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Day Job?

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The author observes a growing trend among airline pilots, including his co-pilot, to treat their profession as a secondary or part-time job, actively pursuing other businesses and alternative incomes for financial security.
  • This shift is attributed to declining compensation, erosion of benefits, increased operational frustrations, and perceived mismanagement within the airline industry, making other ventures more lucrative and appealing.
  • The article expresses concern that this increasing distraction from the primary career could lead to pilots losing focus and potentially impacting their proficiency and 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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