How to Succeed in Aviation

I’ve always found aviation to be an instant friendship, as well as an instant acceptance field particularly among flight crews. I’ve spent over 35 years as a major airline pilot and 20+ years helping pilots advance their careers and continue to see the importance of 4 basic ideas for a successful career and a fulfilling life.  These are:
 

1. Show your passion for your chosen work (flying in this instance)
2. Show those who can help you that you’re serious
3. Be proactive on your own behalf
4. Make it easy for others to help you

Most important is to show your passion for flying.  Whatever your niche may be, show others who can help you that you are serious.  For pilots that means hanging out at the airport, which we’ve all done (and enjoy doing), talking flying, learning from others, sharing the excitement of aviation with others and letting them know you’re EXCITED.  Go that extra mile to let them know it’s a pleasure to be there and you’re ready to get involved.

 

Then comes the part that counts…showing others who can help you that you are serious.  My book, Flight Guide for Success: Tips and Tactics for the Aspiring Airline Pilot, is all about demonstrating to those who can help you that you’re serious about aviation and will make sacrifices to show that you’re not just a ‘wannabe’.  Remember that we have all been helped by someone at some point in our careers and were able to move up thanks to their assistance.  As we advance, it’s our job to help those coming up behind us.  It is important to be concerned about making sure we help the REAL ones, not just the ‘wannabes’.  Therefore, your job is to demonstrate that you’ll make good use of the advice received, follow through with the job leads and report back to your advisor on your progress.  Staying in touch is the essence of successful networking.

 
Being proactive on your own behalf is crucial to your success.  If you need to find a contact in a particular company, talk with your source first, then send them an email reminding them of your needs. Provide them with the info they need to do the task you have requested, be it an address or a refresher on how you met and why you feel the reference would be appropriate.  Don’t make them extract the information from you. 
 

Finally, make it easy for others to help you.  If it’s a letter of recommendation you’re seeking, you can give them a de-identified letter that someone else has prepared for you, helping them to know more about you and what others think of you. If you’ve had special interactions with them, give them a short list of what you’ve accomplished.  Rather than making them feel it’s a burden or a big job to comply with your request, show them you’ve practically done their work for them. Remember, give them the tools to help you do what you’re asking for and you’ll quickly get what you need. 

Aviation Etiquette – Crucial Concepts for Confined Workspaces

Many pilots may not have experienced the joys and sorrows of working in a normal office environment but never the less they need to learn that many of the same manners are needed for successful piloting in a multi-pilot or single pilot space, particularly if passengers are close by.

Did you do most of your flying solo or as single pilot? Working together has many CRM aspects often discussed in flight training, but not much has been said about how to improve or maintain good interpersonal relations with other pilots as well as your passengers. Professional Standards committees at airlines are charged with the duty of advising (or chastising) pilots on how to deal with issues that bare on pilot professionalism. ProStan has the inside track and what you should be doing, but all too often your first contact with them is when you screw up…and likely you don’t even know you what it is you did or when you did it.

Maybe you’re like me and got a splash of cold water at the end of my probationary year as a Second Officer at a major airline. Back then, they had no real orientation for female or non-military pilots, so it was up to each of us to figure out what the protocol was and how to survive in the airline’s very military-like environment. I didn’t realize many things about being the junior-most pilot in the cockpit and how to deal with often-times cranky and eccentric senior captains. It took me a while, for example, to learn that even though I could quietly slip back to the cabin to get a drink or use the lav, it wasn’t a good idea to leave without clearly announcing my departure lest I be needed in an emergency. So I soon adopted the “I’m going back to get a drink; do either of you (pilots) need anything?” line to clearly advise them of my impending departure from the cockpit.

Other unwritten rules dealt with who signs the roster sheet at the hotel for over nights and in what order. Obviously there was some special pecking order that I knew nothing about and when I got my first glaring look for signing the wrong line, I quickly learned to sign last, given my juniority.

As the years rolled by, I learned the ropes, and came to realize that although there are various types of etiquette for different kinds of office environments, in the cockpit, it really boils down to common courtesy and consideration for your fellow pilot.

Starting with the common workplace niceties are your personal hygiene, speech, actions and mannerisms. Many of these are directly transferable to the cockpit or if you’re in a larger cabin class airplane, to both front and rear work areas of the airplane.

Of primary importance is dressing smart, smelling good, and looking professional so you’re welcomed into the group and not shunned by your co workers. One could write volumes about interpersonal relations, but I’ll just mention a few of the non-personality related issues that we can all learn from.

Sweet smelling (or preferably no smell at all) is VERY important in the confined space of the cockpit, regardless of its size. Daily showers, change of shirts, socks, etc. are essential and may have not been brought up in the “how to be a pilot” manual for your C152.

Many years ago while in the beginning stages of flight instructing, I could barely endure the 1 hour lesson, given the odors coming from the left seat. At the end of the session, I had to tell my new student that since the cockpit was a very small confined space, I’d take a shower daily and use a light fragrance (which if he didn’t like he should tell me) and he, in turn, would do the same. Next day he showed up showered and sweet smelling. Whew…now the fact that he never came back for his 3rd lesson…that’s another story.

Normal workplace odors can be greatly magnified in the small confines of a cockpit. From the reeking of French fries that you brought aboard for lunch to smelling of too much perfume worn by unknowing flight attendants or passengers (if you’re in a charter or instructional situation), all can be very unpleasant and hard to dissipate. The best solution is to prevent the problem before it occurs. Finish your fries before you board and keep your perfume/aftershave to a bare minimum.

We all have to eat sometime, but choosing the time carefully and inquiring of the other crewmember if it’s OK with them, often can save you lots of grief. Keep your picnic layout to a minimum and consider the problems associated with eating smelly foods (onions can make the cockpit reek for some time) which might better be consumed at the time of purchase.

It should be obvious the problems that can arise when food or drink is spilled on workplace surfaces in the cockpit. Careful planning will avoid a dangerous situation like the one I had while shooting an approach to LAX. Having spilled just a few drops of water onto the range selector for the FMC (Flight Management Computer) I was horrified to see my glass HSI screen totally filled with every intersection within a 50 mile radius, completely blocking the course information I needed to view and making it impossible to fly the approach. Quickly ‘fessing up, I told the Copilot it was necessary for him to fly the approach and landing, saving the day. Fortunately things were back to normal once we reached the gate where I did confess my sins to maintenance and asked them to check it out. Heat gun in hand, they arrived to fix the problem and thanked me for my honesty. Plain water, they said, can be dried quickly. Sticky substances like soda or sugared coffee are an expensive hassle, mandating to the remove and replace solution.

Keeping your workplace neat and leaving it orderly for the next crew is important. Consideration of those sitting behind you, or luggage stored in tight spaces is also important. Clear handwriting for ATIS or clearance copying as well as paper shuffling in the manner approved by the captain rather than something you have invented. Crumpling up all your Jeppesen revisions and throwing them into a limited size communal cockpit trashbag can quickly fill it to capacity, while stacking old pages neatly, returning them to the revision envelope for a neat, low profile disposal works much better and keeps annoyances to a minimum.

Much of what I’m describing should be obvious, common sense interpersonal skills, but then I’m also guilty of not knowing when I started my multi-pilot career some specific points of the protocol that seems to have developed with multi-crew flying.

Many of us make mistakes we don’t even now we’re making…and that many others won’t tell you…unless you ask. Asking is hard, so better to learn about what’s proper and what will get you a “see me” from the chief pilot, or a place on the “do not fly with” list.

Aviation full of traditions from cutting of shirt tails for newly soloing students, to strict sign-in procedures for crew members checking into hotels for a layover. Learning how it’s done is akin to developing a new set of rules of the road. If you’re not sure, ask how it’s done or whether the other pilot(s) have a preference. Best show your ignorance and demonstrate your willingness to learn, rather than put your foot in your mouth or make a soon-to-be-regretted mistake that will earn you the wrath of pilots for years to come.

Courtesy Counts

 

Think chivalry (read: courtesy) is dead?  Convinced that Facebook postings are your own personal right to freedom of speech?  Figure your VM message is your own business and why bother to clean out a full mailbox?  Do you rarely return emails and like to communicate with potential business contacts through your Facebook page?  If this is your modus operandi for navigating the workplace jungle, think again.

So why is it so important to understand the ancient art of courtesy?  Who cares whether you do or don’t answer your email using Facebook or clean up your VM messages so someone can leave you a business message?  If you are networking, job hunting or planning to move up to a better position within your own company, these are just a few of the common speed bumps that can crash your best laid plans of getting a job with a company that may not think or act a hip as you do.

Although technology has moved forward with leaps and bounds, some things haven’t changed, nor moved forward with that kind of speed in today’s work world.  You’ll find that many employers may act like 21^st century companies, but when it comes to the basics, they’re about as reactionary as your grandmother’s book of etiquette tips.  (Matter of fact, if I was job hunting now, I’d read that book and heed the tips that were invented long before the digital age.)

Communications in the best of times can be difficult to master and the gap between your generation and that of your future employer can easily kill any opportunity your qualifications may have afforded you.  Your task is to communicate in THEIR language, not expect them to communicate in yours.  Remember who’s paying the bills (or who you hope will be paying you a decent salary) and realize that even though you may be much more sophisticated in your ability to communicate, you need to match their means and methods to be sure they receive your  message.

Timeliness is also crucial.  Their office may be closed when you a get a VM inviting you for an interview.  The time they suggested may not work for you.  Whatever their message, acknowledging its receipt promptly via the same method as they sent it ensures they understand your interest in their offer.  If they suggested an inconvenient time, give them several alternatives to let them know of your availability.   Being immediately available isn’t absolutely necessary.  Responding to their query as soon as possible is. 

Here are some major errors you’ll want to avoid:

1. Full VM boxes infuriate companies who depend on leaving messages and assume they will be checked regularly.
2. Not returning calls/emails tells them you don’t care enough to work in their world.
3. Cutsie signature files, VM messages or non-standard email replies label you a round-file player (read: toss that resume or application in the trash since the applicant doesn’t meet our business standards or s/he would take the time to sound professional).
4. Casual workplace habits like gum-chewing, bad-mouthing, poor posture, and lack of proper hygiene are not conducive to long-term hiring.
5. Dress habits are very important. Too formal is much better than too casual.  Their definition of Casual Friday and yours may be miles apart.
6. Speech habits are a top priority.  You need to sound like you can do the job and leave the overly-familiar, swearing, cool or hip language for your private friend-to-friend conversations.
7. Facebook is a billboard to the world. Post anything you don’t want your future employer to know and you’re toast…even in a right to privacy state.  That employer may well have offices in a freedom of information state and will obtain the information one way or the other.
8. Declaring you’re not computer literate is employment suicide. Become fluent in their language (computer, VM, email or whatever) to show them you’re willing to learn whatever you need to in order to not just survive, but thrive in their environment.

A few more words about voice mail since it’s a crucial business and employment tool.  It’s extremely important to have yours activated with a clear, concise message.  It’s amazing how many mobile phones have no VM set up leaving the caller unable to leave a message and totally frustrating a potential employer.  Your message is a window to their new employee; make it a welcoming, professional one tells them you can function well in their world:  “Hello, this is Sam Jones. Please leave your name, number and message at the tone. I’ll return your call as soon as possible.”  Boring?  Probably, but it’s important to confirm that your caller has reached you (not misdialed another number) so they’ll leave you that message you’ve been waiting to receive. (You do want that interview, don’t you?) After you’ve recorded it, listen to your message as well as have a business friend listen to it to determine that it has the proper tone and content.   

When you leave a message for a potential employer, be sure to state your name clearly (spell it if there’s any possibility of confusion) and leave your phone number, speaking slowly.  I’ve spent too many hours listening to VM messages 4 and 5 times trying to understand the person’s name and decipher their phone number.  Often I’ll return the call, and ask for a name that I’ve mimicked because I have no idea who I’m calling, so the parrot-technique is my last resort.  Sometimes I just have to ‘fess up and ask to speak to whoever called my number and left a message regarding pilot career counseling.

Finally, if you’re a serious job seeker, repeat your phone number again, at the end of your message, allowing the listener an easy way to return your call without having to listen to the whole message again.

The bottom line is “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” which was as valid in ancient times as it is now.  You need to learn to live in your employer’s world, not vice versa. This doesn’t mean you have to live a celibate life, but just realize that you’re judged by your public persona and courtesy is crucial to becoming a success full team player and long –term employee.

 

 

How is Your Sales Pitch?

Perfecting your sales pitch will help you progress through the ranks, opening doors that can lead to new opportunities. So how do you begin this process? I suggest you start by imagining yourself sitting in front of a prospective employer who is saying, "Tell us about yourself." This request is akin to their asking, "Why should I buy your product. What can you do better than your competition? Convince me that you're right for this job."

Start by making a list of your best qualities as well as those that make you unique. Your skills, talents, and extra curricular activities are pluses that you'll want to describe during your soliloquy. How will you assist their organization? What have you done in the past that qualifies you for the job? What new ideas do you bring to the company? What special achievements or awards in your past should they know about? Remember, it's up to you to share this information with them. Don't make them dig for it.

Plan your delivery carefully, add to it as you acquire additional skills and experience, and remember that your success depends on being your own best salesperson.

Be Aware of Opportunities

Often a great job can result from being in the right place at the right time, so keep your eyes and mind open to these opportunities. You can also help yourself a great deal by creating opportunities for yourself through networking. People will be impressed by your opportunistic and ambitious attitude, which will build your credibility and can lead to job offers from friends and acquaintances.
Look at every situation as an opportunity for you to gain something. Evaluate how you can help the people involved, and how they can help you. If anything, build trust in these relationships to secure loyalty, and they will at the least have positive things to say on your behalf.

More career guidance can be found in my book, Flight Guide For Success, which can be purchased online at amazon.com.