Grumpy pilots?

My 12 year old daughter and I went up yesterday. There was a little
confusion on the taxiway between a bonanza and an archer that we heard
while departing. Nothing unusual. Both pilots were polite and both
offered to get out of the other guy's way. My daugher heard the
exchange differently. She wanted to know why those guys weren't being
very nice. I explained that they were just trying to communicate with
each other clearly but in as few words as possible. Funny how kids or
maybe any non-pilot interprets the way we talk on the radio.

Dave
68 7ECA

On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 08:50:42 -0500, dave
wrote in ::

Nothing unusual. Both pilots were polite and both
offered to get out of the other guy's way. My daugher heard the
exchange differently. She wanted to know why those guys weren't being
very nice. I explained that they were just trying to communicate with
each other clearly but in as few words as possible. Funny how kids or
maybe any non-pilot interprets the way we talk on the radio.

Such terse communication can be a problem when it overflows into
social settings. I've been accused of being impolite by my spouse
while just attempting to be understood; I think 'robot' was the term
she used.

Funny how kids or maybe any non-pilot interprets the way we talk on the
radio.

Pilots in general don't seem to suffer fools gladly. This can be
interpreted as "rude."

In groups of our own kind, pilots are pretty gregarious, often waxing
eloquent (for probably too long!) about pattern entries and near misses.
Get us out of our groups, however, and we may appear to be sullen and surly,
speaking only when spoken to and often in clipped tones.

It's probably cuz we're thinking about how we could be flying, instead of
standing around yacking...

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

affirmative!

PJ

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 08:50:42 -0500, dave
wrote in ::

Nothing unusual. Both pilots were polite and both
offered to get out of the other guy's way. My daugher heard the
exchange differently. She wanted to know why those guys weren't being
very nice. I explained that they were just trying to communicate with
each other clearly but in as few words as possible. Funny how kids or
maybe any non-pilot interprets the way we talk on the radio.

Such terse communication can be a problem when it overflows into
social settings. I've been accused of being impolite by my spouse
while just attempting to be understood; I think 'robot' was the term
she used.

And in ground conversation with another person, and the term "Sayagain" is used
you immediately identify the other person as either a pilot or ex-military.

She wanted to know why those guys weren't being very nice.

Maybe she heard them talking about the Fokker in the pattern.

dave wrote in news:f9-dneUOmZu-KQXcRVn-
:

My 12 year old daughter and I went up yesterday. There was a little
confusion on the taxiway between a bonanza and an archer that we heard
while departing. ... My daugher heard the
exchange differently. She wanted to know why those guys weren't being
very nice. I explained that they were just trying to communicate with
each other clearly but in as few words as possible. Funny how kids or
maybe any non-pilot interprets the way we talk on the radio.

Some years back I took my god daughter on a night flight over the city. I
was flying a Warrior, November nine seven one five Charlie. Ever so often
ATC would give One Five Charlie some traffic advisory and I would
acknowledge in the standard fashion.

After a while my god daughter asked me, "Unca Jim, how come that man keeps
calling you Charlie?"

To which I replied, "That's all right, honey... I call him Roger." G

Jay Honeck wrote:

In groups of our own kind, pilots are pretty gregarious, often waxing
eloquent (for probably too long!) about pattern entries and near misses.
Get us out of our groups, however, and we may appear to be sullen and
surly, speaking only when spoken to and often in clipped tones.

I think perhaps the sullen/surly comment is overstated. However, not
necessarily by much laugh.

I was at a party this weekend where I knew very few people. I was speaking
to the few I knew, which was okay, but...

My wife is extremely gregarious. She noticed a couple that appeared to know
even fewer people than I. So she brought them into our little
conversational circle. We chatted about various things for a while, and it
was nice enough. When we were speaking of childen, I mentioned that - as a
pilot - a significant factor in my life was getting my son in the air as
much as possible.

It turns out that the fellow was a pilot too. He and his wife had, in fact,
done some nice "trip" flying including from Oakland CA to Alaska. In a
172!

At that point, the conversation shifted completely for me. I was far more
verbose and expressive as we spoke of Garmin and XM, working on the
commercial rating, flying Alaska (sounds like a great trip, BTW), club
management, ownership issues (he owns his 172 and leases it to his club),
etc.

It was as if my party face fell away and my pilot face appeared. Kind of
weird, in retrospect.

- Andrew

P.S. I get the same way, FWIW, when discussing certain aspects of
software development. I suppose it's a matter of passion: conversations
on topics on which we're passionate bring out that passion and
excitement.

On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 14:12:33 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

Funny how kids or maybe any non-pilot interprets the way we talk on the
radio.

Pilots in general don't seem to suffer fools gladly. This can be
interpreted as "rude."

And legitimately. Though I realize that just responding that way may
seem to imply foolhardiness. But I'll risk it. Interpretations can
vary.


In groups of our own kind, pilots are pretty gregarious, often waxing
eloquent (for probably too long!) about pattern entries and near misses.
Get us out of our groups, however, and we may appear to be sullen and surly,
speaking only when spoken to and often in clipped tones.

Why be so sullen and surly? The answer isn't what you gave below.
It's because you know there is a real world, and it is where you are
at. It is not where you want to be, since it does not exist as such
in the sky -- though the effort made to get, and stay, there would
force the making of a new and different world, but for only the pilot.
The passenger is not much of a participant, so you praise yourself
even the more. He doesn't, however; at least not so much. Because he
doesn't really need to.

Honestly, the better perspective of the 'real world' is not gained
from being 'on top' if it -- though the talent required to get there
is certainly worth something, to somebody. So flyers are isolated by
circumstances chosen, and it is not the fault of those ground-bound.


It's probably cuz we're thinking about how we could be flying, instead of
standing around yacking...

;-)

On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 11:28:54 -0500, Andrew Gideon
wrote:

P.S. I get the same way, FWIW, when discussing certain aspects of
software development. I suppose it's a matter of passion: conversations
on topics on which we're passionate bring out that passion and
excitement.


I agree with the flying and software. It's just what floats your
boat. What many people find interesting, I'm sure you find very
mundane, and not worth the energy spent. No harm in that as long as
you don't mind people thinking you're not quite mainstream. It works
for me!

Glad you had fun.
z