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Plane Answers: A controller opinion on the JFK kid and a college major for pilots
Welcome to Gadling's feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!A friend of mine who works as an air traffic controller emailed me with his thoughts on the JFK 'bring your kid to work' controversy. Here's what he had to say:
Each of my 3 kids have talked to planes in Chicago airspace 7-10 years ago. I limited it to a frequency change after advising the pilot "it's take your daughter to work day, standby for a frequency change."
I recently mentioned it to some former colleagues who all said they had done something like that also. I believe that any clearances are clearly inappropriate but that there was no danger involved at JFK. The dad certainly would have been in the trainer jack with override capability.
So there you have it. I'm still hopeful that nothing more than a policy memo is sent out and that the controller(s) in question are able to come back to work as soon as possible.
And now a multiple-part question from Ricardo about a university major for a prospective pilot and the best direction he should take afterwards:
Hey Kent,
I have always been interested in flying commercial aircraft ever since I was a child. My ultimate goal is to gain an ATPL. I am currently 16 years old and I'm already looking through colleges. I have found several that offer a Private Pilot minor but I do not know what to major in. Do airlines look for pilots that majored in something in particular? I was thinking of aerospace engineering or aerospace systems technology but I would like to know for sure what I should major in so that I will have better luck with airlines in the future.
I would suggest that you major in the subject that interests you most. Ideally it would be an area that you may be able to fall back on if the airlines aren't hiring or you're furloughed for a period of time. So many of the pilots I'm flying with today are doing something else to supplement their income, whether it be managing a trucking company, working as an electrician or managing rental properties.
Airlines absolutely look for a bachelor's degree, but the subject is far less important during the interview for most companies. So you may as well use the degree to make you well rounded.
Another question I have (bear with me, I have several) is how should I gain my flight hours? People have suggested that I should become an instructor and give flight lessons. What do you think?
I talked a bit about this in a recent Plane Answers here and here. Flight instructing is the most popular way to build flight time as a civilian pilot, although there are some other creative options such as TV/Radio traffic reporting, fish spotting, and banner towing.
You'll learn a lot during the instructing and it's a nice rating to keep active throughout your career, as you may end up teaching friends and family to fly someday. But don't expect to earn much money during your instructing years. $20 an hour may sound livable, but keep in mind that's $20 per flight hour. At least you're getting paid as you accrue hours, something that isn't possible when you're working on your private pilot's license or building time toward your commercial ticket.
My advice? Get the flight time any way that comes available. Hanging out at the airport where you learned to fly is the best way to take advantage of the opportunities as they arise. Fortunately, flight instructors spend a lot of time hanging out at airports.
Finally, do you think that I will have a chance at being hired by an airline in the future? I have heard that hardly any airlines are hiring now and I am feeling a bit nervous and cannot help but think that the industry may not improve and that I will be stuck with a license but no job in the future.
Very few airlines are hiring right now, but this is a cyclical business and that drought certainly can't continue for the next five to ten years, unless the entire airline industry continues to shrink significantly. Pilot retirements will pick up in December of 2012, which is five years after the FAA raised the retirement age by the same number of years. So you may be in a good spot by then, but building time will be key.
Good luck on your quest and be sure to keep in touch!
Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he'll use it for the next Plane Answers. Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along with him at work. Twitter @veryjr
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MEC92 Mar 10th 2010 8:35PM
Kent,
I enjoy your column and will concede to your professional opinion, but as a frequent airline passenger, I must ask the following question: If an air traffic controller's kid had been handling Captain Sully's flight the day he had to guide his aircraft into the Hudson, can you truly say that such an incident would not have had a potential impact on the controller's ability to react as quickly? Regardless of whether the controller was listening to the transmissions and was able to take control relatively soon, I have to think that having his kid with him would have had a negative impact on his ability to react, if by no other reason than to startle the child and create confusion that isn't necessary?
Bert Mar 10th 2010 8:53PM
Sully's controler did nothing! Perhaps some clearing of traffic, which could easily be accomplished, as Kent pointed out by the training jack.
This is BS!
MEC92 Mar 11th 2010 8:47AM
BERT, Take notes from Kent's response. Mature and intelligent conversations carry more weight that yelling B.S. and calling folks names. If there's any logic in your comment, it can only be interpreted as being that controllers are useless. And yes, if your kid is "playing" in your lap going down the highway and it results in me or my family being injured, you sure will be sued. That's sheer negligence.
Bert Mar 10th 2010 8:00PM
The whole JFK kid ting is the biggest load of BS that I have heard in a while. From the recordings I have heard, the kids were either well practiced or had a script to read from. Now I did hear some of the pilots make jokes and other random comments..... Does that break the "below 10000 foot sterile period?" OH MY GOD!
Growing up is all about getting these opportunities to 'step up'. Should a parent letting their kid drive a car while sitting in their lap be sued?
Get a life people! I will take any ATC that has his kid there, rather than the one popping pills to stay awake.
Kent Wien Mar 10th 2010 8:00PM
Hi MEC,
Point taken. But there might be a better example out there to argue the scenario with. Sully made up his mind that the Hudson was the best place for a landing pretty easily. He queried the controller about Teterborough, but quickly realized that would be even more risky than going back to LGA. The controller input wasn't what Sully relied on that day.
That said, there are probably a lot of other examples where controllers did save the day and your point is a good one. Thanks!
MEC92 Mar 10th 2010 8:43PM
Thanks, Kent. I ultimately trust my PIC -- professionals such as you -- to get me there safely, so for me to further opine would be nothing more than a display of my ignorance on the matter. I trust that this is an instance where the media has skewed our understand of this issue. Keep up the good work!
Joe Mar 11th 2010 5:25AM
If you are entering or are in college another thing to look for is nearby airports. My university didn't have a pilot major or degree (aerospace engineering, certainly) but it did have it's own airport. Courses were significantly cheaper, probably due to the fact that it was on school property and low cost of living in the area. I met a lot of students who were NROTC, AFROTC working on their PPL (DoD paid for it). Once I graduated and moved to a major city the price for flight hours doubled, severely impacting my budget.
So if you can get flight time at school, do it there, because that's about as cheap as it's going to get.
Kent Wien Mar 11th 2010 9:40AM
Good advice, Joe. That's how I did it, in fact.
Ricky Colón Mar 12th 2010 7:02PM
Thank you SO much for answering my questions, Kent. Also, I like the picture of the tiller with the caption "Which way to turn," it took me a while to figure out why in the world that was there and how it was relevent. I'm kinda slow sometimes.
I may just have a few more questions in the future if that is okay with you. As a matter of fact, here is one now:
If everything goes by alright in the future and I do become an airline pilot for jetBlue (the airline I really want to work for) based out of JFK (which is just an hour-drive away from Long Island), do I HAVE to stay in a hotel that the airline provides when I go on trips? I ask this because I have family down in Puerto Rico and I figured it would be nice to visit them every once in a while. Also, I have noticed that as soon as our plane lands in Ponce, PR it takes off again two hours later. Is this with the same flight crew? Wouldn't the pilots be kinda tired?
Again, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I really appreciate it.
Kent Wien Mar 12th 2010 7:38PM
Thanks Ricky,
Yep, you can stay anywhere you want. I used to bid Seattle trips to stay with my Mom or Sister while there. It's a great way to see friends and family!
The airplane may have either been taken out again by another crew that had been laying over in San Juan, or it was flown back by the same crew. As long as they can do it in less than 8 flight hours (which is the limit for two pilots) they can return the same day.
Good luck!