FAA officially calls us "operators" --- NOT "pilots"

[MadMitch88]

I find it ridiculous to argue semantics like this. I have friends who fly balloons, hang gliders, ultralights, helicopters, boats, and airplanes.

Manned or not the person in control is the pilot.

So a technician who is sitting in a cubicle in some city manipulating the controls of an orbiting space satellite is now an "astronaut" simply because he's in control of a space machine moving around the Earth just like John Glenn was?

Use your head!

 

[MadMitch88]

Same here, been an RC pilot who learned from another RC pilot how to pilot my fixed wing planes.
Regardless what the Mad men of the forum attempt to demand from me, I'll continue to call myself a pilot with pride.

Make sure you read my original post about those people who have self-esteem issues when involved with this hobby --- needing to make themselves feel important and pump up pride levels by giving themselves fake titles like "pilot".

Think about it carefully and deeply, and then get the help.

 

[MadMitch88]

I think its an insult to them and how hard they worked to just arbitrarily officially call someone who operates an RC a pilot unless they have the credidentials to actually be one. If we want t call ourselves and each other pilots then fine, but no matter how bad we want to be actual pilots we arent. My grandfather flew bombers over Germany and my uncle was shot down in Vietnam and is MIA. They were pilots. The FAA has no obligation to consider us pilots.

That's pretty much the essence of why I think it's egregious and even morally wrong for us to call ourselves "pilots".

FAA might be "government bureaucrats" but many in that organization are former or current pilots, and some have military flight experience. They actually know the many, many hours and dedication it takes to fly real aircraft and hold other people's lives in their hands. It's got serious responsibilities, so they spent a lot of time deliberating over these new rules and made the appropriate decision to call us "operators" because they fully recognize what real pilots do and we are very far from being that.

I thank your family members for their service to our country, and I will gladly "shoot down" anyone in here who wants to equate what they do on a Saturday afternoon with a little plastic toy in the backyard as to what your kin did in REAL wars flying REAL combat planes in fighting for our freedoms!

 

[garrock]

Each below are manned positions while at their unique Physical Helm:

• 
  1) Drive a Car
  2) Run a train
  3) Steer a ship
  4) Steer or pilot a spacecraft
  5) Pilot an airplane or helicopter

All of the above vehicle-objects can become a UV when remotely controlling them.
A UAV is a sub-class of UV that applies only to item 5 above.

A UAV Operator is not at or in the physical helm position of the aerial vehicle.

Also, making a distinction between Pilot and Operator maintains clarity with existing policy and law documents and allows for their continued evolution.

 

[MadMitch88]

This photo might represent some of you.

 

[MadMitch88]

Each below are manned positions while at their unique Physical Helm:

• 
  1) Drive a Car
  2) Run a train
  3) Steer a ship
  4) Steer or pilot a spacecraft
  5) Pilot an airplane or helicopter

All of the above vehicle-objects can become a UV when remotely controlling them.
A UAV is a sub-class of UV that applies only to item 5 above.

A UAV Operator is not at or in the physical helm position of the aerial vehicle.

Also, making a distinction between Pilot and Operator maintains clarity with existing policy and law documents and allows for their continued evolution.

Your post is perfectly accurate. You can't call yourself a "driver" of a car unless you're inside the car while it's moving.

Some guy at NASA who might be affecting the trajectory of a space vehicle is NOT an "astronaut". Reserve that title for somebody actually inside the space vehicle and putting his life at risk. Maybe the real astronaut deserves at least a title that distinguishes himself from the guys on the ground in khakis in front of a computer monitor and sippin' a coffee, eh?

BTW, the U.S. Army trains "Unmanned Aircraft Systems OPERATORS". I would think our own Army knows a little more than us what constitutes a real "pilot" and who is just an "operator" and they have named their training program accordingly.

 

[Clipper707]

Posted by MadMitch88 in this thread here: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=35052

...the veteran pilots here like me have had enough.

MadMitch88, seems just three days ago you were a veteran pilot.

 

[ianwood]

Race car drivers are sometimes called pilots.

Your argument is invalid but this thread is winning.

 

[sergekouper]

I remember the same kind of debate with the MCSE (Microsoft certified systems engineers) There is no such "Engineer" at that level of qualification. A real engineer qualification requires the highest levels of education in maths and physics after years of complicated studies and numerous exams, but the title is used about any Joe holding a screwdriver... too bad! (Microsoft has since changed this to Microsoft certified Solutions Expert which is more appropriate...)

 

[N017RW]

For me Pilot is more a verb than a noun.

I may not be a Pilot but every time my Phantom leaves the ground I am piloting it. :lol:

 

[MadMitch88]

I remember the same kind of debate with the MCSE (Microsoft certified systems engineers) There is no such "Engineer" at that level of qualification. A real engineer qualification requires the highest levels of education in maths and physics after years of complicated studies and numerous exams, but the title is used about any Joe holding a screwdriver... too bad! (Microsoft has since changed this to Microsoft certified Solutions Expert which is more appropriate...)

That is a good example. I'm also sick of every technician calling himself an "engineer" these days.

I went to a large state university with a very good reputation in engineering. Many of my friends there were electrical and mechanical engineering majors who busted their *** night and day to get graduate with a B.S. in Engineering. Some of the upper level math and engineering courses they had to take would make most of us in here whimper like little babies.

It's an injustice to equate their degrees and professional titles with some turd who calls himself an "engineer" and yet barely passed an ITT Tech or Phoenix Online associate program and now works fixing bank ATM machines.

 

[MadMitch88]

...the veteran pilots here like me have had enough.

MadMitch88, seems just three days ago you were a veteran pilot.

OK, I slipped up!

But I'm willing to admit I made a mistake and take responsibility for it. That's how adults act.

Only crybabies with self-esteem issues insist on calling themselves "pilot" when manipulating a plastic toy in the air. Nobody is patting you on the back for that. :lol:

 

[Fyod]

An RC car operator is also not a driver.
But for the sake of slang terms, I'm fine with people refering to driving an RC car, piloting a Phantom or whatever makes you happy.
As far as legislation goes, we are indeed not pilots, drone photo/video is not a task carried out by "airplanes", it is not yet commercially regulated pretty much anywhere because most legislation regulates real planes with real pilots onboard.

 

[PhantomFanatic]

Mitch,

I am SO happy that you proved yourself right!

 

[barefootbeachcombing]

The oceanographic community calls the individuals who control ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) pilots.

They are not on-board the vehicle. So the notion that you have to be "in" the vehicle to be a pilot is ludicrous.

Note that I have no particular preference and do not refer to myself as a pilot when I am flying my Phantom, but I have no problem if others choose this term as it accurately applies.

Any notion that people using the title of "pilot" have some sort of "issue" is ludicrous as well.

 

[PhantomFanatic]

Some people address their deep-rooted self esteem issues by being the guy who says "I told you so."

It's called "winning a debate based on facts".

No self esteem issues involved here. Part of the responsibilities of being an adult is admitting that sometimes your wrong. The Phantom owners who want to call themselves "pilots" are simply wrong and these new FAA rules prove that. This isn't grade school where every loser at the track meet gets a trophy and told they're special regardless of where they placed in the race.

The FAA is the supreme civil aviation authority of the United States and we need to respect their rules and terminology. They have labeled us with official term "operator" and that's the end of any debate about the topic.

I didn't realize that we have been having debates. Stupid me, I thought this was a gathering place for Phantom "owners" and those who are considering buying Phantoms. Having become an engineer, I experienced true debates and we are not debating. We are discussing, sharing, learning, helping others and just having an enjoyable encounter.

Mitch, you seem to get mad at almost anything. Apparently you are aware of this problem or you wouldn't call yourself "Mad"

I hope you will, someday, enjoy life and for here, I hope you can just enjoy having conversations without getting mad. I'm speaking from the heart and I truly wish this, for you.

 

[Monte55]

blueberries are not actually blue....just thought I'd throw that out there

 

[Hughie]

I personally could not care less what anyone calls the person flying a RC aircraft. Really. I am amazed this thread is as busy as it is.

But just to make a point that not everyone on the planet comes under the FAA. The CAA's definition of the person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft is the "remote pilot".

But you can call me whatever you want. I won't lose any sleep.

 

[Hughie]

blueberries are not actually blue....just thought I'd throw that out there

True. And Foghorns are not made out of fog !

 

[Monte55]

I fly my two Phantoms. I also have a pilots license for vfr. Am I an operator or a pilot.