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Day Job?

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Airline pilots are increasingly treating their profession as a secondary job, actively developing and pursuing other businesses due to declining pay, eroded benefits, increased workload, and dissatisfaction with management.
  • This trend is widespread, with many pilots seeking to supplement or entirely replace their airline income, contrasting sharply with a past era when flying was a singular, dedicated career.
  • The author expresses concern that this divided focus on outside ventures could potentially lead to decreased pilot proficiency and compromise flight safety.
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My copilot walked over to the counter top in JFK Operations where I had scattered various segments of the flight plan paperwork. His pace was quick. He introduced himself and apologized for his slight tardiness. He had commuted in from South Carolina to La Guardia and had taken a taxi ride through rush hour traffic over to JFK. We were departing to Zurich, a destination I had never been.

Almost nine months had passed since my last trip across The Pond. I felt a little rusty with the procedures. A proficient copilot would keep me out of trouble. My biggest challenge was to shake off the lethargy of almost a month’s vacation. The next challenge, about nine hours away, would be flying the arrival idiosyncrasies into Zurich.

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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