"buttman" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Apr 27, 7:03 pm, Mxsmanic wrote:
Dan544 writes:
I do not understand why so many of you real time pilots take such a
negative
look at simmers.

I think some pilots are more interested in aviation as a means to impress
others than as an end in itself. Such pilots are irritated by anyone who
seems to be trespassing on their turf.

There was a thread not too long ago about an article in some magazine
talking about the declining pilot population. Someone said, and I
agree with him on this point, that this could be in part due to pilots
no longer being seen as "heroes" by the general public. People like
Yeager and Lindberg were looked up to back in the day. People were
drawn to aviation because they wanted to be seen as "heroes" by
everyone else. The same thing goes for actors; a good majority of them
are only drawn to the profession because of the glamor of Hollywood.

People here expected to be fawned over because they have a pilot
certificate. MX doesn't fawn over anyone. He sees answers to his
question as just that; answers to questions. He sees people here as
human beings who happen to have a lot of knowledge pertaining to
aviation; not demigods who have blessed him with their presence. I had
college professors who thought highly of themselves who were the same
way. They'd give an unclear answer, and if you questioned them, you'd
get scoffed off.

When I was little I didn't idolize any aviators. I didn't have F-14
posters on my wall, nor did I care for anything else aviation related.
If I were to meet a Blue Angel, I would have just said "uhhh, hi". I
don't think I even had a toy airplane growing up. I actually did have
a friend when I was little who was into aviation big time. He could
tell you the engine thrust, takeoff weight, and everything else for
just about every single military plane ever made. I thought he was
just a big dweeb.

I guess I just kind of fell into aviation. I started because I like
the science of it. I like traveling. I like adventure. Even now my
relationship with aviation is very cold and distant. I don't sleep
with my POH's, but I do study them. I don't feel those warm fuzzy
feelings most pilots say they feel, but I do feel other feelings.
Those other feelings I guess only people like me can feel, not those
who see aviation completely differently...

I don't ever hope to pick up chicks with my striped epaulets, nor do I
ever expect people to fawn over me when I say those magic words "I'm a
pilot" at a cocktail party. Thats just now why I do it. If a non-pilot
asks me a question pertaining to aviation, and I give him an answer
that he thinks is wrong, I'm not going to be insulted. I'll use my
superior knowledge to defend my position, but I sure as hell won't get
emotional about it.

Doctors don't go off on their patients calling them morons when the
patient disagrees with the prognosis, why should pilots? It's just not
professional.

Honestly, this kind of behavior, seen on this newsgroup, and in real
life, has recently made me doubt wanting to continue my aviation
career. It's one of those things I've been trying to not think about,
because it always gets me down.

Sorry this post has been all over the place, but this topic has been
going through my mind for a few years now. It's not something I can
just condense into a few paragraphs.


Pilots who are interested in aviation
for its own sake logically would not be bothered.

Which is me. Some of the questions you post are pretty stupid, but I
just ignore those. They're just words on a computer screen. It's not
worth having an aneurysm over. Some of your questions are very good,
and if others would take them seriously could be even more interesting.

..
First, let me say I am not a pilot. But I agree with your opinions. MX
doesn't impress me, He asks many questions and then questions the answers.
I agree entirely with your statement, "People here expected to be fawned
over because they have a pilot certificate. MX doesn't fawn over anyone."
Except I would say "some people". Whilst MX will argue the point he rarely
(if ever) is abusive. Not unlike his attackers, some of whom I am
embarrassed by. Sorry, but there is a killer pack mentality at work amongst
a small number of individuals, not just on this NG but others. Before I
retired I dealt with many people like MX. They can be trying, but we must
not try to destroy people! MX is intelligent.

Lastly, if you don't like MX, don't read his posts! If you don't like him,
but still read his posts and then attack, maybe you need to take a deep
breathe.

Our house expert Dudley H doesn't let these things upset him. Try and
learn from this distinguished pilot.