Industry analysts estimated last week that in the next 20 years, the airlines are going to need 466,000 new pilots. When I said to an airline pilot friend that such a job market would make it easy for his son to follow in his footsteps, he smiled.
“I think he wants a flying job instead,” he replied.
I noted that this sounded odd coming from a fellow who just flew a planeload of passengers back from overseas.
“I didn’t fly,” he replied. “The computer flew. I sat in the front office, monitoring systems.”
“Who flies better,” I asked, “you or the computer?”
“Oh, the computer,” he replied. “No contest, as long as things function. When they stop functioning, it’s a different story. Then the computer quits, and I go to work. Provided I still remember how.”
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