Taking Flight

Posted 1 year ago2022-05-06 20:29:27 UTC
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
After 24 years working as a pediatrician, I am going to become a commercial airline pilot.

There is currently a massive pilot shortage in the United States. It's estimated that we need more than 15,000 pilots over the next five years.

During the pandemic, virtually all flights were grounded due to travel restrictions. Many seasoned pilots were forced into early retirement. No flight school remained open during the shutdown.

Now, with lifting of travel bans and fueled by strong consumer demand, many flights are grounded because there is no one to fly them.

I played a small role in getting the world weather the pandemic, and now the world could use one less doctor but one more pilot.

I will be the third-generation pilot in my family. My grandfather flew for the first Chinese air force. He was naval bomber. Both of my uncles flew fighter jets.

I am fulfilling my destiny as I take to the air.

10 Comments

Commented 1 year ago2022-05-07 10:52:29 UTC Comment #104385
That's exciting stuff. Please keep us up to speed throughout your journey. :D
Commented 1 year ago2022-05-07 11:11:19 UTC Comment #104387
Best of luck to you! It seems like an interesting job. Make sure you vision is good enough if you haven't thought of that already, I understand the requirements for commercial pilots are quite strict. An old acquaintance had to get laser eye surgery before he could get his license.
Commented 1 year ago2022-05-07 13:25:01 UTC Comment #104390
I just want to tell you good luck, we're all counting on you.

More seriously though, congrats on taking this leap of faith. Hope you'll be having fun and send pics!

I just want to tell you good luck, we're all counting on you.
Commented 1 year ago2022-05-08 13:11:26 UTC Comment #104392
Solid reference, Lou.
Commented 1 year ago2022-05-08 20:18:54 UTC Comment #104394
That is inspiring. Good luck!
Commented 1 year ago2022-05-09 17:40:11 UTC Comment #104397
Dream Taking Flight
The vision requirement is actually quite lenient for commercial pilots. If you could get a driver's license, you could fly.
Commented 1 year ago2022-05-09 18:33:36 UTC Comment #104398
Different standards in different companies or countries I suppose.

Flying seems so fun. I wonder if I could fly a little private plane despite being afraid of heights (I don't mind traveling by commercial airplane but Ferris wheels scare the life out of me)
Commented 1 year ago2022-05-09 23:07:36 UTC Comment #104400
I'm pretty sure that's okay. People really have different reactions to heights, I know of a few people who are left paralyzed when suspended at a few meters in the air when taking part in adventure park activities, yet aren't too much afraid of jumping out of an airplane when parachuting.
For me, it's the opposite. I wasn't afraid of flying in a plane, or partaking in an adventure park, but when I started parachuting it sure scared the hell out of me, though it got better with time. Since then though, flying in a plane gives me a slight fear of heights I didn't have before, as if parachuting gave my brain an appreciation of the actual distance I am above the ground.
Apparently there's a difference between the fear if falling and the fear of heights. I was told toddlers only feel the former, so that they would clutch the hands of an adult to the point of being suspended in the air, rather than letting go before being lifted up and risking falling from the lack of support. If only someone here knew about children so that he could confirm or deny this...
Commented 1 year ago2022-05-09 23:12:16 UTC Comment #104401
Right. It is a shame nobody here knows anything about children.
Commented 1 year ago2022-05-11 15:33:33 UTC Comment #104402
That's how most children learn to walk.

As long as a trusted adult is holding her hand, she can walk all day. It's like that feather Dumbo holds while flying. It's purely psychological.

It's not exactly related, but I posted this video in the morning about having the confidence to deal with rejections. It's the fear of failure that ensures failure becomes reality.

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