Professional flying, like many other technical subjects, uses a sort of otherworldly language that will likely confuse any casual observer to a conversation. If an outsider gets stuck talking with a pair of airline pilots, you can watch his eyes glaze over and almost see a ghostly question mark appear over his head. Line flying, guarantees, slick bids, PC, PT, IOE, crashpads, vacation bids, nonrev, pairings—the list goes on. The terms and abbreviations are enough to make anyone’s head spin.
Now, imagine showing up to your first day on the job and listening to fellow classmates tossing around these terms. You’re thinking, What the heck are these people talking about? Realizing that you probably should know these terms and will (gasp!) be using them in a short time, you’ll feel like a real outsider.
I was in this boat in 2000 when I was hired by a regional airline. I came from the GA ranks, very comfortable in my flying and instrument skills—but I felt like a fish out of water when I listened to my new-hire classmates bantering in a language I was mostly clueless about.
Many of my classmates came from large flight schools and colleges like Embry-Riddle, University of North Dakota, and Comair Academy, where they had attended classes that introduced them to airline operations. Others were interns at regional or major airlines and gained even more valuable experience.
So there I was, feeling like the new neighbor amongst a cadre of best buddies. Do I dare ask what they are talking about, for fear of looking like a dolt? Or should I just nod and try to salvage my ego? Since I’m not afraid of being embarrassed, I didn’t hesitate to ask all sorts of questions. Some I’m sure made me look stupid, but I didn’t care—if I was going to do this airline gig, I needed to figure out what it’s all about, right?
Thankfully, everybody was pretty accommodating, and some took me under their wing. And my sim partner was forced to take me under his wing, since we were matched up by luck of the draw—at least it wasn’t a dodgeball team lineup.
I eventually did learn to shut up during class to keep things moving. Getting into a class discussion slowed down the works for others who, in some cases, already had this information. If I didn’t understand some term or concept, I’d just jot down a note and ask the instructor—or a fellow student—during a break or after class.
Soon enough, all the terms came to me, and I was sounding like a pro myself. I had no experience to walk the walk, but at least I could talk the talk!
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