My Job

I'm a commercial pilot. This does not mean that I fly Boeing 747s. It means I get paid to fly. My current job is the lowliest job in commercial aviation. It's the fallback job. The "if you can't get a real flying job" job. I know. I've returned to it more than once. I mean no disrespect to my colleagues, some of whom have managed to make a proper career out of this, but they too routinely have to respond to the customer question, "So have you ever considered becoming a commercial pilot?"

I work for a good company, among the best in the country, with better conditions and pay than typical at this end of the industry. I'm well treated and have great co-workers, but it still means low pay, and I cannot go further in the company without joining the ranks of management. And that would mean less flying and more paperwork, so no thanks. My days are divided among flying, looking for a better job, sleeping, and procrastinating, although not in that order.

I have at other times worked in operations certified under part 702, 703 and 704 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations. All I need is 705 to complete the set, and I intend to document my progress towards that goal here.

I suppose the real purpose of this blog is to articulate my attempts to advance myself, thereby subjecting them to the scrutiny of strangers, and elevating them to the status of commitments. If I make a commitment to others, it gets done. For some reason I don't habitually extend that same courtesy to myself. Therefore I will regularly make commitments to you, who probably neither know nor care who I am, and trick myself into carrying them through. If I don't make a regular, reasonable effort to advance my career, not only will I lack that happy sense of accomplishment that I crave, but complete strangers will mock me.