The Left Side of Normal Airplanes, The Internet, and Everything Else

CNN is reporting that the co-pilot on an American Airlines flight became ill during the flight and was unable to continue his duties.  These jets require two pilots to conduct the flight because the workload is just too large for one person to handle.  In addition to actually flying the airplane the pilots have to deal with approach procedures, communicating with air traffic control (and monitoring where other planes are and what they're doing), run through mandatory checklists of things that have to be done before the plane can land.  Unless you're superman, it's just too much for one person to handle.  When I'm on a flight, one of the last things I want to hear come over the speakers is the captain asking if anyone on board has a pilot license.  I'm a pilot, and that would make me nervous.  If I were on that flight I would be quick to volunteer to help, and quick to defer to someone else with more experience if another option were available.  In this case, one of the flight attendants held a pilot license with a commercial rating.  She was able to jump into the right seat and work with the pilot to complete the checklists and assist with whatever else he needed help with.  I highly doubt she actually controlled the movement of the airplane in any way.  She may have dropped the landing gear, turned some lights on, read through the checklist, things like that.  These jets are fairly complex machines and require a lot of training to operate.  Having a commercial rating means you know the rules and regulations as outlined by the FAA, but it doesn't mean you have training on any particular aircraft.  In any case, I congratulate the flight attendant on helping to bring the flight to a successful conclusion.  If I were in that position I can only hope that I would perform as well.

Logged another 2.4 hours today.  Flew a Cessna 172 from Sarasota out to Sebring with a friend for lunch.  Unfortunately the restaurant there was closed for kitchen remodeling or something, so we flew down to Okeechobee instead. Had a decent hamburger with fries (the classic $100 hamburger as they call it). After lunch it was time to fly back to Sarasota. Air traffic wasn't too busy until later in the afternoon. Enjoyable flight overall.

The Chicago Tribune, via the Associated Press, is predicting a pilot shortage in the coming years, citing that there are "about 2,500 qualified pilots available for hire in the U.S. today."  Since I don't hold a commercial rating, I'm certainly not counted among that "qualified" group, but I one day hope to be part of that number.  The article cites safety concerns if the airlines are forced to hire less experienced pilots.  One quote has it right when they say that pilots are trained and certified, regardless of their experience, so safety should not be a great issue.  There are some pilots who flaunt the rules and act in a reckless manner, but you will always have those people in any profession, regardless of the industry (look at the abuses of power by police officers, for example).  For me, it's all a matter of time and funding.  I'd love to just drop everything and spend the next three months at ATP eating, sleeping, and flying my way through all of the ratings and flight time required, but it's extremely expensive and I simply cannot afford it.  The passion is there, but the funds aren't.  Any airlines want to finance my flight training in exchange for agreeing to work for you through retirement?