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Jumpseat: The Love/Hate of Airline Pilots

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Airline pilots face conflicting perceptions, often admired for high safety standards and skill but also viewed with resentment or "cockiness" by general aviation and corporate pilots.
  • The author, an airline pilot with GA roots, shares personal experiences demonstrating that airline expertise doesn't automatically translate to invincibility in GA, emphasizing individual risk assessment and a willingness to prioritize safety.
  • The article explores a "love/hate" dynamic between airline pilots and other aviation professionals (GA, corporate, mechanics), also highlighting the significant, often underappreciated, positive influence of pilot unions on industry standards and career progression.
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Admit it. Airline pilot or not, when you read the title of this month’s column, you smirked. It’s OK. I get it. That’s why I decided it was high time to approach the issue head on. What am I really talking about?

It’s no secret that general aviation pilots, and I include the corporate world, harbor some unfavorable perceptions about us airline types. We have cocky attitudes. We are all-knowing. We can leap tall buildings in a single bound. We can fly anything, etc., etc.

Les Abend

Les Abend is a retired, 34-year veteran of American Airlines, attempting to readjust his passion for flying airplanes in the lower flight levels—without the assistance of a copilot.

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