pulls the ego a bit higher too. Having a lighter wallet will allow you to climb that much higher. A new addiction to wanting jets behind you begins. These pilots have a leather jacket somewhere in their closet.

The certified flight instructor. The new instructor is enthusiastic and has not yet had their first bowel movement in their pants when a student unintentionally tries to repeatedly kill them. Experienced fight instructors are the sharpest pilots in the industry. They are able to mind meld and determine which idiotic move their student will perform next. The best pilots I’ve met are professional flight instructors. They have chosen this path out of the reward of teaching and they know everything there is to know about their chosen field. They’ll admit they didn’t do it for the money. Their closets are full of khaki pants with grease stains.

The second-in-command. This is what all those other steps were about. This seat is the desire and the most important yoke to get behind while in the pilot pipeline. Once you’re here for the first time making money, you’ve made it. This is where you start your pilot worthiness. Hours and operational experience in the Part 135 world will open doors for you. When the phone rings at 0200 and it’s -22F and you’re asked to fly an air ambulance flight, you’ll be there in ten minutes with a smile on. And, you’ll do it again and again…for years. You’ll wake up in a shack in North Dakota and see your captain sleeping in the La-Z-Boy next to you and you’ll have a moment where you wonder where you are and why you’re doing this, but you’ll keep doing it. These pilots chant “1500 hours” in their mind, repeatedly. They are happy zombies.

The Airline Transport Pilot. Yes, it’s capitalized, unlike the others. These pilots are all the other pilots wrapped into one. They are either flying charter, corporate or are at the airlines and ironically, the bigger the airplane, the less they talk about aviation unprovoked. If they are sitting captain of a heavy, they have spent tens of thousands of hours, either in the air or on the ground, embraced by aviation. When they leave the cockpit, they often need to detach from years of aviation overload. They need their quiet time. But yes, they will still light up and can, and will, tell you endless stories about this extraordinary industry. They are highly intelligent, but don’t spend too much time being intellectual. The work-style demanded by the cockpit environment is unlike any other so one of the side effects of aviation is learning how to deal with people on every level and in every situation. Not too many people have to sit next to their co-workers, for hours at a time, and deal with life and death decisions on a routine basis. One fatal mistake means hundreds die. Crew resource management is not just a phrase, it’s a mindset. They learn to be assertive without being aggressive, unless it comes to safety – then you’ll learn the true meaning of stubborn. These pilots have the fancy watch, the gadgets and will splurge on one unusual hobby or item – usually involving four wheels or a boat. ATP pilots have a permanent, mischievous grin on their faces.

Aviation is not just about the pilots. Enthusiasts don’t even need to put a hand on the yoke to be an important cog in this machine. There are tens of thousands of people who work in and around the industry who are passionate about how aviation has changed the world and they will never lay their hands on the throttles. They are just as important because they educate, fund and create the romance for an industry that is defined by its ups and downs. Mergers, takeovers and furloughs often sour the lives and attitudes of those involved, so we need others to be detached and remind us all that aviation represents the genius of human creativity. We need to crane our necks to peer up to the heavens and see the result of human collaboration screaming above the clouds. Magnificence. If you understand this, then always remember that you helped put that machine up there…

Erika Armstrong has been in aviation for twenty-five years and is a self-confessed aviation geek. From the front desk of an FBO to the captain’s seat of a Boeing 727-200, she has experienced everything in between. Her book A CHICK IN THE COCKPIT  is available wherever books are sold. If you want to pilotspot with her, she can be reached at [email protected]