Common sense

The first pilot was still in training. In the simulator, the individual in question could not seem to stay off their cellphone. The instructor provided multiple opportunities to put the device away, all to no avail. It was bad enough that the instructor asked the student if there was an in-progress family crisis of some sort going on, such as a medical event or impending death. The student assured the instructor that there was not, and the attention to the phone was just to check messages and social media feeds.

Eventually, there was the inevitable beeping sound that the sim makes when it is coming “off motion.” When a sim comes off motion in the middle of a lesson, especially for a reason that isn’t immediately obvious, that’s a big deal. Once the sim was down, the instructor took the student to the offices of the managers in the building, and a discussion ensued. Unable—or unwilling—to understand the gravity of the situation, the student was terminated. Not only did this have serious consequences for the student, but it immediately created issues elsewhere the building. The sim partner lost valuable training time, and the training schedulers were now going to have to scramble to find other pilots to sit in the sim to finish up the partner’s training. Otherwise, there would be a delay in getting the second pilot through training that might include making that pilot wait for another class. Yes, the pilot would continue to get paid, but nobody wants to get stuck in training oblivion, and the airline was already short of pilots.

The second individual was at a different airline and was actually flying the line. While still in the first year, the flight happened to be with a line check airman. Normally when pilots fly with a check airman, they are on their best behavior, they fly by the book, and all is well. In this case, the pilot had landed in a major hub and cleared the runway. While they were taxiing, the first officer’s phone began to ring. While this isn’t ideal, it happens. Most of the time, the phone is either ignored or the pilot quickly silences the phone while sheepishly apologizing.

In this case, the pilot had the audacity to not only answer the phone, but do so while the captain was crossing an active runway. This is a huge faux pas, and to make matters worse, the pilot didn’t think it was worthy of the tongue lashing that followed. The chief pilot disagreed and terminated the first officer on the spot.

We’ve all gotten so hooked on our phones that we panic when we can’t find them. We’ve all had our phones go off at inappropriate times, and we’ve all been annoyed by others who don’t seem to have even the most basic phone etiquette.

Another pilot showed up to one of his new hire sim training sessions wearing a baseball cap and unshaven. Every airline has certain dress standards, not just for flying, but also for nonflying assignments. Most new hires, in fact, tend to overdress out of an abundance of caution and respect. To come in and look like you’re getting ready to watch a football game is begging for trouble. This particular individual was reprimanded and told not to make the same mistake again.

An airline career has become a very lucrative proposition these days, with even the regional airlines shelling out hefty signing bonuses. The ongoing wave of mandatory retirements means a steady progression of career movement. Combine that with travel growth around the world, and it makes the job even more appealing.

While just about every airline in the United States is unionized, every company also has a probationary period for pilots—usually one year—during which the company can terminate the pilot for any reason, and there is absolutely nothing the union can do as long as state and local laws aren’t violated. In fact, the unions make this clear to new hires and have little patience for such displays of immaturity. To lose a multimillion-dollar career over something as silly as not being able to ignore your phone for a few minutes, or a few hours, is just incredibly…stupid. And yet, this kind of thing continues to happen.

Brush up on basic manners. Take a course if you need to. But when it comes to the basics, just use some common sense.