I am curious as to whether or not anyone out there tries to catch a glimpse of the pilot of their flight before take off? I have become a fearful flyer in recent years which is funny because my mother worked for Pan Am and we flew often. Anyway, I always find myself searching for the pilot to make sure he or the co-pilot check out the plane. I took JetBlue to Florida when they began operating out of JFK and I couldn't help but nickname the pilot of my flight Prom Boy because he looked so young! That's another thing. Do you prefer to see an older pilot and would it matter to you if it was a woman pilot? Is there one airline that dominates in the area of superior pilots? Thanks for sharing!

As long as he/she is a SOBER pilot, that's all that matters to me!

Not so old as to look as though he's about to keel over.

I prefer a hot, handsome, male pilot with broad shoulders and a moustache. It gives me something to think about on long boring flights.

Last month I our pilot on a US Airways flight and he was a midget!! I was shocked and very glad I didn't see him before the flight.

PC alert: the preferred terms are little person or dwarf, never midget.

Merilee, I've become a bit more fearful myself, but we all know the pilot's appearance will tell us nothing, right? And there's no practical way to watch them perform their pre-flight checks. Even if you could, would you know enough to spot an oversight? I know I wouldn't. Lastly, pilot error is only one reason a plane might crash--do you train your eagle eye on the mechanics, as well? I'm not making fun of you--if it makes you feel better, inspect the pilot. But I don't see the point.

I am very guilty of doing this! Sometimes I am afraid to look (thinking that I might scare myself if he looks too young) My fiance and I always make jokes if we think the pilot looks young, thinking that he will come over the intercom and say "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome you aboard my first flight..."

But honestly, it is the voice over the intercom that usually soothes me or makes me nervous! I always hope it is an old, deep voice!

I'm just afraid the pilot may now have a gun.

Another Bush administration mistake.

Keith

I never think about it. A large percentage of pilots have military flight experience, and the airlines have a vested interest in getting good pilots, don't they? These pilots get hours in simulators and in aircraft, and they have to earn ratings for the specific aircraft they fly. That kind of specialization saved lives on United 232 (the DC-10 that lost hydraulics in-flight); three DC-10 experts kept an essentially unflyable plane in the air and managed to get it down while saving most of the passengers and crew.

As far as female pilots, their skills are equal to their male counterparts-- I've had female captains on several flights and felt I was in very secure hands.

It's hard to say "this airline has more experienced pilots than this other one"-- with the furloughs and such, the startups can snatch up experienced pilots from downsizing majors. Pilot error is getting rarer in the US-- the biggest risk is pilot fatigue, and there are rules to limit pilots' consecutive hours in the air (after the American accident in Little Rock).

Air travel is still a helluva lot safer than ground transportation, so just relax....

Soemtimes when we are early for the flight, the flight attendants and crew go on and I always look them over.
I look for signs of tiredness, staggering, and general togetherness.
It makes me feel better if the pilot is tall, handsome with greying hair and a tan. Those guys never crashed in the movies.
Last flight we had a really cool flight attendant who was friendly and kind of motherly, I like to be mothered when flying, in case I don't see mine again.
I don't think I have ever seen a female pilot!

I've told this here before so please excuse if you've heard it. Being somewhat of a skittish flier, I do look at the flight crew as we board, hoping for the best of the best. Does strong and handsome help fly a plane? lol

In March '96 I was flying the new guy in town, ValuJet, from Savannah to Dallas. Finally we had a new carrier to give Delta a run for its money. On boarding, I peeked into the cockpit and there sat my brawny handsome guy, AND a petite girl with a blonde ponytail. Hmmm I thought...co-pilot undoubtedly! Very sexist yup, and I say shame on me too!! I sit down, strap myself in, take off and a female voice begins the greetings from the cockpit. "Good morning! This is Candy, your PILOT and I'll have the pleasure of flying you this morning on your trip to Dallas...blahblah" I lost the rest of it. I've got a blonde ponytailed pilot named Candy flying me to Dallas! Let me outta here. I KNOW that is bad, please don't jump me...I know we have fighter pilots with ponytails too and they are undoubtedly very bit as good as the guys--I just wasn't ready for it! Well...it was among the best flights I've ever had--perfection, with a landing so smooth and gentle you hardly were aware when the wheels touched down. Really a pleasure. Good job Candy!

Two months later, ValuJet flight #592 departed Miami for Atlanta, but tragically crashed in the Everglades, killing all aboard. It was not pilot error. It was eventually attributed to a fire caused by oxygen canisters in the hold, improperly packaged and labeled as empty when they were not. The pilot was a female, her formal name given in the paper: Candalyn Kubeck, from Bedford, TX.

Ohh Olive !! How sad

And her name was Candy~
what a story~

I still think Olive and rjw oughta get together and have a TV spot...much more entertaining that Liza Gibbons...much better stories......even the sad ones....

I've never given much thought to what the pilot looks like and made any effort to catch a glimpse of him or her.

Oh, and a comment about the dwarf/midget thing - midgets and dwarfs aren't the same. Dwarfism is a specific condition in which the people often have disproportionately short legs and arms, and more rounded facial features. Midgets are just REALLY short people, but proportioned just like average sized people. I believe the cutoff for midget status is 4'6" tall.

If the pilot is wearing a turban...I'm not getting on!!

Last summer my husband and I flew from Baltimore to Providence aboard Southwest. We arrived early and were the first to board the plane. Sat right up front and watched the young female pilot finish eating her chicken nuggets, click a few switches, go to the restroom, and off we went. I figured, if she isn't worried about it, why should I be? And I am an extremely nervous, paranoid flyer. Not quite sure why the cockpit door wasn't locked, or at least closed....

Thanks for clearing that up, J Correa. I didn't know anyone could be referred to as a midget, but that makes sense, as dwarfism is indeed a separate condition.

A pilot with a turban? ... Come on, why do all these discussions have to degenerate into something like this? That's pretty offensive.

Merilee,
I post on a fear of flying board, and all of us always request to meet the pilot. You can tell the gate agent or the flight attendant that your a fearful flyer and could you please meet the pilot for a minute. Be sure to board early, in most cases they'll be happy to take you up to the cockpit, the pilots are very reassuring. You can ask them about weather, how long they've been flying, ect.
After that, the flight attendants will usually make an effort to "keep an eye" on you, to reassure you.

Try it and good luck with your fearful flying.

I took a flight recently, either Northwest or USAir. It was one of those 50 seat regional jets flown by the parent company's express division. In any event, it was the first time I had been on a flight with an all female crew. Female pilot, co-pilot and flight attendant. It didn't make me nervous at all. Actually, I thought it was pretty neat. Perfect takeoff, flight and landing. I wonder if a woman took care of our luggage, too? The times, they are a changin', huh?