View Poll Results: What kind of pen do you fly with?
Hotel Pen
27
51.92%
Shiny Silver Pen
25
48.08%
Voters: 52. You may not vote on this poll
Hotel pen vs. nice shiny store bought pen
12-19-2010, 11:47 AM
#1
Line Holder
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2009
Posts: 86
Hotel pen vs. nice shiny store bought pen
Somebody has had to have asked this question here concerning what you fly with, the hotel pens you get for free, or the shiny, silver pens from Office Max, or wherever?
I think this is a great interview question as I have seen some broad stereotypes from who flies with what.
Most of us, me included, gave up on the nice shiny pen a long, long time ago. About bid 3 or 4 as a new hire FO. Now, seriously I haven’t bought a pen in years and my kids think that all pens in existence have a La Quinta, Holiday Inn, Best Western, Hilton etc. name stenciled on them.
If you are senior and still roll with a store bought, shiny silver pen, more power to you, but just know that the rest of us know that you are
1. Vain
2. A bit anal retentive
3. Obsess over petty things that really don’t mean much (again vain)
4. Are a “pilots pilot” and said with a friendly, yet sarcastic sneer.
Anyway, just had to ask ya’ll.
Happy Holidays,
HPD
PS, if you’re a new hire and you pull out your shiny new silver pen, just know that your CA is snickering to himself when he notices it.
I think this is a great interview question as I have seen some broad stereotypes from who flies with what.
Most of us, me included, gave up on the nice shiny pen a long, long time ago. About bid 3 or 4 as a new hire FO. Now, seriously I haven’t bought a pen in years and my kids think that all pens in existence have a La Quinta, Holiday Inn, Best Western, Hilton etc. name stenciled on them.
If you are senior and still roll with a store bought, shiny silver pen, more power to you, but just know that the rest of us know that you are
1. Vain
2. A bit anal retentive
3. Obsess over petty things that really don’t mean much (again vain)
4. Are a “pilots pilot” and said with a friendly, yet sarcastic sneer.
Anyway, just had to ask ya’ll.
Happy Holidays,
HPD
PS, if you’re a new hire and you pull out your shiny new silver pen, just know that your CA is snickering to himself when he notices it.
12-19-2010, 12:03 PM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,339
I use a Zebra F-301 pen and nothing else. I am a pencil person. I like the friction of a pencil and most pens are too slippery for me to use. The F-301 has some nice friction that feels more like a pencil. I also hate it when cheap ball points have a poor ink supply causing gaps in letters. The other nice thing is since I spend a few bucks for the pens, I keep better track of them. I have lost only 2 since March (I just realized how pathetic it is that I actually remember the number of pens I have lost). I plan on getting a large life supply box of 100. If you haven’t guessed, I was also the person in high school who hated lending people a pen and would nearly run down the hall to "casually" remind them to return it.
12-19-2010, 01:23 PM
#3
Administrator
Joined APC: May 2006
Position: C-172
Posts: 8,024
I am not a cheap airline pilot (or just an airline pilot, for that matter), but I have stayed in many, many hotels and pensions all over the world. If there is a pen and pad in the room, I will take them. Haven't bought a pen in a long time.
My favorite hotels are the Hotel Puerto Castilla in Madrid and the Steigenberger Hotel in Langen, Germany. Very nice pens that don't run or skip. Locally, the Hotel Vintage Park (a Kimpton property) has the coolest looking pens in rad colors.
I see no reason whatsoever to buy plain generic pens from Office Max.
My favorite hotels are the Hotel Puerto Castilla in Madrid and the Steigenberger Hotel in Langen, Germany. Very nice pens that don't run or skip. Locally, the Hotel Vintage Park (a Kimpton property) has the coolest looking pens in rad colors.
I see no reason whatsoever to buy plain generic pens from Office Max.
12-19-2010, 01:28 PM
#4
Day puke
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: Out.
Posts: 3,865
Any blue/black "clicky" pen. I can't stand using two hands to remove the cap and start writing.
Now, back when I waited tables, the only pens the customers would NOT take were fancy ones. All the plastic ones disappeared, but nobody stole my gold Cross ballpoint.
Now, back when I waited tables, the only pens the customers would NOT take were fancy ones. All the plastic ones disappeared, but nobody stole my gold Cross ballpoint.
12-19-2010, 02:39 PM
#6
Airport Hobo
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Posts: 844
Somebody has had to have asked this question here concerning what you fly with, the hotel pens you get for free, or the shiny, silver pens from Office Max, or wherever?
I think this is a great interview question as I have seen some broad stereotypes from who flies with what.
Most of us, me included, gave up on the nice shiny pen a long, long time ago. About bid 3 or 4 as a new hire FO. Now, seriously I haven’t bought a pen in years and my kids think that all pens in existence have a La Quinta, Holiday Inn, Best Western, Hilton etc. name stenciled on them.
If you are senior and still roll with a store bought, shiny silver pen, more power to you, but just know that the rest of us know that you are
1. Vain
2. A bit anal retentive
3. Obsess over petty things that really don’t mean much (again vain)
4. Are a “pilots pilot” and said with a friendly, yet sarcastic sneer.
Anyway, just had to ask ya’ll.
Happy Holidays,
HPD
PS, if you’re a new hire and you pull out your shiny new silver pen, just know that your CA is snickering to himself when he notices it.
I think this is a great interview question as I have seen some broad stereotypes from who flies with what.
Most of us, me included, gave up on the nice shiny pen a long, long time ago. About bid 3 or 4 as a new hire FO. Now, seriously I haven’t bought a pen in years and my kids think that all pens in existence have a La Quinta, Holiday Inn, Best Western, Hilton etc. name stenciled on them.
If you are senior and still roll with a store bought, shiny silver pen, more power to you, but just know that the rest of us know that you are
1. Vain
2. A bit anal retentive
3. Obsess over petty things that really don’t mean much (again vain)
4. Are a “pilots pilot” and said with a friendly, yet sarcastic sneer.
Anyway, just had to ask ya’ll.
Happy Holidays,
HPD
PS, if you’re a new hire and you pull out your shiny new silver pen, just know that your CA is snickering to himself when he notices it.
Seriously?
Does anyone here, beside HPD, actually care? Whether I whip out a hotel pen, or some shiny pen I stole, I'm fairly certain the guy I'm flying with isn't going to even notice, let alone think I'm obsessive, vain, or cheap.
12-19-2010, 03:04 PM
#7
With The Resistance
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Burning the Agitprop of the Apparat
Posts: 6,191
I doubt anyone gives a flying about what you write with, but you will know, and there is a third choice.
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ha...r-harmony.html
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ha...r-harmony.html
12-19-2010, 03:22 PM
#8
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2009
Posts: 474
I guess I am a little old school, but at work I prefer to use quill and a small bottle of ink. I prefer the fine lines that the five outer feathers make, taken from the left wing of a living crow, preferably in the spring when they are the strongest and most flexible. However, I will settle for the feathers of a eagle, owl, hawk, or turkey- of course in that order. I prefer that the feather come from the left wing rather than the right wing because the left wing feathers curve outward and away when used by a right hand writer. NOTHING looks better on a dispatch release than my signature written in crow quill. Dispatchers frequently complement me on the quality of the curves of my signature.
Surprisingly, I find that few people (accidentally or otherwise) walk away with my "pens," so I do not have any problem paying extra for stocking up on spring crow feathers around March or so. Sometimes I will volunteer to do the walk around if I notice that the aircraft is parked near a grassy area where crows like to congregate. If you pretend that you are simply doing the walk around and don't look at the crows directly, you can sneak up on them and snag a feather for free! In these cases, I will settle for a feather from the right wing instead of the left.
Surprisingly, I find that few people (accidentally or otherwise) walk away with my "pens," so I do not have any problem paying extra for stocking up on spring crow feathers around March or so. Sometimes I will volunteer to do the walk around if I notice that the aircraft is parked near a grassy area where crows like to congregate. If you pretend that you are simply doing the walk around and don't look at the crows directly, you can sneak up on them and snag a feather for free! In these cases, I will settle for a feather from the right wing instead of the left.
12-19-2010, 04:17 PM
#9
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2007
Posts: 116
I use a Zebra F-301 pen and nothing else. I am a pencil person. I like the friction of a pencil and most pens are too slippery for me to use. The F-301 has some nice friction that feels more like a pencil. I also hate it when cheap ball points have a poor ink supply causing gaps in letters. The other nice thing is since I spend a few bucks for the pens, I keep better track of them. I have lost only 2 since March (I just realized how pathetic it is that I actually remember the number of pens I have lost). I plan on getting a large life supply box of 100. If you haven’t guessed, I was also the person in high school who hated lending people a pen and would nearly run down the hall to "casually" remind them to return it.
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