Aviators do things that “normal” people consider something akin to otherworldly, right? Making sense of all those gauges and dials and the occasional bell and maybe even a whistle or two seems beyond the comprehension of most folks.
I hate to have to tell you this, but pilots like to keep it that way by not admitting to anyone how easy it really is. We enjoy the exalted pedestal upon which we exist and take great satisfaction in being able to look down upon the huddled masses of passengers with benevolence and offer a gentle word of comfort to ease their apprehension.
We would never share with passengers, for example, the famous (infamous?) words of one pilot to another during an emergency, “It’ll probably be all right.” No, we never admit the slightest doubt that our skill and cunning will save the day no matter what.
Unfortunately, BBC One has let the proverbial cat out of the bag with a video that demonstrates how most pilots get to where they are. The desire almost always begins at an early age and festers to the point of obsession, and this intense motivation shoves the young wannabe aviator into a strange new world.
At the bottom of a strange new world, of course. No one straps into the cockpit of a jetliner right away. It takes time, and hard work, and requires learning a multitude of new skills to work your way up.
But now for the first time, you can see how the birth of an aviator really happens. Check it out at Tommy’s New Job.
