Saturday, March 05, 2011

The Airplane Moves Even Faster

If you're looking for a job right now, take heart. The incubation period for resumés can be long, but eventually things start to happen. My life is like popcorn right now. Within twenty-four hours I've had a "come and see" type groundschool invitation, a phone interview, another interview scheduled somewhere else, and a job offer for a job I didn't apply for. Imagine that all going past in a montage now, me at a groundschool, and you hoping I'll have time to explain how I got here in a flashback, later.

This industry is fast. So is the airplane I'm learning now. I shall dub it the "Screaming Whippet," because it is loud, fast and needs attentive management or it will escape and start digging holes. (I think the dog sort of whippet is more likely to chase cars than dig holes, but all metaphors get snagged somewhere). Some of you will recognize the aircraft, and I will much appreciate both your e-mailed advice and your not naming it or providing further hints to its identity or that of its operator in the comments. You all know the drill.

My other comment for the day is "Oy, new employment ... so many forms!" The provincial, and federal tax forms, confidentiality forms, payroll deposit forms, emergency contact and all would be terrifying in themselves, but they pale next to the brain flattening terror of the draconian training bond. The lizard part of my brain tells me the correct response to risk is to curl up under a rock and hold really still, but its input is not really applicable now that I am no longer a lizard. I'm climbing out from under my rock to do this right.

20 comments:

Kevin said...

Woo! Does this new airplane, by any chance, burn Kerosene...? Does it have whiskers...?

If so - I'm jealous and very pleased for you! Congratulations!

I sincerely hope that I get to bump into you at John Wayne, for that is where many of them nest... If I'm off base, the sentiments still stand!

Kevin

amulbunny's random thoughts said...

Jungle jets make life easier I've been told. I hope that this is a wonderful new adventure for you and perhaps some new stamps in your passport?

Rhonda said...

Congrats on your new paperwork!

Everything does come in at once, doesn't it? After graduating, I spent over two years on the job hunt, then got two offers within a week. After all that time begging for a job, I suddenly had to choose which one I wanted to work for!

John Lennerton said...

Yay!

(verification word: damire - as in don't get bogged down in da mire of excessive paperwork)

Ben Read said...

Delighted about the good job news, Aviatrix ...

Jack L. Poller said...

Congratulations.

I know how it goes... I went from unemployed and bored to having 2 jobs and no free time -- all in one day.

I hope wherever you land you can continue providing us with your humorous and entertaining wit and writing.

Unknown said...

Congrats!! I'm happy to hear the news. I've got another friend in the industry who is out of work and I'm hoping to hear the same news from him shortly.

I too can relate well to the "it all comes at once" comment... It was years ago, but I still remember the irony of having to choose after having been out of work for a bit.

Your new machine sounds like fun! I've never flown a 'Whippet' so I won't bother with advice other than to say you might need earplugs and/or a decent headset... A co-worker of mine made it through 4000 hours in one without digging any holes, and other than some possible hearing damage is none the worse-for-wear :-) I wish you the same, minus the hearing loss and the 4000 hours... there are airplanes less prone to digging holes that I hope come your way before too long!

Training bonds are a (sometimes necessary) evil, that, to date, haven't affected me at all. I've had to sign quite a few, but never had to leave a company with one still in effect. It's the same story everywhere, a company gets burned and then everybody has to sign them. Here's hoping you enjoy this job sufficently that the time on the bond is a non-issue.

Best wishes on your course, may it go well and may you learn all the important Whippetisms before you're in a need-to-know-right-now scenario!

Fly carefully,

Aaron

Mike Kear said...

What a pity there is so much slang and impenetrable rubbish in this post and the comments that it might as well be in Inuit for all I can understand.

I am assuming you're not expecting to be flying a 1920s biplane.

Pity. I have enjoyed reading your blog up to now. Now it seems you are quite purposely writing in code so only a few readers can understand.

Jungle jets? whiskers? whippets?

I guess because I'm not a professional pilot I'm excluded from now on.

nec Timide said...

Mike, I'm not a professional pilot either. Nor am I sure what a whippet might really be. I can guess of course but it will be only that.

I will however gently remind you that (at least in my recollection) Aviatrix never did tell us the model she was last flying and refered to it as a weed wacker.

In that job she did get rather more free with the facts, I assume because her last employer, and employer's employer (meta employer?) did not mind that level of public knowledge about their private buisiness. Aviation companies generally value corporate privacy very highly. This can be because their clients demand it, or because they are worried about the wrong kind of publicity. It wasn't that long ago that we never knew where Aviatrix was.

What ever the case is here, we all have to trust Aviatrix's judgement as to how open she can be, just as she trusts those of us who figure it out from the clues to keep it to ourselves. I suppose we could all chip in to pay her wages, but then what whould she have to write about?

A Squared said...

Mike, Aviatrix has always declined to name the exact type of airplane she's flying, instead using pseudonyms like "weedwhacker" "monarch butterfly" and "screaming whippet". Much like and for the same reasons she uses "Aviatrix" instead of her real name.

What difference would it make? If you knew the new type was a _________, how would that change the story?

A Squared said...

For what it's worth, "Jungle Jet" is just Amulbunny's indirect way of trying to guess what type Aviatrix is calling the "Screaming Whippet".

Jungle Jet is a common nickname for the Embraer Regional Jet, but it a rather stupid name as the Embraer RJ's are made in Sao Paulo, Brasil, which is a long way from any jungle. It makes as much sense as calling an airplane made in Ohio the "Desert Jet".

Bob said...

I'm not a professional pilot either, although I play one on MSFS. And I have a cool watch.

I think Roy Clark used to have a Screaming Whippet. Well, better said, I know he used to have what I think a Screaming Whippet is. Hee Haw!

In any event, sincere congratulations!

Aviatrix said...

I'm sorry, Mike that you feel excluded rather than caught up in an air of mystery about the aircraft and the new job. I re-read the post carefully and it actually contains no slang at all, unless "groundschool" is slang. That's just the classroom part of the training for a new aircraft. Oh and "training bond." I'll try to remember to explain that later.

I'm not sure what part of the post is rubbish to you. It's not all strictly literal, but if you've enjoyed my previous stories you must be familiar with my style of extended metaphor.

People familiar with current movement in the Canadian aviation industry are using clues outside the blog to guess which aircraft I might be training on, and people who have flown this airplane will very quickly recognize it in the days ahead. They're speaking in code out of respect for my wishes clearly stated in the post.

Cirrocumulus said...

Congratulations! I hope amulbunny's right...

Jez said...

Congratulations Aviatrix and sorry that Mike here had to try and ruin it. I am also not a professional pilot, I never really figured out what type you flew before and and am not sure I'll figure it out this time either - but it does nothing to reduce the interest of your posts. Please keep up the good work and use whatever code you see fit.

J said...

NICE

Unknown said...

Mike,

As others have already pointed out, Aviatrix works hard at keeping this blog anonymous and it's absolutely necessary that she do so if she's going to continue the open, honest look at aviation that we enjoy. She does a good job too... The aviation industry in Canada is somewhat small and close-knit, and in spite of that, I have no idea which company, province or even airplane type she works in. If she were to be even a little less cryptic it would be easy for someone close to the situation, a pilot for another company nearby perhaps, to identify where she's working.

I'm not familiar with the term "Jungle jet" either, but I too seem to recall that being used to describe airplanes made by Embraer in Brazil. "Screaming Whippet" is most certainly a newly coined description! I'm not certain to which airplane it's been applied, but I have my suppositions... The "digging holes" refers to airplanes making holes in the ground... not something we like to talk about a lot, but she's wise to recognize this propensity in any airplane, then work to avoid making it do so.

I say all this to offer some explanation to the necessity of the lack of factual information. I hope you continue to enjoy the blog as I and so many others do.

Best,

Aaron

grant said...

re: "so much slang and impenetrable rubbish ... I'm excluded from now on."

A favorite comedic sketch of mine makes the statement: "How quickly the universe owes us something that we didn't even know existed ten minutes ago!"

If the offended author of those comments was actually paying money!! for your excellent blog, perhaps I wouldn't be so surprised by his tone... sheeesh. Can someone reach over and smack him upside the head please!!

Anoynmous said...

I consider the jargon and cleverly worded euphemisms to be "penetrable rubbish". A sufficiently motivated reader can tease out the hidden information. A less motivated reader shouldn't find the missing details to be a problem.

I'm motivated, but not enough to spend more than a few minutes Googling stick shakers and hydraulic pressures. When my best lead turned out to have fixed gear, I decided to forego the instant gratification.

Anonymous said...

there is nothing wrong with trying to remain an anonymous blogger. i've been reading for a few months and have always found Aviatrix to be respectful, and only sometimes cryptic.

Aviatrix, keep it up, and congrats.