Am I mental ?

Emp_Fab

Stop being a smartarse - or trying to anyway.  You obviously have no knowledge of how aircrew are recruited.  The continual testing throughout training, multiple exams for each licence, psychometric assessments, interviews, simulator checks etc are what they use to decide whether you are a suitable candidate.  Christ, you won't even get on most ab-initio courses (at decent schools anyway) without passing various assessment tests and interviews - and that's before you get anywhere near a little Cessna!

They have far more important metrics than whether you used to be a nuclear weapons technician or an insurance salesman.

chillidoggy

When's the medical exam?

Sporky

Emp_Fab said:

Sporky said:

I don't think anyone thinks you would. 

The question is whether you should.

 

The question is really whether anyone would, otherwise it's veering towards bullying.

Bullying??

The question is whether you should. Or anyone should. Golden rule and all that.

Emp_Fab

Your original post said, as you've quoted - "I don't think anyone thinks you would. The question is whether you should."

Your clarification makes it clear that the 'you' in your second sentence is plural (i.e. anyone) but the 'you' in your first is obviously singular (i.e. me personally).  It's natural to assume that if the first is singular, so will the second one be.  Therefore I took your post to mean "The question is whether you should (turn the opportunity down)".  i.e. - me personally.  My feelings then were why should I personally be expected to observe a higher moral standard than anyone else ?

In any case, it's nonsense !  We all know we should do many things to have spotless consciences and unblemished morals, but we don't.  Nobody does.  We all do what is beneficial to ourselves without making us feel too guilty.  It's a balance - and in this instance, I doubt there is a human on the planet who would refuse a dream job opportunity for the reason that someone else ought to get it instead.  In fact, I reckon 80% of people would climb over crippled children to reach something they really wanted, and the other 18% would do it whilst wearing spiked shoes for extra grip.

Sporky

Actually, quite a few of us go through life not being particularly selfish.

Good cognitive dissonance though, with all the blah blah stuff.

celentium

I definitely have no idea of how aircrew are recruited, but now you've told me it seems even more unlikely.

I very much like to root for the underdog though so I hope it works out, it would be a great story.

Emp_Fab

Sporky said:

Actually, quite a few of us go through life not being particularly selfish.

Good cognitive dissonance though, with all the blah blah stuff.

Why are you being so confrontational ?  I had to Google 'cognitive dissonance'.  Your 'blah blah' comment is quite insulting to be honest.  I was simply explaining exactly how I thought. (go on, quote me there and make another dig).  I agree with you that "quite a few of us go through life not being particularly selfish".  I accept it's probable on statistics alone, but I haven't met many.  Most people are selfish.  Most British people are repressed and passive-aggressive too.  What's your beef with me ?  Why are you trying to score petty points in a thread about me trying to pursue my dream ?

octatonic

Emp_Fab said:

Sporky said:

Actually, quite a few of us go through life not being particularly selfish.

Good cognitive dissonance though, with all the blah blah stuff.

Why are you being so confrontational ?  I had to Google 'cognitive dissonance'.  Your 'blah blah' comment is quite insulting to be honest.  I was simply explaining exactly how I thought. (go on, quote me there and make another dig).  I agree with you that "quite a few of us go through life not being particularly selfish".  I accept it's probable on statistics alone, but I haven't met many.  Most people are selfish.  Most British people are repressed and passive-aggressive too.  What's your beef with me ?  Why are you trying to score petty points in a thread about me trying to pursue my dream ?

You know, for entertainment, like.
I thought you knew this was your job?

randella

Emp_Fab said:

They have far more important metrics than whether you used to be a nuclear weapons technician or an insurance salesman.

Or indeed a professional snooker player.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Carter

How’s your cue action?

carlos

chillidoggy

Anyone taking bets on how many pages this thread is going to run to? We're 7 pages in, and no sign of the medical yet, so I'm going with 49.

TTony

chillidoggy said:

Anyone taking bets on how many pages this thread is going to run to? We're 7 pages in, and no sign of the medical yet, so I'm going with 49.

I'm going with more pages in the thread, than get completed in Emp's flying hours log book.

gubble

@emp_fab is this thread just an elaborate hoax? 

Sporky

Emp_Fab said:

What's your beef with me ?  Why are you trying to score petty points in a thread about me trying to pursue my dream ?

I didn't know there were points - what are the prizes?

I'm simply pointing out that your logic is flawed. You're proposing doing something you know is morally indefensible, but you are trying to convince us (and possibly yourself?) that everyone else acts poorly, so it's OK for you to act poorly. That's the cognitive dissonance - knowing you're wrong but pretending you're not - and it's very bad for you.

The dream is fine, stamping on people to get to it (when there are other options) is not.

I genuinely hope you get some satisfaction from this goal you've set yourself; this was just about the idea that you'd march into some 3rd world shithole as an all-conquering imperialist (overstatement deliberate for comedic effect).

Garthy

Emp_Fab said:

Garthy said:

Emp_Fab said:

chillidoggy said:

WTF do they do for £650?

I expect they'll throw a prostate exam in while they're at, though.

https://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-industry/Pilot-licences/Applications/Medical/Medical-examination-information/

No prostate check, but the examination lasts four hours.

You reckon you're going to pass a four hour medical despite being concerned that your health would prevent you from piloting  an aircraft? I could probably write anything in this sentence as you only seem to take on board viewpoints that agree with you and I bet you've stopped reading by now.

There's absolutely no logic in your statement.  What you're effectively saying is "it is pointless attempting anything if you have concerns that you might fail".  The world would be in a pretty shit state if we all had that approach don't you think?

I don't "reckon I'm going to pass a four hour medical".  I have no idea if I would pass it!

FFS. 

What I'm effectively saying, or rather actually saying is "It's pointless attempting something that is futile". It seems to right thing to do to help or guide someone through a difficult path, especially if that path could mean that someone 'who has only ever known debt' could put £50k through a shredder instead of having the pressure lifted off their shoulders for the first time in what appears to be bloody ages.

This is entirely separate to someone attempting something difficult or if the pay off is worth the risk so please don't put words in my mouth.

Emp_Fab

I know exactly what you're saying.  You think it is futile.  You think the pay off is not worth the risk.  These are your judgements, not mine.  ...but - it's not you that wants to do this.  It's me.  I will decide whether the risk is too great and I'm in possession of more of the facts about it than you are.

As for "It seems the right thing to do to help or guide someone through a difficult path".....  is that what you were aiming for when you typed "I could probably write anything in this sentence as you only seem to take on board viewpoints that agree with you and I bet you've stopped reading by now." ?   'Cos I didn't really get much of a 'help and guidance' vibe from that.

Emp_Fab

chillidoggy said:

Anyone taking bets on how many pages this thread is going to run to? We're 7 pages in, and no sign of the medical yet, so I'm going with 49.

...and you ain't read much of it then have you ?  First up, I only started the thread nine days ago !!!  What are you expecting ?  Are you going to complain because I'm not flying for Thomas Cook by August Bank Holiday ? 

(Rolls eyes... deep breath....  comical patronising tone.....) I've already said that I'm going to tackle the hurdles in the order of the cheapest first.  It makes no sense in coughing up £650 for a full anal-probe style medical if it turns out I still can't get through the colour vision exam.  That test is £150 - and it might be a show-stopper.  I haven't booked that yet as I need to go to London for it on a weekday and there isn't a gap in my work calendar that I can book a day off for in the immediate future.  As soon as I can see a window, I'll book the test and see if I can take the first step towards my goal.

I wish I hadn't started this thread now.  It was rather premature, but in my defence, I was very..... very...... drunk.

What I should have done was to get all the medical, eye and suitability tests out of the way and then come to ask if I was mental - at the point where I was just about to sign on the dotted line for a very expensive training course.

ourmaninthenorth

Emp_Fab said:

What I should have done was to get all the medical, eye and suitability tests out of the way and then come to ask if I was mental....

What like, after all those tests, asking here for a second opinion.....? 

Emp_Fab

They only test if you're healthy enough to not die midway across the atlantic with 300 people behind you, can see well enough to not try landing on the M25 by mistake and sane enough to not fly a full 787 into the O2 Arena because Justin Bieber is playing and he must be stopped.  They don't test whether it's a galactically stupid decision to pay obscene amounts of money to start training at 54 !  

octatonic

Why do you allow yourself to be so easily wound up?