Air Force Programs Aim To Retain Pilots With Cash Incentives - AVweb

This thread brings to mind radio ads I hear in my area touting the skills of one hospital over another in saving your life if you’ve had a medical problem like a heart attack or stroke. The implication is if you go to Brand-X hospital you’re less likely to survive. It strikes me as more than cruel that one facility is advertising an advantage in lifesaving skills when one would hope that these skills are the same no matter where you go.

For air transport I think it’s best to emphasize the safety of the pilot, the airline, and the system that they’re flying in rather than individual skills. The incidents that demand the skills of an Al Haynes, a Chesley Sullenberger, or a Tammie Jo Shults, are exceptionally rare and are getting rarer thanks to improved equipment, training, and teamwork.

Only a few pilots can be truly great. The best the rest of us should strive for is to be safe.