Transcript of Monster.com chat with M’Lis Ward, Captain, United Airlines. This chat took place on Feb. 2, 2000, as part of Groundhog Job Shadow Day.

United Airline Capt

Hello, room!

United Airline Capt

Sorry for the delay.

MODERATOR

Welcome to Chat with Captain M Lis Ward of United Airlines. Please type your question, and click on the Submit your ? found in the lower right. This will send your question to Captain Ward. Please note, the chat host does not see anything that is typed in this room. All questions will be answered in the order they are submitted. Thanks.

DJ7973

What is most enjoyable about your job??

becko

What do you find most enjoyable about your job?

United Airline Capt

The travel is the best.

Angel1977

I’m an accounting major graduating in August 2000. How can your company benefit me with a job?

Angel1977

I am looking to travel as an internal auditor.

United Airline Capt

I don’t have much info about accounting positions at United, but you can call 1-888/UALJOBS and that will give you the complete info on jobs at United.

sweetiepie

What is the worst part of your job?

becko

What is the most stressful?

United Airline Capt

Feel free to send your questions.

becko

What is the most stressful?

MODERATOR

Current list is may, hac, sweetiepie, may, jen and dj

United Airline Capt

The worst part is having to be away from home a great deal. You have to miss events with friends and family.

United Airline Capt

The most stressful is flying in bad weather.

United Airline Capt

I’ve worked for United for over seven years.

May-99

What inspired you to be a pilot, Captain?

MCSally

You can get information on Employment with United Airlines at http://www.unitedairlines.com/

United Airline Capt

Don’t be shy - feel free to ask your questions.

hac

Captain Ward, what’s the most enjoyable thing about your job?

sweetiepie

What is the worst part of your day?

United Airline Capt

Not only is the travel good, but the pay is pretty good, too.

May-99

What kind of pressures are you under especially now with all the controversy over air travel safety?

United Airline Capt

The worst part of a day is when I have to fly the all-nighters - getting up very early or staying up very late.

Jen

How long have you been flying, sir?

United Airline Capt

OK - About what inspired me to be a pilot…

United Airline Capt

I was in the Air Force and it was the best job available.

United Airline Capt

Not all pilots are men, and I’m not either. I’ve been flying for over 14 years.

DJ7973

Does your company offer many benefits???

United Airline Capt

Yes, there is retirement, medical, travel and we just started partner benefits as well.

sweetiepie

What do you do all day long?

slugger

Your job is awesome!

sweetiepie

How much flying do you do per day?

MODERATOR

Great questions, everyone!

United Airline Capt

On the days that I work, I fly about eight hours, and it takes twelve hours to fly eight hours. Between flying we get 16-hour layovers in really cool cities.

United Airline Capt

or Awesome!

becko

Is this something you wanted to be when you were younger?

United Airline Capt

The most we can fly is eight hours in one day and usually we fly about five.

United Airline Capt

No, actually I didn’t want to be a pilot until I was in college.

sweetiepie

How many years of collage did you go to?

United Airline Capt

I graduated from the University of Southern California.

slugger

What kind of airplane do you fly?

United Airline Capt

I fly a Boeing 737.

DJ7973

Are you ever worried with all the airplane crashes?

sweetiepie

Have you ever been in a small plane accident?

Jen

Do you feel that there is more pressure on pilots to perform beyond their capabilities with all the recent accidents?

kkk

Have you ever crashed a plane?

United Airline Capt

Never have crashed a plane - knock on wood!

slugger

Do you have any co-pilots?

sweetiepie

How many men and women work at your airline?

slugger

I hope that if you do crash, I hope you survive.

United Airline Capt

United has an excellent safety record, so I’m not worried about United’s airplanes crashing.

MCSally

Job Shadow Day chats are listed here http://jobshadow.monster.com/shareideas/

May-99

What kind of training did you have to go through to become a pilot?

United Airline Capt

There is no pressure on us to perform beyond our capabilities, but sometimes we have to fly very long days.

United Airline Capt

There are over 50,000 people that work at United. I don’t fly with a particular co-pilot, just whoever is assigned that day.

United Airline Capt

I went through pilot training in the Air Force and it takes a year of flying jet aircraft to become a pilot.

slugger

How many total planes have you flown?

UnitedAirlineCapt

I have flown six different airplanes.

May-99

I heard from my friends that there are indeed a lot of opportunities in the Air Force and the fact that you are a woman is very inspiring.

kkk

Are you still a member of the Air Force Reserves?

cassbenz

//Smiley Captain, you said you were in the Air Force, what were some of your tasks there?

United Airline Capt

In the Air Force, I flew a T-37, a T-38 and a C-141.

United Airline Capt

At United, I’ve flown a B-727 and a B-737 and 200 and 300.

slugger

What is the name of your favorite?

United Airline Capt

It’s great to be a woman pilot but we need a lot more.

United Airline Capt

I was in the Air National Guard.

United Airline Capt

In the Air Force, I was an instructor pilot and a cargo pilot and that’s all I had to do.

United Airline Capt

The C-141 for a while did all the work in the Air Force.

May-99

What’s the best thing about being in the air?

United Airline Capt

The view from 30,000 feet is awesome!

MODERATOR

LOL I bet.

May-99

What are the new technological advances that we can expect from the industry?

United Airline Capt

Pretty soon airplanes will fly from point to point without the aid of air traffic controllers.

slugger

What is the highest you’ve ever flown?

United Airline Capt

I’ve flown at 41,000 feet.

hawkeye

How many hours do you have?

United Airline Capt

I have 5500 hours.

slugger

That is very high.

ladydi

Capt. Ward, isn’t that a difficult life to lead though, I mean in different cities all the time, isn’t that difficult to maintain a "normal" life, i.e. family and all?

United Airline Capt

Yes, it is difficult. However, there are many people that work around the travel schedule.

kkk

What is the worst weather conditions you’ve flown in?

United Airline Capt

Pilots can fly around trips that last only one day and still be home every night.

United Airline Capt

I’ve flown around bad thunderstorms, but I’d never go close to one. I’ve also flown in severe turbulence.

becko

Is it harder being a woman in this job?

United Airline Capt

Yes, it is hard being a woman in this job. There are only 600 women pilots at United out of 10,000 total.

Shelly101979

What is the worst airport to fly in-and-out, in your opinion?

United Airline Capt

Probably San Francisco because they have really bad fog.

becko

Can you name some of the advantages of being a pilot?

United Airline Capt

//crybaby I don’t want to end the chat yet.

Shelly101979

This was fun...good luck in the future with your career!

MCSally

Folks...we are out of time for this segment of the Job Shadow Chat.

MCSally

Thanks for Captain M’Lis Ward for a great chat!

United Airline Capt

One of the advantages of being a pilot is that you get 15 days off a month and the pay is great.

hawkeye

Great info, Captain. Thanks and safe flying!

United Airline Capt

Thanks, Shelly!

May-99

Thanks, Captain!

becko

Thank you for your time and good luck in the future!

United Airline Capt

Check out the article in the January Ebony Magazine to find out more.

United Airline Capt

Thanks, Hawkeye!

Jen

Thank you and good luck!

ladydi

Thanks, Captain!

United Airline Capt

Good luck to you all in the future as well.