It’s easy to forget one of the reasons I became an airline pilot in this age of aviation technology that includes FMS, RVSM, ADS-B, RNAV/RNP, ACARS, VNAV and CAT III, plus the effects of 9/11, bankruptcy, retirement plan terminations, contentious contract negotiations and the normal stresses of a professional aviation career. Not that I completely forgot, but rather I was pleasantly reminded just recently. I’ll tell you how in a moment.
Jumpseat: A Reminder of Why I Chose My Career
Key Takeaways:
- An airline pilot reflects on how the demands of a professional career and the complexity of modern aviation technology caused him to momentarily forget the pure joy of flying.
- A pivotal experience as a young flight instructor, learning to fly a Super Cub taildragger on grass strips, profoundly reignited his passion for the simple, hands-on act of piloting.
- After a career flying increasingly automated airliners, the author completes his "airline pilot cycle of life" by acquiring a taildragger to reconnect with the fundamental and unadulterated pleasure of flying.
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