Pilots and Professionals

In the course of my career I would like to end up as a captain for Delta Airlines. I have flown with Delta since I was a kid and I have always had a good experience flying with them even now as a student pilot I hear about the safety, professionalism, and service offered by Delta. As a captain with Delta I would be responsible for the safety of the plane and the passengers behind me. I would also be I would be required to go through annual flight revues in order to remain current and prove that I am a safe pilot. I would be required to make sure that the plane arrives in a safe and on time manner.

Of course there are always risks with the aviation industry.  There are always the risks of mechanical failure, bad weather, an unruly passenger, and a multitude of other concerns. As the pilot in command if there was an issue with the flight I would be liable for the consequences while this might not mean a lawsuit it could mean my job. One way to mitigate these issues is to participate in programs like the FAA WINGS program which focuses on safety. I can go to safety seminars to learn of new techniques to have a safe flight. And one of the simplest things to do is to be a professional; a professional person wouldn't go outside of the rules just to make money. But what is a professional.

I define professionalism as not only looking the part but by acting the part. For example in the case of pilots you may have a captain who shows up to the gate in a tee shirt, shorts, flip flops, and drunk this is obviously unprofessional. Then again you may have a pilot dressed in a nice suit however when he is on the radio or talking to somebody he is rude or swears a lot, this too is unprofessional. My idea of a professional is someone who dresses professional acts professional and is still professional even in a bad situation. Professional people should be serious I am not saying that they shouldn't have fun sometimes but they need to know when it is right time unlike this incident in Atlanta Georgia,
http://www.flyingmag.com/news/audio-atc-joke-causes-boeing-777-abort-landing. Also if a pilot is asked to fly a plane and they know they are unfit to fly that plane, or if they find that the aircraft is unsafe they should have the professional ability to say I cannot do this. For example take the Colgan Air disaster of 2009 both the pilot and co-pilot were both tired from having little to no sleep the night before the flight. The co-pilot was even recorded saying that she was sick and wondered if she should call in sick. Management should know when their pilots are not ready for a flight and they should promote safety not cheaper flights. On top of that some small carriers like Colgan Air were required to add tasks to their company to meet certain requirements such as more maintenance, more check pilots, updated safety inspection, and other items which the company neglected in order to save and make money.

Personally as a pilot I would continue to participate in the FAA WINGS program by attending seminars both in person and online. I feel that by participating in programs like this and continuing to fly outside of the airlines I will be able to stay safe and know the things that are going on around me.