Tyler's Take - Come Fly the Friendly Skies

Just recently, I was getting ready to fly back to Arizona for a conference. I was sitting in the concourse area of the Indy airport eating a quick dinner before heading to the gate when I noticed a pilot grabbing a quick bite as well. He was sitting at the table a few feet in front of me. Now if you'll allow me for just a second to be slightly judgmental and superficial...I noticed that this pilot is someone that would probably be classified by my wife as a "sad-sack". He was a little disheveled and looked like he was maybe someone that doesn't have a real exciting social life. And most likely, he's never been accused of being the "life of the party"! To me, he looked like the kind of guy that has spent a lot of time focusing on his career. And then I stopped and realized something...this is exactly the type of pilot I want for my flight! I don't want someone in the cockpit who is having a party in there. I want a no-nonsense person who is focused on making the flight as safe as possible. I don't need my pilot to have a personality; I just need to get to my final destination alive!

Precisely as I was thinking that to myself, the pilot stood up, grabbed his rolling suitcase, and started to walk away. As he did so, the bag he was pulling behind him ran into the chair he was sitting in just a second ago. At that point, I changed my mind...I guess this is not the man I want flying the plane I'm riding in after all!