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"We are the protagonists of our stories called life, and there is no limit to how high we can fly."


PHD. MBA. MHS. Type rated on A350, A330, B777, B747-400, B747-200, B757, B767, B737, B727. International Airline Pilot / Author / Speaker. Dedicated to giving the gift of wings to anyone following their dreams. Supporting Aviation Safety through training, writing, and inspiration. Fighting for Aviation Safety and Airline Employee Advocacy. Safety Culture and SMS change agent.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pilot Language... It's not Greek!


A very short layover and another departure out of Amsterdam. But today, I was the DHing crewmember. 


And as promised... the key to demystifying pilot language.

DH:  Deadhead  (DHing: Deadheading)
  • The act of giving up our seat with a view to be the food and movie critic in Business Class…. For me a great time to catch up on my reading and writing. 
  • Nice duty at full pay.
  • The art of moving a pilot from one city to the next, to pick up somebody else’s trip.
  • The ability to avoid Detroit if at all possible.
 PM: Pilot Monitoring
  • Pilot doing all the work while the other pilot does the takeoff and landing.
 PF:  Pilot Flying
  • Pilot having all the fun… while the other pilot works the radios.
 Junior FO: Me!
  • The person who will do the walk around in the rain, hail and snow.
 Walk Around:
  • Exterior preflight, sometimes known as ‘kicking the tires.’ This procedure is done differently by women. We no longer kick tires… we touch them to see how they’re feeling. ;)
 Reserve: 
  • The act of working on my novel, exercising, reading, sleeping and waiting for the phone call to fly.                                                  
DTW: Detroit
  • A four and a half hour flight from Seattle, 3 time zones, and my home away from home until December!
MSP: Minneapolis
  • The resting place of NWA, and the new Delta north training center.
ACC: Accra Ghana
  • West Africa, home of malaria and lockdown in the hotel.
FCO: Rome
  • Fountains, romance and red wine.
AMS: Amsterdam
  • Canals, museums, and anything goes.
ATH: Athens
  • Ancient ruins filled with inspiration and magic. 
SEA: Seattle
  • There is no place like home! 

8 comments:

  1. Love the change in kicking the tires to caressing them!! Funny.

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  2. That's right... Never kick the Princess!

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  3. How did you test the tires on the 744?

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  4. thanks, Karlene! Now we non-pilots can read your posts with verve because we know the lingo. FCO, AMS and ATH sound particularly appealing.

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  5. Oh Pilot... even on the big equipment, we gotta touch to see how they're feeling. ;) And... taking a good look helps too. A picture is worth a thousand words.

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  6. Thanks Linda... and I will link this on the side for quick reference too. :)
    Have a great day! I'm off to the big city to see our friend!

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  7. Hi Sarah, I loved Guyana! So many stories... and such a fantastic experience. I think it was the many great people I worked with down there.

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