The Wings Stayed On!: Old is new again...

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Old is new again...

Airships looked like the future of long range transport in the late 20s and early 30s until a chain of disasters such as this one, killed the industry.

Now, newer technology brings some promise of growth in this niche aircraft market:

If you'd like a tour of the flight deck:

Interested in a job with airships?

click here - http://www.airshipoperations.com/

and here - http://www.goodyearblimp.com/faqs/faqs_flying.html#pilots

and here - http://www.lightships.com/employment.php?category=pilot

I'm sure there may be more out there ... happy hunting.

By the way. None of these ads included pay scales so let me add this information from an online ad by the third company in the above list (scroll to "airship pilot"):

Company: The company conducts Commercial Airship Operations throughout the world. Our Airships are based in North America, Australia, Europe, South America and we are now moving towards obtaining permissions to operate in Asia. The company was formed in 1990.

Misc: As a brief summary, the job will include:
Training and licensing for the Commercial Airship rating, which, due to associated cost will require a minimum three year commitment with the company. Travel - USA and Overseas - each Operation consists of two Pilots and eleven support personnel. The Airships operate under contract for various clients. Contracts vary from one month to ongoing commitments. Some of our ongoing clients are Sanyo, Budweiser and Goodyear Tire & Rubber (overseas). The tour schedules will cover the USA (except for elevations above 5,000 msl) or they may be regionaly based i.e. New England. Overseas assignments are necessary on occasion. Duration varies from a few weeks to six months.

Salary
Student Pilot $27,500 (training lasts approx. 3 months)
Pilot with License $32,000 (max. 90 day probation)
Line Pilot $35,000
Chief Pilot $47,500

As we are growing each year, the opportunities for advancement are good. Benefits include Medical Insurance, 30 days vacation, profit share after 12 months), travel perdiem and more.

What"s this about?

An eclectic series of articles based on my experiences as a commercial pilot. Sometimes behind-the-scenes tales; sometimes more technical descriptions of Jet Transport Aircraft - and the people who fly them. While the stories are based upon actual experiences and real people, I use composite characters and made-up names*. If they seem familiar, they are. They're the people you live and work with every day. The world is full of interesting people - if we only knew!

The title of this blog comes from my first observation after test-flying my home-built aircraft: "The wings stayed on!" And later I realized that life is often like that. We are continually faced with new adventures. And though we study and train and prepare as much as we can, finally we have to launch and put all this preparation to the test. And unexpected things still happen. As the bumper sticker says, Life Happens. And we deal with it - hopefully with a good dose of humour and hope. And if the "wings stayed on!" well at least that's the main thing. And everything else is just details.

My stories are usually drawn from looking back over my career, which thankfully has been pretty dull. Trust me. When flying a commercial airliner, boring is good. You wouldn't like exciting... So don't expect many stories about engines exploding, and wheels falling off, and cabins catching fire. Though that kind of stuff goes on, thankfully, it hasn't been my experience. My stories are the more mundane things, the little things that inhabit real life.

And while mundane is the reality of modern airline flying, still it's an amazing feat, a dramatic and dynamic accomplishment that we shouldn't take for granted. Perhaps day-in, day-out our world-wide airline industry represents our civilizations' most complex achievement. And though it has become mundane we should never forget that the real drama lies in the times when these bigger disasters are too close for comfort. The times when some small factors could produce seriously different outcomes.

Sometimes all the calm around you is an illusion -- a little like the movie Jurassic Park where the investors are touring the not-quite-ready-for-opening facility, while the technicians thrash away at command central, trying to keep everything together - trying to keep up the facade that it's all under control. But if it is, it's not by much.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Like everyone in the airline industry who's blogging, I'm hoping to write a book, and I'm practicing on you folks. I'm always trying to hone my story-telling skills so if you have any comments please leave them. Also, please respect the copyright thing.

Thanks.

Aluwings