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Do Pilots Really Wear Pilot Watches?


chango

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Pre deregulation money is gone and never coming back. Those schedules and pay will not be seen again. <br /><br />The starting pay (instructor/commuter) is very low. I believe I made 19,500 US my first year at a regional airline carrying 74 passengers. The pay can be quite good but today it seems only temporary if you ever get there at all. Companies are quick into "shamruptcy" which only benefits the board of directors at the expense of ALL labor. So..you finally get north of 100k+ and you lose your job. As a pilot you start nearly all over again. <br /><br />Example: United goes out of business. Senior 747 Captain makes ~250k/year at the time. If he stays in the airlines his experience has zero value. If he is hired at say Delta he will likely be an MD 80 first officer at first year pay on a standby schedule for many years. Sure he may be able to expat to an Asian carrier as a direct entry captain but its not easy to do that with an established family nor do most want to. <br /><br /><br />It's not always a matter if being cheap, it's a matter of being cautious.

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I will add though that I thoroughly enjoy my job and wouldn't trade it. <br /><br />As for you guys seeing Breitlings and Rolex..must be foreign carriers as I simply don't see it in the US. In the last 12 months I have seen maybe 1 Rolex, 4 Breitling and a couple Tags. <br /><br />

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I will add though that I thoroughly enjoy my job and wouldn't trade it.

As for you guys seeing Breitlings and Rolex..must be foreign carriers as I simply don't see it in the US. In the last 12 months I have seen maybe 1 Rolex, 4 Breitling and a couple Tags.

probably senior pilot with Emirates or Singapore Airline,Air France or Lufthansa!! Doubt that it was an Atlantic Southeast Commuter or American Eagle pilot!!

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Being a pilot always seemed like such a glamorous job, something I feel like I would love to do, sometimes I have a hard time believing the horror stories about pay. If being a pilot has evolved the same way as being a passenger has than I can imagine the glamour is gone. Still fantasise about it though

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 Pilots are generally cheap and do not care about wasting money on a watch. We are required to wear one, that's why most do.

The airplane has a clock right on the panel, usually synced by GPS and is digital with local, Zulu and the date.

 

LOL sooo true!  Gotta save that per diem!

 

At my company there are a couple of the Citizen Navihawks (and every owner said it was a gift), a Gen Breitling Avenger, a Tissou T-Touch, and my 1675 (I used to wear an Omega SMP GMT).  I am the only pilot who wears a true GMT, and the only one with a Rolex - gen or rep.  Everyone else has a "general watch" from Fossils to G-Shocks.

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I will add though that I thoroughly enjoy my job and wouldn't trade it. <br /><br />As for you guys seeing Breitlings and Rolex..must be foreign carriers as I simply don't see it in the US. In the last 12 months I have seen maybe 1 Rolex, 4 Breitling and a couple Tags. <br /><br />

 

I agree with both statements, Shawn.  Even on my side of the ramp, I don't see many bizjet drivers wearing expensive watches. 

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I was in the service for a good number of years, and I was a military aviator. 

My one and only watch then was a Seiko Kinetic. I do not remember looking at my watch once during all those flights.

Perhaps its hard when its always being covered by the flight gloves... :D :D

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  • 4 months later...
  • 5 months later...

Most of the oa10a, f16 and f15 pilots in our squad wore govt issued cheapies. The cargo guys also wore cheapies. Most of the civilian pilots I know now don't make enough money to spend on a rolex. Now that I'm around politicians, I've seen more high end watches worn by them than any other group of people except professional athletes and stars. . Keep an eye on your elected officials and you'll see all sorts of high end shoes, jewelry, suits, ets.

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I was in the service for a good number of years, and I was a military aviator. 

My one and only watch then was a Seiko Kinetic. I do not remember looking at my watch once during all those flights.

Perhaps its hard when its always being covered by the flight gloves... :D :D

I still wear and buy the flight gloves off ebay. They put isotoners to shame!!!

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Flew for 30+ years military/commercial, wore uncluttered dial Seiko, and Citizens with sweep seconds and digi/analog dials. The watches with flight computers in the bezel are next to impossible to use without an autopilot. I believe it is still in the air regs (Canadian anyway) that a timepiece with sweep seconds must be available for use in the event of inadvertent flight into IFR conditions. ( timed turn) This is in the event of instrument failure and only having a functioning T/B indicator.

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IFR= Instrument Flight Rules

Flight with no exterior references due to, cloud, rain,snow,smoke, etc.

 

Timed turn= a turn executed using a T/B indicator(turn and bank indicator) and a watch,to execute a 180 degree rate 1 turn in 1 minute to depart encountered low or no visibility conditions.

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CDMQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fanswers.yahoo.com%2Fquestion%2F%3Fqid%3D20100622002954AACf5R2&ei=Zm4FU_G8N8fd2QXiyIHwBg&usg=AFQjCNFs4G8C7IDJe6EKBTQnpu7Lr7AKJQ&bvm=bv.61535280,d.b2I&cad=rja

P-40T&S2.jpg

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