Can an aspie get a job flying a plane?

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Hi,

I have a FAA commerical pilot certificate with single and multiengine ratings. I've also a CFI and CFII which allows me to teach both instrument and airplane skills.

I'm a self-diagnosed aspie myself and never failed a checkride. Examiners and those checking me out have usually said I fly very well. Students event thoguht I was very knowledgeable.

I stopped flying due to the poor salary.

I imagine it all depends on the sevetity or impairment being an aspie brings. Othewrwise, it is possbile to at least attain your certificates and ratings up until CFI, as I did.

What was also a problem was dealing with new students or people. I really am bad with the social aspect of it. I also felt like i didnt fit in since I dont coem across as the normal, average guy or pilot.

anyway, I belive it is very possible for an aspie to attain their flight ratings.

Good luck and post follow-up qurestions if you have any.

Very true. flying is exicitng at first but then gets very boring. you really just sit there and drone along. its essential to follow whats called standard operating procedures and always follow a checklist. once youve mastered the flying, it really is a boring monotonous job.

thers actually an old saying...

Flying can be described as hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror!

     Hallo. It's been a while since this topic was last active - and a while since I last posted on this forum too. I find the sheer size and number of members of the forum a bit of a deterrent to posting more often; I tend to think I will never get to know anyone here because of the vast numbers of people active.

     Anyway, my thoughts on this...

     Do you think you have done so well if the testers had known of your condition?


     That surprises me. Poor compared to what? I thought that it paid quite well. Maybe not quite like a doctor or lawyer, but still distinctly above average.


     As far as I know, there were no absolute rules saying that a person with my condition couldn't get a licence - it came down to whether, on an individual assessment, it was deemed that a person was capable of flying safely - although the Medical Examiners' Handbook which I read - the official guide to evaluating applicants used by Australia's CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) - did mention a number of specific conditions and the considerations that applied to them, and it was mentioned that applicants with autism or Asperger's would not normally be accepted.
     But I think, apart from the issue of whether a person can achieve the necessary skills and exercise them safely and reliably (it's possible I might have if I had been able to continue my lessons), there is also the issue of persuading conservative bureaucrats that you can do so (which I think they probably wouldn't have believed if I had told them all the details of my condition). In many ways, I regarded the bureacracy as more of an obstacle for me than my actual condition.


     I felt a bit that way too. When I met the various instructors who worked at the airport where I had my lessons, they were friendly and talked with me, but I didn't really feel I belonged, and didn't always feel I knew how to talk with them appropriately. I don't know if they were aware of how different I was, how "un-pilot-like"; but I was aware of it, and it made me feel awkward.
     So what makes a person pilot-like or un-pilot-like? It's difficult to describe in words, but I could feel it quite unmistakably.
     I suppose it's possible I was at least in part imagining it. I am so introverted, and have been so little involved in the outside world generally since I left school (in 1970), that maybe I am out of touch with what other people are really like and cannot always tell when I'm imagining something.
     And maybe that relative lack of involvement in the world is part of what it is: quite likely most pilots have had much involvement in the world in a very practical way, and that probably makes their outlook on average very different from mine.


     I might agree up to a point, depending on the person, and subject to the reservations mentioned above.

Regards, Michael.

     I didn't do it long enough to find out whether that would be so or not. I'm sure lots of pilots don't ever find it boring.
     I really enjoyed the sensation of flying, and liked seeing things from so high up, and enjoyed the appearance of the sky and clouds and so on, and I thought that might prevent it from getting boring. I would think a lot would depend on how much you enjoy these aspects of flying.


     I've heard that description applied to life as a soldier during war-time, but not to flying.

Regards, Michael.

I don't see why you couldn't.

Why not? I have a private pilot's license. Flying is the perfect occupation for Aspies. It is rules oriented and it demands the utmost attention to details and very great concentration.

ruveyn

NTs don`t have the capability to think as fast as Aspies especially when complicated machinery,aircraft or computers are involved-perhaps NTs should leave the flying to us and stick to smiling and serving the coffee in the back of the plane.

I tried very hard not to but...........




You're right!

I don't see why not.

Driving, riding, flying is about knowledge and control. The biggest issue for someone with AS is if they are symptomatic in such a way that in a crisis they would panic, ensuring disaster for themselves and others, because their AS prevents them from staying in control.

I drive. Never had any "panic" incidents that caused an accident or prevented me from responding to a threat. I ride a motorcycle. Admittedly, I lack the "reflexes" to ride great and I rely heavily on "anticipating" what is coming up next to do the right thing. So, I don't push my limits. I have "frozen" when overwhelmed by things, but somehow, when driving/riding, I'm focused on the most important thing...controlling the vehicle. So, I've always tuned out other things, and if something is too much of a distraction, I turn it off.

Of course, to be fair, a big secret to survival on the road (especially with motorcycles) is anticipating the stupidity of other drivers and having a plan to escape from a last-second threat.

Flying is really no different. If you don't have anxiety attacks/meltdowns/shutdowns that debilitate you, I'd not see why you can't make a great pilot. If you do, then it's an issue that needs to be addressed before a licensing organization would let you fly.

If you are for now just talking about a small plane, then there is no reason why not. I have read a story about a man with severe TOURETTES who flies a small plane in his spare time! You'll be glad to hear that his tics stop when he flies...

That was funny!

I'm perfectly capable of watching the radar, the RWR, the instruments, using both radios at the same time, the fault panel, HUD, and still have enough processing to fly the plane and scan the sky. There's nothing to it.

I tend to lose SA when way too much information enters the cockpit from the outside. But then again so does everyone.

I agree with this comment. Most commerical flying is done through automation. There is ver y little hand flying done. Airlines and the FAA encourage pilots to use automation as much as possible.

These days, most pilots are computer operators, in a sense. It requires monitoring the systems and utilizing something called an FMS or flight management system. Aspies can be quite adroit at these tasks. You're bascially programming a computer. You key in various parameters to get the comupter to fly from A to B.

What can be a problem for aspies is the unexpected stuff. Dealing with emergencies or situations youve never been in before. I do reherse things in my mind and one thing I didnt like was being caught off-guard and surprised by something ive not encountered before. not being able to deal wiht the unexpected can be a bad thing. there have been moments in my life outside of flying and partially while, where I became a bit frozen or didnt react quick enough to a situation. This is soemthing that can be a drawback to an aspie.

however, most flying is predicated on routine and procedures. Profesional flying requires strict usage of a checklist and QRH (quick reference handbook) for many aspects. One should never rely soley on memory. You may foregt things or do things out of sequence.

After a while, it does get boring. You just sit there droning along. Its like being a passenger with a seat up front. Its very routine. pilots fly the same legs day in and out. of course its different in the charter sector, but airline flying isvery routine. Same routes, same procedures over and over again.

just like anythign else. It eventually becomes a just another job.

All said and done, I would not deprive yourself of the joys of aviation. Go get your private certificate and take it from there. You'll NEVER regret one hour of your flight time. Admittedly, there may be more challenges at the professional level, but Ive seen some awful NT pilots who have licenses.

always make sure you're comfortable with how things are proceeding inflight. Its imperative to plan plan plan. This is a good thing. Plan out as much of your flight as possbile and account for any possible contingencies like weather, closed airports, intrument malfunctions, etc. Plan your route along airports wihtin glide distance if you're single engine in case you lose the engine.

You can safely fly if you manage all your risks. flying is a routine thing and aspies tend to excel at things like that.

Also, in terms of pay, CFI's (which is what I did) do not get paid well. I made like $18K a yr. Even at the regional level, you'll top out at high 5 figures after several yrs as a captain. a job at a major airline is very difficult to get. its a tough career and most pilots experience a furlough at some point. This coupled with a seniority-based system upon hire makes it low paying when your carrier goes belly up or you get furloughe and hire on elsewhere.

I didn't read all the comments, so sorry if this is a repeat, but check out the Civil Air Patrol (CAP).