Ignominious (and just funny) Moments in Aviation.......

[TheSoccerMom]

TOO GOOD!!!!!!!   

Yeah, sometimes I am just too TIRED of explaining this baloney, so if someone wants to think I am the clerk or janitor, well hey GREAT.  I mean, I don't care if a person like that doesn't GET IT....  I don't have enough time or magic to cure all THAT.  So, sometimes it's just worth not saying a peep, the jumpers are all so funny, they know exactly when it's not worth the effort....  and when we suddenly get a call to go, well, it's worth it to see the shocked looks and the sputtering and backpedaling.  I mean -- I'm going to have a great day, no matter what other people have planned for me, right?!?!      Not my problem!!!                        

[airtac]

OH you think janitor is bad --try to feel what it's like when they think you're visiting your son/daughter !!!!!!!!!!!!!   (ASSHOLES!!!)

[TheSoccerMom]

I almost forgot..  Another case of mistaken identity....

There was the time the local fire manager guy came out to the airport where we were all "standing by", working in "his" area.  Of course, we get to know a lot of manager-types, traveling from place to place.  We always try to get to know them, since we are, in a way, working directly for them, even though we are considered a national resource that is supposed to move around in accordance with the fire activity, not tied to just one place.

That said, we were all roasting in the heat, and this place had a small, ancient, crumbling TINY trailer where we could escape the baking sun.  It was filthy and no doubt harbored a hundred diseases.  There was a lame fan at each end, and no A/C, but if you tried hard, you could imagine it was a cool breeze, not a suffocating one that reeked of 12 people crammed in there like sweating sardines.   

I had on my work boots, since we have to wear leather boots to fly in, and a T-shirt and jeans.  The jumpers all have to wear Nomex fire clothes, and most were shirtless in the heat, but had on the Nomex pants.  We were all sitting side by side, dripping sweat and wishing we could get a fire so we could get the hell out of there, when the fire manager stepped in.  He was a nice guy, an experienced guy with a long fire background, and he started visiting with all the jumpers.  When he got down the line of stinky bodies to me, I extended my hand and said "Hello" and it all, suddenly and abruptly, SCREECHED to a HALT.

He gave me the dirtiest look..  just glared at me...  I didn't get this at all...  and then soon he spun on his heel and walked out of the rickety old trailer.  I was dumbfounded..  thinking I must have offended him somehow..  but..  HOW?  I hadn't even had a chance to say anything!   

Soon after that, we got a fire call and all flew out the door...  and raced off to the fire...  and when I saw that man next, he walked up to me directly, HIS hand extended, shook mine, and apologized profusely.  He was SO embarrassed, but said he thought I was one of the jumpers, and he was SO APPALLED that I would be ON DUTY in JEANS that he was just too upset to even chew me out.  After we flew off that day, one of the guys left behind laughed his butt off, and said "Hell, no, she's our pilot!"  The poor guy was mortified.   

                                                                                                                     

[undatc]

Just as often as you're mistaken for not being a pilot I get mistaken for being a ramp agent.  When I tell people that I'm in college to be an Air Traffic Controller, most people respond with,

"wow I didn't know you had to have a degree to use those colored baton's."

 

"Yes sir, I just spent 100k on an education so I can sit out in the rain and back an airplane up."

And people wonder why controllers drink so much 

[airtac]

YIKES--100 grand and they're hiring trainees off the street--no wonder there's some hard feelings at the academy, mentioned in the aforementioned AVweb article
Well when you get to become a controller someday, you'll be entitled to start drinking

[Skygal]

OH you think janitor is bad --try to feel what it's like when they think you're visiting your son/daughter !!!!!!!!!!!!!   (ASSHOLES!!!)

Or grandmother, maybe be I should buy a BIG watch and those pilots glasses like you have.

[airtac]

OH you think janitor is bad --try to feel what it's like when they think you're visiting your son/daughter !!!!!!!!!!!!!   (ASSHOLES!!!)

Or grandmother, maybe be I should buy a BIG watch and those pilots glasses like you have.

I thought you promised to be nice

[undatc]

YIKES--100 grand and they're hiring trainees off the street--no wonder there's some hard feelings at the academy, mentioned in the aforementioned AVweb article
Well when you get to become a controller someday, you'll be entitled to start drinking

Well, my degree is slightly more than the average, I took private loans to pay for my car/insurance/living expenses while here, I have no scholarships nor federal aid.  And the guys they get off the street the wash out rate is almost 75% so going this way is a lot better bet then trying to get hired off the street.  Plus who really wants to work in Oakland?

[airtac]

YIKES--100 grand and they're hiring trainees off the street--no wonder there's some hard feelings at the academy, mentioned in the aforementioned AVweb article
Well when you get to become a controller someday, you'll be entitled to start drinking

Well, my degree is slightly more than the average, I took private loans to pay for my car/insurance/living expenses while here, I have no scholarships nor federal aid.  And the guys they get off the street the wash out rate is almost 75% so going this way is a lot better bet then trying to get hired off the street.  Plus who really wants to work in Oakland?

75%    well, that still leaves 25% of the uneducated who make it     I used to work out of OAK---would not have liked to live there so I commuted 2 hours 4 days a week---know an FAA inspector who worked there and lived in UKI which is even farther---sometimes ya just gotta make a living.   I've never lived in any city, Geyserville with it's population of 1,400 is about my limit.

[TheSoccerMom]

Or grandmother, maybe be I should buy a BIG watch and those pilots glasses like you have.

BWAAAAAAAAAAA  HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, THAT is funny.  Hey, I have been working on trying to duct-tape my kitchen wall clock to my wrist, it is kinda clumsy and gets in the way of the yoke, but I am working the bugs out...  when I get it all "good to go", I'll send you the design plans!!!!!!!!! 

Then we can look like REAL PILOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!                                                                            

 

[undatc]

75%    well, that still leaves 25% of the uneducated who make it     I used to work out of OAK---would not have liked to live there so I commuted 2 hours 4 days a week---know an FAA inspector who worked there and lived in UKI which is even farther---sometimes ya just gotta make a living.   I've never lived in any city, Geyserville with it's population of 1,400 is about my limit.

Yea, our success rate is a lot higher, thou about 1 in 10 are washing out due to non radar procedures right now.  So they just added that course to our degree requirement, Yay 

The problem with OAK for controllers is, one of the most complex/congested areas of the nation, and very low pay to start.  So you cant live anywhere near where you're working, in addition trying to learn the ropes, makes it really hard.  I just wanna go back to WA/OR/ID and ill be happy.

[TheSoccerMom]

I hope it works out that you can go where you desire! 

I also hope you don't get boneheads like ME, who managed (this very morning!) to call ground control on the in-house fire ramp frquency, requesting to taxi....  after a short pause, the fire guys came back with "Hey!  You're on Ramp Freq!"  (add in snickering sounds, in background)....  but then he added, "But Hey, just go ahead and taxi wherever you want!"   

More caffeine, more caffeine.............   

[FlyboyGil]

I hope it works out that you can go where you desire! 

I also hope you don't get boneheads like ME, who managed (this very morning!) to call ground control on the in-house fire ramp frquency, requesting to taxi....  after a short pause, the fire guys came back with "Hey!  You're on Ramp Freq!"  (add in snickering sounds, in background)....  but then he added, "But Hey, just go ahead and taxi wherever you want!"   

More caffeine, more caffeine.............   

Soccermom, is that you?

[undatc]

I hope it works out that you can go where you desire! 

I also hope you don't get boneheads like ME, who managed (this very morning!) to call ground control on the in-house fire ramp frquency, requesting to taxi....  after a short pause, the fire guys came back with "Hey!  You're on Ramp Freq!"  (add in snickering sounds, in background)....  but then he added, "But Hey, just go ahead and taxi wherever you want!"   

More caffeine, more caffeine.............   

At least you didn't start taxing though, that would have been bad.

[Frank N. O.]

Soccermom, is that you?

Ahahahahaha! 

Frank