October 11, 2022 Pilot Life

The Liberty Gazette

October 11, 2022

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: We’re on a roll from last week’s reflections on the language and lifestyle of pilots. One of the cool benefits of flying commercially is having a job that allows you to dine in Europe and be back the next day–and be paid to do it! Recreational flyers not to be outdone can boast about taxiing up to an airport restaurant for lunch. We just jump out and go in to eat. Loads of fun, especially when we take non-pilot friends. 

Mike: Another occurrence typical of this field is running into friends at airports across the country or across the globe. I crossed paths with a pilot I hadn’t seen in years while walking into the customs office at Toronto’s Peterson International Airport. Ironically, I had just been telling my co-pilot about this pilot on the flight there. We pointed at each other and shouted to our respective crew, “That’s the guy I was talking about!” Turns out, he too related our exploits to his co-pilot while flying across Africa the week before.

 

Linda: Here’s a fun one: “chocks out.” When on an airliner, or waiting to board, have you ever watched the line crew? They’re the ones wearing orange safety vests and headphones, buzzing around the jets. Standing in front of the airplane, looking up at the pilots, they hold their fists together, pinkie-sides touching, thumbs pointing out, then they pull their fists away in the direction their thumbs are pointing. They are confirming the pilot’s same gesture, which is the instruction that they’re ready for the ground crew to pull out the chocks. Chocks are like small parking curbs. They’re placed in front and behind the airplane’s tires to keep it from rolling. Funny story I heard from an airline couple. When not working, if they were in a noisy bar, when they were ready to leave, they signaled “chocks out.” An easy way to confirm that it’s time to blow that popsicle stand. 

Here's another one. I sleep quite well through turbulence (when I’m not the one piloting the aircraft). However, when it comes to sleep, here’s the other side of it. I have had dreams about taking off and having to dodge powerlines or taxiing through narrow streets or tunnels without scraping the wingtips. This is pretty common among pilots. 

Another difference is the public’s perception of women pilots. For those of us in the industry, it’s a normal, everyday thing, but we aren’t allowed to forget for very long how different the world is outside ours. When I participate in non-aviation social events or meet people in settings other than flying, women usually respond with excitement, like how cool is that that you fly airplanes? But there have actually been some men that exclaim, “No way!” Even in today’s world. That, I cannot understand. My father wasn’t like that. I bite my tongue and refrain from asking if they reside in a town called Bedrock and are fond of the phrase, “Yabba Dabba Do!” 

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