You May Not Know What Your Airline Pilot Does When Off Duty

BenWP

@hank and @Old_Joe and another MFO aviation enthusiasts: the Arts and Leisure section of the NY Times for January 12, offers the following article about a well-regarded orchestral conductor, who, at the age of 40, decided to take up flying. This is no wealthy hobbyist, but a man who succeeded in his secondary endeavor to the point of now being both a conductor and an Air France pilot. Not too shabby!

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/arts/music/daniel-harding-conductor-air-france.html?searchResultPosition=1

( you may get tripped up by the paywall)

Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres, the 19th-century French painter practiced music as a hobby. His name and violin have been preserved in the French idiomatic expression: « avoir son violon d’Ingres, » meaning to have a hobby. The British-born conductor/pilot of the Times article is the perfect example.

Old_Joe

@BenWP- Thanks so much for that! What a great combination.

OJ

hank

Thanks Ben. I’d always figured a lot of them fooled around with the nice looking female flight attendants on those layovers. Shows how little I understand about flying.