Pilots Can't Blog

The aviation community in Canada is just barely large enough that everyone doesn't know everyone else. Instead, everyone knows at least one person who knows someone who knows any other person in the industry. Eric's dispatcher knows several customer service agents at the next airline Phil wants to work for. Anne's company just hired a mechanic who used to fly for the airline that fired Dan's new co-worker. John missed an interview opportunity because although the operations manager liked his resume, he heard from one of the mechanics that Ben made a rude remark about the training captain's sister. If you're in the industry, you know me, or you know a mechanic who fixed a defect I reported, or you know a pilot I spent an hour talking with in a crew lounge, or you know a dispatcher who schedules flights for one of my former flight instructors.

The industry is very sensitive to criticism. Public loss of faith in a company following an accident or rumours of insolvency may destroy the company. Pilots must be physically fit, mentally sharp, emotionally stable paragons of sobriety. That's fair. The public is nervous about air travel. The public must be able to trust the pilot to be safe.

So why not identify myself here as a safe, emotionally stable pilot? Because I cannot guarantee that nothing I say here will not, taken out of context, disturb someone. A few people will recognize my stories and figure out who I am. But they're the people who already know the stories.

I'm hoping I can keep a weblog to entertain and inform without whining, backstabbing or revealing confidential financials or policy information. Pilots are supposed to adopt a friendly, professional tone and explain any situations that arise, without alarming the cargo. Welcome aboard. Please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened, and I hope you're enjoying the ride.