Tuesday, April 12, 2005

City Centre Airport

I've walked around one half of City Centre Airport at Edmonton. I'm now at the Shell. Yeah, I know, for cars a Shell gas station has only grubby washrooms and overpriced potato chips, but for airplanes you can expect a computer for checking weather and e-mail. On the continuity side of he equation, the keyboard is grubby and the T key doesn't work very well.

There's a routine to this, probably the part I dreaded most about the trip. It's walking into a company, having it completely obvious to everyone you walk by that you're a pilot looking for work. They check you out, as if you were wearing a chicken on your head. People call it "running the gauntlet" after a medieval punishmen when you had to walk between two rows of people who would all hit you. Then you try to locate someone from Flight Operations. Then you introduce yourself to him (it's always him, and he's usually named Steve). Steve doesn't want to completely turn you off, because he knows that a month from now half his pilots could leave, and he might need you, but he really would rather get on wih his day than deal with polite, portfolio-clutching applicants. You chat with Steve about your time, the state of the indusry, and how well-regarded his company is. You're trying to persuade him that you are a mature, responsible individual, but also that he could stand to be stuck in an airplane with you for six hours. Then Steve says that he doesn't need anyone right now, but he'll keep your resume on file. Or he tells you that he's looking for captains right now, or he needs someone with a current PPC, or he has people on the ramp he's promised jobs to, or he only hires people with the middle initial Q. And you thank Steve, and shake his hand again. Then you sit down outside the office and make some notes on the meeting, and look to see which Steve you are meeting next. When Steve is not there, and you've left your resume for his attention, everyone passes it around the office to check you out more thoroughly.

I'm off to see two more Steves, then lunch, then on to the International airport.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

There must be a tool for putting the acute accent on the e.
And hey, you're a pilot. You have skills. Call O.B.Laden. I believe they have a spot;-)

Anonymous said...

I just read on Avcanada that the Ice road to YZF is closed. It sounds like you're flying, but just so you know....

Aviatrix said...

I had to read back through that to figure out what you wanted an é on. For some reason I don't usually spell resumé with an é. But there you are. I wouldn't have got one on that keyboard at the Shell, though. I was lucky to get the T when I wanted it.