Page 38 - Sept 19 TNT

and professional dress are changing. I worry that Generation Y airline pilots were mentored too quickly and by captains work- ing under intimidation from a management that knew their pilots needed a solid pre-employment reference for the majors. For the most part, life with the regionals was a continual sense of paying your dues on the way to the majors; obeying the master in order to receive an honorable release from servi- tude. An entire crop of burgeoning airline pilots was mentored in this caustic environment, wearing down young pilots into a nub of acquiescence. Simultaneously, due to mergers, 9/11 and bankruptcies, my generation allowed pilot pay to drop signifi- cantly lower than historical and inflation-adjusted norms would command. Thankfully, this type of treatment and food stamp- level pay has changed as the long-anticipated pilot shortage has become a reality. While it arrived too late for the generation of pilots already at the majors, perhaps the younglings will renew the profession to its former glory. Essential Oils At the majors, most FO’s f lew for 12 to 18 years with old-school captains before they upgraded to the left seat. And these old- school mentors felt little pressure from management to fly when sick, fly poorly maintained airplanes or in dangerous weather. In the U.S., we are retiring thousands of such pilots each year for the next 5 to 10 years. And while the captains and FOs flying today may have 45 to 70 years of combined flying experience, the flying time of a new captain and a new FO’s added together will soon not be as much as one retiring cap- tain. These new folks have never heard of The Three Stooges, Ripcord, Sky King, Super Tramp or The Animals. No wonder they have little in common with Boomers. And ya gotta love the brilliant new radio lingo they use like “cool beans” and “my bad.” But despite these differences in generational character- istics and experience levels, the pilot partition of Gen Y and Z continues to show impressive skill and intelligence. Their level of adaptability noticeably exceeds previous generations, and not just in their ability to use Bluetooth electronics and essential oils. So, we may not be doomed after all – if we can just get past the piercings, tattoos, their attitude and those damned earbuds. Kevin Dingman has been flying for more than 40 years. He’s an ATP typed in the B737 and DC9 with 23,000 hours in his logbook. A retired Air Force major, he flew the F-16 and later performed as an USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Officer. He flies volunteer missions for the Christian organiz tion Wings of Mercy, is employed by a major airline, and owns and operates a Beechcraft Duke.Contact Kevin at dinger10d@ gmail.com. 36 • TWIN & TURBINE / September 2019 Paul Bowen Photgraphy