Some less than glamorous General aviation career pics.

[Nillus]

Great shots Eric.
It's interesting that the people of our time have become used to documenting events with an image. The advent of the iPhone and similar devices combined with social media mean that you can always get a snap of something & get it seen a minute later.
So many things slipped by in my GA career that would have been worthy of a photo. Then there was developing the shots, editing the rubbish pictures from the good ones blah blah blah...and 30 years ago I didn't carry a camera with me all the time.
More's the pity.

[Adam the Akrodude]

Really great series of photos Eric. Bet you've plenty of "there I was..." stories to go with this experience up the north west as well. Trying (and eventually failing) to get into RAAF Aircrew Training in the mid-80's, I was told in no uncertain terms not to progress any further with my flying training at the time, as the RAAF would have to "un-train" me! That did kinda screw me up a bit with progressing with any civvy commercial flying aspirations at the time. With the benefit of time, experience and maturity, I do think it all worked out the best for me falling into what I'm doing now for a crust. Nature/Fate/The Giant Pumpkin in the sky has a way of taking care of things. I do bow low and salute (at the same time?) those of you who really took that hard and bumpy path to achieve your dreams. Nothing worth doing is ever easy is it.

How many careers have these challenges to deal with?

- Self fund your training with no government support whatsoever to many thousands of dollars (unless getting into military aviation first).
- Can require working and living in some pretty far away locations doing some pretty hairy/risky flying at times.
- Failing medicals, annual check flights/sim rides can end ones career.
- Having to spend extended periods away from family.
- You have to be on the ball, all the time - night and day, rain, hail or shine!
- Very high levels of responsibility and pressure.

Still, the view from your "office" is hard to beat and it looks like you get way too much time off to do modelling!!

I do seriously salute all you professional aviators. Someone really needs to develop a bowing and saluting emoticon!

Cheers

Adam

[Nillus]

Thanks Adam,

There's another thing the aspiring professional aviator has to look out for:

Dodgy operators that will try to:
Overload your aircraft;
Ask you to fly more hours than the legal maximum and tell you to 'forget' to put them in your log book and;
Demand you don't put any defects in the defect list and then take shortcuts with maintenance.

Some will find a way to sack you if you don't comply.

Reallllllly nasty out there.

[Adam the Akrodude]

Thanks Adam,

There's another thing the aspiring professional aviator has to look out for:

Dodgy operators that will try to:
Overload your aircraft;
Ask you to fly more hours than the legal maximum and tell you to 'forget' to put them in your log book and;
Demand you don't put any defects in the defect list and then take shortcuts with maintenance.

Some will find a way to sack you if you don't comply.

Reallllllly nasty out there.

Yeah, forgot to add those - I've heard some bad stories from former instructors. My first instructor took a big bite of the dirt sandwich down at King Island one foggy night. Too many dead people in my log book.

[Nillus]

King...yeah I used to do the 6am run down there in a Navajo/Chieftain for Flinders Island Airlines (FIA) back in 1985. What a place...right in the roaring 40's. Nasty.