@Damnloginpopup go on then - explain how operating a 340 ton, 600mph piece of machinery (filled with people who can’t leave and who behave in more ways than you could imagine) through complex weather patterns and even more complex political situations is like bus driving? Earlier this year I had a full aircraft of passengers all going to a very lovely holiday destination, when I had a rather mad half hour where I to decide which to prioritise - trying to avoid turbulence, the passenger who I had been told had just passed out and needed us to contact a doctor, the proximity to a war zone that meant my main navigation system had just been stopped from working whilst flying through a narrow stretch of airspace which needed precise navigation and made all the busier because everyone else was also flying in it to avoid the war zones/weather/etc, or the very, very unusual thing I had just encountered and needed me to act immediately (which I cannot discuss further because it went to the highest levels of security for debate as to what exactly it was. But trust me - it was a rather serious thing!) And in the middle of this we had crew changeover, because on long flights we carry 3 or 4 pilots to ensure everyone is well rested. But crew changeover can be a busy time as we have to brief the incoming crew member to bring them up to speed on everything they need to know about the flight progress. And this was all happening at around 3am body clock time. This sounds just like driving a bus! 🙄
@Bjorkdidit I am not the same person as notimagain. I know where they worked, but not who they are and that’s probably the best way. There are quite a few pilots on here, not all of them announcing the fact they are pilots, because believe it or not many of them first came here for the parenting advice!
@mjf981 I have not come across any colleagues with tinnitus, nor am I aware it is a common problem with pilots elsewhere. Where I work it is standard to wear ear defenders when checking the outside of the aircraft to protect against jet engine and other machinery noise, and we use active noise cancelling headsets in the cockpit. We are taught in flight training how to ‘clear our ears’ if we encounter any pressure in our ears from changes in air pressure, however in normal flying conditions we would not experience sudden or dramatic changes in air pressure that would have such an effect, we aim to climb and descend gradually in order to preserve passenger comfort. We have a medical every year during which the doctor visually inspects our eardrums, and a hearing test every 2 years which is compared against previous years to check for any subtle changes in hearing. It is a well exercised privilege not to fly when you have any concern that you may have a cold or other respiratory tract or sinus infection in order to protect against any risk of long term damage to your hearing. It is possible to get tinnitus as a result of barotrauma, but it is not something widely prevalent among pilots - we are very aware of situations that could lead to risk (as described above) as a result of our Human Factors training (something else bus drivers don’t do!) and take steps to avoid it. Now, if you were talking about bad backs from sitting down in one position for extended periods of time carrying out the same small repetitive movements over and over, or risk of skin cancer from sun exposure both on the flight deck or downroute, or risk of digestive issues or tropical diseases encountered in farflung places, we all know someone with all of those things! But not so much hearing damage.
@XelaM the cost of flight training is high, but not actually much higher than uni costs these days (we’re estimating it’ll cost our children around £60k to attend uni, with 3 years of not actually having a proper career while they study. Flying training is around £110k, but the course I did was a year in length and I don’t think it takes any longer now.) It is possible to do a commercial pilot’s course without a degree - the requirement when I joined was for a minimum of 2 A Levels at grade C or above. There are various sponsorship programs around now that will pay these costs up front but that tie you into that employer for some years (as naturally they want to recoup the benefit of the training costs.) Normal people (like me - very average background, very average education, not wealthy family at all) can find a way in but the competition is tough. The cost of education would not put many students off, for example, a medical degree which comes with 5 years of fees and living expenses, an inability to work a part time job because the course requires at least 5 years of focus, and actually a very complex route from medical degree graduate to actually being a working doctor. What is different is that anyone with the cash can pay their way into flying school, but you can’t just buy your way into medical school. So as a result it is often assumed that flying is a rich person’s job where being a doctor is a clever person’s job. This is not the case. I trained with people and work with people from a huge range of backgrounds, and who have taken an interesting variety of routes into their airline career. I’m currently working with a bunch of blokes who all came in via a prior military career. I’ve flown with other pilots who before flying have been cabin crew, doctors, nurses, teachers, sales reps, accountants, builders, or straight from school. Strangest previous jobs include an archaeologist, a bin man, a Ministry of Sound DJ, a blacksmith and a snooker hall manager. Not necessarily a rich person’s job, although it is certainly easier if you have money (isn’t everything though?) But definitely competitive to get into and even more so if you want someone else to pay for it.