Professionalism

What is Professionalism? Well, it certainly is one of those facets of a pilot that everyone talks about, everyone says is very important, yet it hard to quantify. I don't think there is one simple answer. There are lots of different things that go into being a professional. Just as when we see someone behaving in any way we don't like, we call them, "Unprofessional."

I once heard that, "Character is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking." I think this a big part of professionalism. The NTSB's Deb Hersmann once said, "You never know on which flight, your career will be judged." I feel Mrs. Hersmann is definitely hitting the nail on the head.

But, there are many others who have some other ideas on what professionalism is. If you ask the public, you might get answers like, "Sharp looking, clean shaven, hat wearing, grey hair, deep voice, and smooth landing." If you ask the company, you'd get something like, "Doesn't complain, gets the flight out on time." If you ask others they might describe someone very good at their job, perhaps to the point of being cold and emotionless.

For me, there are many facets of a professional pilot. However, more than the list of traits itself, is an order of importance. Further more, this order of importance changes with each unique situation. While "outward appearance" is something that is important, I think people put far too much value in. After all, consider a shady businessman. Just because he looks good and fit, is charming, and wears a nice suit, doesn't mean he knows anything besides how to screw you over and take all of your money. I believe the same holds true for pilots. I have met and flown with pilots that really looked sharp, fit, dashing, and experienced, were still complete douches on more than a few occasions. Just because you look the part, doesn't mean you actually can play the part.

So, which is more important? Do you really want someone that only looks professional? Or would you rather have someone that doesn't look as sharp, but will do a far superior job in handling strange and challenging situations, working well with a variety of other personalities, keeping passengers informed and calm, and perhaps even be a better pilot. I know the best answer is both. However, that would only leave me and about 50 other pilots in the whole world! ;-)

There are more than a few pilots out there who don't wear the gay hat, don't have a head full of grey hair, but who are very good at the job of being an airline pilot. Do they look like they've been doing this job for 50 years? No. Do they question authority? Maybe. Do they act like they are God? No. Do they jump down the throat of a fellow crew member who questions anything? Not in the least. Do, they know their shit? Definitely. Are they team players? Absolutely. Do they scream and cry like little girls when a time critical situation presents itself? Not in the least. Honestly, the actual "flying" portion of this job is far and away, the easiest part. Sure you want someone that can fly the plane. But there is so much more to it in order to be a true and safe professional.

A professional crew is one that does their job and maintains control amidst all the crap that comes with this job. There are people who can filter out the garbage and deal with the situation amidst chaos around them. Not everyone is up for this job. Even those that are, usually require a lot of training to become seasoned in this behavior. It's not easy, but this is the kind of person you want in the front of your plane when the shit hits the fan. You don't want a pansy up there who goes to water when anything is out of the norm. You also don't want a cowboy who just starts flipping switches and guessing his/her way out of problem. You want people who are adaptable, knowledgeable, and calm under pressure. You want team players and you want crew that legitimately want to take care of their crew and passengers.

Yes, lets not forget about those folks behind you: the passengers, AND the flight attendants. Pilots are taught to "Aviate, Navigate, and Communicate" in that order. Yes, you have to fly the damn plane before anything else. Mostly because no matter what you do for navigating and communicating is pointless if you crash. But this really is an extreme. FAR more often are pilots faces with much more mundane challenges. Whether it be something broken on the plane, storms, rough air, delays, etc, its very important to keep others informed. You are part of a crew after all, and you can make your own life considerably easier if you just take a few mins to inform your FAs and the passengers. I really wish there was more on this in terms of selecting pilots to be hired. I really really do.

Egos really have no place in the modern flight deck. There is far too much to be keeping an eye on. There are two pilots up there for a reason. When you have a person who has the attitude of, "I'm the captain and I'm never wrong" well, I'll be the first to say that this person is a dick. And, more often than not, this person with the overblown ego is usually not that good of a pilot themselves. So they lash out at others trying to make them feel inadequate. That's the only way they can bolster their own ego. Its really a sad thing to see.

As time marches on, that old school "I'm the captain" attitude is slowly exiting the flight deck. Its still there, no doubt. For the most part, it resides with those old crusty bastards that should have retired when they were 60 (or earlier) yet congress now lets them stay 5 years longer. And yes, this has indeed prevented many top notch young pilots from getting airline jobs, since those jobs haven't been available with these crusties not leaving.

In time though, they will. Just as their predecessors did decades before. The best thing us younger pilots can do is keep a list of all the "I'll never be like that," traits we saw in those crusties. And make sure we review that list from time to time as we move our profession forward.