Commentary: A Newsman's Opinion

[Pamela]

The thing is,helicopters are different from planes.
An airplane,by it's very nature wants to fly;and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by deliberately incompetent pilots,it will fly.

A helicopter does not want to fly.It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other; and if there is any disturbance in the delicate balance,the helicopter stops flying immeadiately and disatrously.There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter.

This is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot.
And why , in general , airplane pilots are open , cleareyed , bouyant extroverts , and helicopter pilots are brooders , introspective anticipators of trouble.
They know that if anything bad has not happened , it's about to.

Flying is hours and hours of boredom...punctuated only by moments of stark raving terror.


Harry Reasoner

[Z3R0]

Ummm...is this satire or is this guy trying to be proffesionaly serious?

[Frai7ty]

Lol, great one. Even if he is being serious. :)

[Pamela]

He is a famous newsman and also a helicopter pilot in Korea. He is attempting to explain that piloting different types of aircraft are distinct in the personality required to do the job well.My own husband flies both helicopters and airplanes....but his job is as a helicoptr pilot.I bought him this as a plaque several years ago because the truth in it really struck me.

[Z3R0]

How did you find the truth in it, ask your husband?

[Pamela]

I know a LOT of pilots and there is a lot of truth in the commentary.The personality differences are quite distinct actually.I live in an Airpark...it is a comunity of pilots that fly at the airfield behind us.It is common to be awakened at 7AM because someone has their plane cranked up and are heading to the airstrip to take off flying.

[Z3R0]

That would really suck. Lol, I used to live next to an interstate. Right now I live in Tampa and am not very far from the Tampa International Airport. It gets loud. And when you look up and see a plane coming in to land, it is so massive that I think it's a 9/11 incident.

[Pamela]

I read you loud and clear on that one! They look as if they will land right on the house!

[Z3R0]

Gets me every time. I'm new to Tampa so i'm like ducking and runnig for cover like "Run for cover, the Muslims are coming!!" and people are looking at me weird. Then I realize the plane is landing at the airport and I'm like, **** i'm stupid.