This is not homework. The homework was to create a survey to gauge attitudes toward a group or culture. That’s done, turned in, and approved. Now it’s time to actually get some opinions! Some people posted that they would like to take the survey when I posted it. Well, here it is. The more, the merrier!
For the purposes of this survey, ‘General Aviation pilot’ means a person who holds a pilot certificate or a student pilot certificate. ‘General Aviation’ means ‘The operation of civilian aircraft for purposes other than commercial passenger transport, including personal, business, and instructional flying’ (defined at answers.com). Consider ‘General Aviation’ to focus primarily on ‘little airplanes’ such as Cessnas, Pipers, and Beechcrafts. Since most commercial or military pilots began their careers in General Aviation, we will consider them General Aviation pilots. Please choose the answer that most closely matches your views.
Are you a General Aviation pilot? That is, do you hold a pilot’s certificate, whether or not you currently exercise the privileges, or are you a student pilot or former student pilot? (If ‘Yes’, skip to Question 3.)
A. Yes
B. No
If you are not a pilot, as described in Question 1, do you aspire to be one?
A. Yes
B. No
When considering General Aviation pilots’ egos:
A. They have over-developed egos, often to the point of arrogance.
B. They are justifiably proud of their achievements.
C. They are neither more nor less egotistical than non-pilots.
D. They tend to downplay their achievements.
E. ‘What? She’s a pilot? Who knew!’ (In context, ‘very humble’.)
In terms of personal wealth and/or income:
A. Pilots are wealthy.
B. Pilots have upper middle-class incomes.
C. Pilots have average wealth and incomes.
D. Many pilots struggle to afford to fly.
E. ‘Will work to fly.’
If you were hiring a person for a non-flying job, would you be more likely or less likely to hire a pilot to fill the position, or would it not be a factor?
A. More likely.
B. Less likely.
C. Not a factor.
When considering General Aviation (GA) pilots in relation to the general population:
A. GA pilots occupy an ‘elite’ status.
B. GA pilots hold a slightly elevated status.
C. GA pilots are ‘just people’ for which their avocation holds no bearing.
D. Their status is lower in my eyes, since they should spend their resources more productively.
Please rate the following statements on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being ‘strongly agree’, 2 being ‘somewhat agree’, 3 being ‘neither agree nor disagree’, 4 being ‘somewhat disagree’, and 5 being ‘strongly disagree’.
A. ‘General Aviation Pilots are too full of themselves.’
B. ‘General Aviation Pilots are dedicated and professional.’
C. ‘General Aviation Pilots are rich.’
D. ‘General Aviation Pilots are adventurous.’
E. ‘General Aviation Pilots are often sexually promiscuous.’
F. ‘General Aviation Pilots intelligent.’
G. ‘General Aviation Pilots often drink too much.’
H. ‘General Aviation Pilots are well-trained.’
I. ‘I wish they would close the airport.’
A. 3.
B. 3.
C. 3.
D. 2.
E. 3.
F. 3.
G. 3.
H. 3.
I. 3.
Comments: I found this survey kind of difficult to answer. I don’t know personally know any general aviation pilots other than my father, and I don’t think he’s flown in the past 25 years. (However, there is about half of a home-built plane in the garage.) I don’t really think of pilots as a category of people, so I don’t really have any piloting stereotypes floating around in my head. I guess if I met someone who told me they were a pilot, I would think it was kind of a cool hobby.
That’s OK. A lot of people don’t know any pilots, and the only thing they know about General Aviation is whatever happens to make the evening news. Some people don’t even notice ‘little airplanes’. I hope to get many answers from people who aren’t pilots and who don’t personally know any.
(Of course, I’m also interested in what pilots think of themselves.)
Are you a General Aviation pilot? That is, do you hold a pilot’s certificate, whether or not you currently exercise the privileges, or are you a student pilot or former student pilot? (If ‘Yes’, skip to Question 3.)
B. No[/indent]
If you are not a pilot, as described in Question 1, do you aspire to be one?
B. No
When considering General Aviation pilots’ egos:
A. They have over-developed egos, often to the point of arrogance.
B. They are justifiably proud of their achievements.
In terms of personal wealth and/or income:
B. Pilots have upper middle-class incomes.
If you were hiring a person for a non-flying job, would you be more likely or less likely to hire a pilot to fill the position, or would it not be a factor?
C. Not a factor.
When considering General Aviation (GA) pilots in relation to the general population:
B. GA pilots hold a slightly elevated status.
Please rate the following statements on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being ‘strongly agree’, 2 being ‘somewhat agree’, 3 being ‘neither agree nor disagree’, 4 being ‘somewhat disagree’, and 5 being ‘strongly disagree’.
A. ‘General Aviation Pilots are too full of themselves.’ 4
B. ‘General Aviation Pilots are dedicated and professional.’ 2
C. ‘General Aviation Pilots are rich.’ 4
D. ‘General Aviation Pilots are adventurous.’ 2
E. ‘General Aviation Pilots are often sexually promiscuous.’ 3
F. ‘General Aviation Pilots intelligent.’ 2
G. ‘General Aviation Pilots often drink too much.’ 3
H. ‘General Aviation Pilots are well-trained.’ 2
I. ‘I wish they would close the airport.’ 3
I’m currently doing a temp assignment at a small airline - it’s fascinating!
If you are not a pilot, as described in Question 1, do you aspire to be one?
B. No.
I’d love to fly and maintain an airplane, but realistically I don’t have time for it.
When considering General Aviation pilots’ egos:
C. They are neither more nor less egotistical than non-pilots.
In terms of personal wealth and/or income:
C. Pilots have average wealth and incomes.
If you were hiring a person for a non-flying job, would you be more likely or less likely to hire a pilot to fill the position, or would it not be a factor?A. A little more likely.
I think that owning and flying a plane could show a higher level of commitment and/or organization. It would be like finding out that the applicant rebuilt the engine in their car or that they rigged and race a sailboat at the amateur level. No matter what, it would be worth discussing to see what makes the applicant tick.
When considering General Aviation (GA) pilots in relation to the general population:
C. GA pilots are ‘just people’ for which their avocation holds no bearing.
Maybe I’m the wrong person to ask since I’d rather be ‘just people’ than an elite.
Please rate the following statements on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being ‘strongly agree’, 2 being ‘somewhat agree’, 3 being ‘neither agree nor disagree’, 4 being ‘somewhat disagree’, and 5 being ‘strongly disagree’.
A. ‘General Aviation Pilots are too full of themselves.’ 3
B. ‘General Aviation Pilots are dedicated and professional.’ 3
C. ‘General Aviation Pilots are rich.’ 3
D. ‘General Aviation Pilots are adventurous.’ 3
E. ‘General Aviation Pilots are often sexually promiscuous.’ 3
F. ‘General Aviation Pilots are intelligent.’ 2
G. ‘General Aviation Pilots often drink too much.’ 3
H. ‘General Aviation Pilots are well-trained.’ 2
I. ‘I wish they would close the airport.’ 5
Who the heck is down on GA anyway? It seems like a fairly benign thing to do.
If you are not a pilot, as described in Question 1, do you aspire to be one?
B. No
(Actually it depends on your definitions. I’m nuts about flying machines and have vague dreams of someday learning to fly, but I expect it will happen some time after I become POTUS - note that I’m not even American).
When considering General Aviation pilots’ egos:
A. They have over-developed egos, often to the point of arrogance.
At least Iberia’s ones…
In terms of personal wealth and/or income:
A. Pilots are wealthy.
B. Pilots have upper middle-class incomes.
It depends on how long they’ve held the job and who they work for.
If you were hiring a person for a non-flying job, would you be more likely or less likely to hire a pilot to fill the position, or would it not be a factor?
D. It would depend on the job.
When considering General Aviation (GA) pilots in relation to the general population:
E. Pilots are trying to hold to a higher status which too many years of strikes have managed to burn out.
Please rate the following statements on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being ‘strongly agree’, 2 being ‘somewhat agree’, 3 being ‘neither agree nor disagree’, 4 being ‘somewhat disagree’, and 5 being ‘strongly disagree’.
A. ‘General Aviation Pilots are too full of themselves.’ 2
B. ‘General Aviation Pilots are dedicated and professional.’ 1
C. ‘General Aviation Pilots are rich.’ 2
D. ‘General Aviation Pilots are adventurous.’ 4
E. ‘General Aviation Pilots are often sexually promiscuous.’ Aaaargh! Define often!
F. ‘General Aviation Pilots intelligent.’ Smart, yes; intelligent, not necessarily.
G. ‘General Aviation Pilots often drink too much.’ NPI.
H. ‘General Aviation Pilots are well-trained.’ 1
I. ‘I wish they would close the airport.’ 5
This question is sort of upside-down, usually the highest number is used to indicate agreement.
Are you a General Aviation pilot? That is, do you hold a pilot’s certificate, whether or not you currently exercise the privileges, or are you a student pilot or former student pilot? (If ‘Yes’, skip to Question 3.)
** A. Yes - although I haven’t piloted a plane since 1978**
When considering General Aviation pilots’ egos:
** C. They are neither more nor less egotistical than non-pilots. - in my limited experience, they’re just like normal people, their egos didn’t seem to be connected with their ability to pilot a plane.**
In terms of personal wealth and/or income:
** D. Many pilots struggle to afford to fly. - When I last saw what plane rental cost, I figured those who did it had to sacrifice other things to pay for it, at least most folks do.**
If you were hiring a person for a non-flying job, would you be more likely or less likely to hire a pilot to fill the position, or would it not be a factor?
** C. Not a factor. - I’m not sure I see what this question is getting at - it’s like asking if I’d hire a golfer or a fisherman for jobs that don’t involve their hobbies.**
When considering General Aviation (GA) pilots in relation to the general population:
**
C. GA pilots are ‘just people’ for which their avocation holds no bearing.**
Please rate the following statements on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being ‘strongly agree’, 2 being ‘somewhat agree’, 3 being ‘neither agree nor disagree’, 4 being ‘somewhat disagree’, and 5 being ‘strongly disagree’.
A. ‘General Aviation Pilots are too full of themselves.’ 3
B. ‘General Aviation Pilots are dedicated and professional.’ 2
C. ‘General Aviation Pilots are rich.’ 4
D. ‘General Aviation Pilots are adventurous.’ 3
E. ‘General Aviation Pilots are often sexually promiscuous.’ 3
F. ‘General Aviation Pilots intelligent.’ 2
G. ‘General Aviation Pilots often drink too much.’ 3
H. ‘General Aviation Pilots are well-trained.’ 2
I. ‘I wish they would close the airport.’** 5**
I’ll play, based on a sample of one pilot I know well and a few I’ve just met over the years. Each of them made it clear from the get go that they were pilots and the one allowed topic of conversation was flying. We can talk to spouses and family about other ways the individual pilot is wonderful but flying is always the centerpiece.
B
B
A
B
C
A
7 a-h. 3
g. 2
On this last one. I do not get a good feeling that the public money spent on small airfields is for the good of the general public. My experience is very limited of course and the same could be said for any number of public expenditures but the OP asked.
Lots of people. They’ve been trying to close Santa Monica Airport for decades, and they’re still at it. They closed the local airport here a few years ago so they could have another truck stop, one correspondent calling the pilots ‘big boys’ with their ‘toys’. Mayor Daley destroyed Meigs Field in the dead of night. When I lived under the traffic pattern for SMO I heard people complain about the ‘little airplanes’. Disparaging remarks, calls to close GA airports, and several stereotypes about pilots are what prompted this survey.
But debates over such things are for another thread. Right now I’m just collecting data.
Are you a General Aviation pilot? That is, do you hold a pilot’s certificate, whether or not you currently exercise the privileges, or are you a student pilot or former student pilot? (If ‘Yes’, skip to Question 3.)
** B. No**2. If you are not a pilot, as described in Question 1, do you aspire to be one? B. No3. When considering General Aviation pilots’ egos: A. They have over-developed egos, often to the point of arrogance.
In terms of personal wealth and/or income:
** D. Many pilots struggle to afford to fly.**
If you were hiring a person for a non-flying job, would you be more likely or less likely to hire a pilot to fill the position, or would it not be a factor? C. Not a factor.
When considering General Aviation (GA) pilots in relation to the general population:
** D. Their status is lower in my eyes, since they should spend their resources more productively. **7. Please rate the following statements on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being ‘strongly agree’, 2 being ‘somewhat agree’, 3 being ‘neither agree nor disagree’, 4 being ‘somewhat disagree’, and 5 being ‘strongly disagree’.
A. ‘General Aviation Pilots are too full of themselves.’ 3
B. ‘General Aviation Pilots are dedicated and professional.’ 4
C. ‘General Aviation Pilots are rich.’ 4
D. ‘General Aviation Pilots are adventurous.’ 2
E. ‘General Aviation Pilots are often sexually promiscuous.’ 2
F. ‘General Aviation Pilots intelligent.’ 5
G. ‘General Aviation Pilots often drink too much.’ 3
H. ‘General Aviation Pilots are well-trained.’ 3
I. ‘I wish they would close the airport.’ 4
