5 ms·

I found this article absolutely fascinating - I didn't even know such a job existed! Many years ago, when I was young and foolish, I thought being a crop duste

I found this article absolutely fascinating - I didn't even know such a job existed! Many years ago, when I was young and foolish, I thought being a crop duster pilot was the bees knees; also easier to get into with low hours, and who knows, maybe after spraying enough potato, a coveted airline job. Little did I know! It turns out the level of skill required to do the job is very high, the lifestyle not so great when you get older, and no, it's not necessarily easier to get into. Ultimately I didn't become a pilot, but an engineer. Looking back, I'm happy with my choice and my life as it is now. Only occasionally do I watch aviation videos on YouTube and wonder "what if". Thank you for a really cool article - and kudos to the guy drying cherries with his little Robinson!

dTal 7y ago
Her little Robinson. I do believe it probably says something about preconceived notions that, of the mere half dozen comments accumulated so far, this mistake has been made twice already.
- massivecali 7y ago
  It says nothing more than English is a male language. And ambiguous titling defaults to he (or they).
  - dTal 7y ago
    A "male language"? What does that mean? And there was no ambiguity - the author's name, "Maria", was at the top of the article.
    - Ntrails 7y ago
      I don't tend to read the name of the author of an article, because there is essentially zero chance that I'll remember the name and frankly I don't care who they are. I suspect that most people tend to read in their own gender in absence of other cues? I have a strong memory of going through the first chapter of a book completely misgendering the protaganist. Fortunately it wasn't a "doctor -> man" bias situation, just "person walking through park describing view/situation", otherwise I'd have been super angry at myself.
    - massivecali 7y ago
      I was taking the HN preferred side of giving the poster the benefit of the best possible interpretation, which in this case means in the condition of proper pronoun usage, English defaults to male pronouns for the unknown, or sometimes an ambiguous they. I don't read names in the modern age because I have no clue what foreign names are male or female. Nor would I be so bold as to assume.
- HeWhoLurksLate 7y ago
  That's funny- as I read it, I was definitely thinking the author was female. Not sure what that means, if anything, but I didn't even check the author's name until after noticing a bunch of people saying "he". Humans are.
- blhack 7y ago
  About 93% of pilots are men. https://www.wai.org/resources/waistats https://www.wai.org/resources/waistats
- digikazi 7y ago
  There's nothing sinister about me getting her gender wrong. I read the article very quickly at work, on my phone, so I missed certain parts. I have saved it though, so I can enjoy it later in peace and quiet. I don't tend to look up the author's name. And finally, English isn't my first language. When the gender isn't immediately obvious I default to my own.
lisper 7y ago
It's never too late to become a pilot as a hobby. https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/learn-to-fly https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/learn-to-fly
- gbacon 7y ago
  Think both-and, not either-or! (M.S. CS, instrument rated, and working on my commercial ticket)

dTal 7y ago

Her little Robinson. I do believe it probably says something about preconceived notions that, of the mere half dozen comments accumulated so far, this mistake has been made twice already.

massivecali 7y ago
It says nothing more than English is a male language. And ambiguous titling defaults to he (or they).
- dTal 7y ago
  A "male language"? What does that mean? And there was no ambiguity - the author's name, "Maria", was at the top of the article.
  - Ntrails 7y ago
    I don't tend to read the name of the author of an article, because there is essentially zero chance that I'll remember the name and frankly I don't care who they are. I suspect that most people tend to read in their own gender in absence of other cues? I have a strong memory of going through the first chapter of a book completely misgendering the protaganist. Fortunately it wasn't a "doctor -> man" bias situation, just "person walking through park describing view/situation", otherwise I'd have been super angry at myself.
  - massivecali 7y ago
    I was taking the HN preferred side of giving the poster the benefit of the best possible interpretation, which in this case means in the condition of proper pronoun usage, English defaults to male pronouns for the unknown, or sometimes an ambiguous they. I don't read names in the modern age because I have no clue what foreign names are male or female. Nor would I be so bold as to assume.
HeWhoLurksLate 7y ago
That's funny- as I read it, I was definitely thinking the author was female. Not sure what that means, if anything, but I didn't even check the author's name until after noticing a bunch of people saying "he". Humans are.
blhack 7y ago
About 93% of pilots are men. https://www.wai.org/resources/waistats https://www.wai.org/resources/waistats
digikazi 7y ago
There's nothing sinister about me getting her gender wrong. I read the article very quickly at work, on my phone, so I missed certain parts. I have saved it though, so I can enjoy it later in peace and quiet. I don't tend to look up the author's name. And finally, English isn't my first language. When the gender isn't immediately obvious I default to my own.

lisper 7y ago

It's never too late to become a pilot as a hobby. https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/learn-to-fly https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/learn-to-fly

gbacon 7y ago
Think both-and, not either-or! (M.S. CS, instrument rated, and working on my commercial ticket)