Wear the hat. People talk to you less.
But pax may talk to you more (if you allow them to get close enough).
... Also a very convenient place for the watch and wallet in the hotel room. Hard to leave them behind if they are sitting in the hat.
Just don't forget your hat when you leave the hotel.
Plus lots of guys just assume you’re an ******* so it’s a good starting point at the beginning of a trip.
Brilliant bit of career advice right there.
My personal experiences and observations over the course of a 40-year airline career (take it for what it may be worth):
When I first started flying the line, my attitude toward the uniform was, in a word, ambivalent, and my hat saw very little action unless a Chief Pilot or DO was reported to be lurking in the vicinity. My personal fashion sensibilities favored Margaritaville-style comfort over sartorial splendor. Besides, in full regalia I felt sheepishly like a banana republic generalissimo. But by my 20th year in the industry, my perspective had changed. It had become apparent that the uniform--especially when wearing the jacket
and hat--had a favorable effect, sometimes subtle, sometimes profound, on the way that I was perceived and treated by others. The full uniform had a noticeable effect on interactions with security, customs & immigration, customer service, and other non-pilot personnel (especially overseas). Most importantly perhaps, it had a strong influence on the way that I was perceived by the people who pay us and who trust us with the most precious thing that they have in all the world, and who need to believe that we are competent professionals who strive for excellence in the performance of our jobs. All of that regalia signifies to them that we are worthy of their trust and confidence, and better allows them to actually "sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight" instead of worrying that some carelessly-dressed buffoon will negligently push the wrong button (so to speak) and spread their personal molecules all over a smoking debris field.
And I find myself subject to the same phenomenon--when I see a poorly-dressed pilot, a dubious specimen dragging himself down the concourse stuffed like a sausage into a threadbare shirt two-sizes too small, with no undershirt of course, his beer belly spilling down over the beltline of his ill-fitting trousers, shuffling along in scuffed-up shoes that haven't been shined since the Clinton administration, no jacket, no hat, clip-on tie hanging askew from one side of his unbuttoned collar and so on (you get the picture and yes there really are a few like him). Well, let's just say that I am not given a favorable impression regarding the individual's competence and professionalism. And that would be just a superficial impression reflective of my own sensibilities and biases if it weren't for the fact that I have actually flown with such characters and found that the manner in which they perform their duties tends to correlate.
All in all, I do believe this was the hardest thing I have done in my life
But my point is really directed at the OP* with regard to the discussion about wearing hats, the plusses and minuses thereof, and the uniform in general. SixPapaCharlie, you
earned the right to wear that uniform. It's not a participation trophy that you got just because you clocked-in. And you have the right to be proud to wear it, with or without the hat. To others, it's a symbol of your competence, professionalism, and dedication, and it if not for yourself, wear it for them.
But WTF, I'm just SGOTI and probably the ******* that Tarheel Pilot was referring to.
*Congratulations, BTW, and welcome to a great profession.
