such a thing as pilot flying style?
 

I know some pilots landed much harder (bigger jolt on landing) than others, but is there much difference in the air, given there are so many constraints and autopilot is on all the time?
As in, can someone tell the difference between one pilot and another?
I'm thinking in terms of turbulence, is it possible some pilots fly more smoothly? On the same route?

I don't think it is due so much to individual pilot "style", but more so according to company policy. In his book "Nuts", Herb Kelleher referred to Southwest pilots as "requesters", as they frequently would ask ATC for more direct routes once in the air to improve on arrival times. Delta currently has a general policy to avoid turbulence by flying around it whenever possible. Those are the two examples I know about.

[QUOTE=s0ssos;31011852] can someone tell the difference between one pilot and another?

No. Too many uncontrollable variables.

Many years ago I noted that Delta jets always seemed to burn rubber on landing much harder than other airlines. I always thought it was the one and only Chief Pilot's decision on how the airline trained it's crews to fly. Maybe those Convair 880's were just more difficult to land but man oh man did that put them down with a thud and smoking tires.

To me, it's a whole set of subtle things. Like whether the pilot out of SNA tells people about the fast takeoff roll followed by the sudden pullback of power for noise restrictions south of the airport, or just says nothing and proceeds with takeoff.

Or whether a pilot apologizes for an uncomfortable ride, or just chimes the seatbelt light and curtly says "take your seats please."

Or whether the pilot is outside the flight deck before and after landing to greet or say thank you, or stays on the flight deck the entire time.

Little things like these give me an overall impression about whether the pilot is focused only on their little area of the flight deck...or is continually conscious of the fact that they have hundreds of human beings behind them, depending on them every second of every flight.

It's my perception that openness, transparency, ability to apologize, and extended communication all contribute to trust.

Yes, sometimes...

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eb6be9df07.jpg

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. You should want the pilot focused on their little area of the flight deck. They might have a lot going on. Safe operation of the flight is paramount, if that means little to no communication with the passengers, so be it. The pilot is conscious of the fact that here are hundreds of human beings in the back, and the pilot is ensuring they get where they're going safely.

Copout. By that logic, no pilot would ever communicate with the back, because it's so terribly complicated in front. And if technology isn't making things easier instead of harder for pilots in the 21st Century, something's wrong.

Aviate/Navigate/Communicate is a mantra used in EMERGENCY situations. It's not meant to be the standard in normal operations. Certainly not while the jet bridge is attached.

Maybe pilots offer different degrees of communication based on specific circumstances on each flight that passengers in the back may not be aware of was my point...

If the runway is wet, it is better to try to use all available length so a soft touch down is not desirable.

Over the years, I've felt like Southwest taxied faster than other airlines. Maybe it's just that I'm on WN flights out of airports where you *can* taxi fast and get cleared for takeoff in advance, whereas nobody's taxiing anywhere fast at the legacy hub airports.

My dad flew in the Navy early in his career, got out and flew commercial for a while, and then went back in to the Air Force. He claimed to be able to tell whether a commercial pilot was Air Force or Navy, but it's also possible he was just pulling my leg.

You would be correct about WN. More than "pilot style" I would attribute to "company culture". Short approaches was another WN distinction. Their culture has evolved most likely due to flight data monitoring and FAA demands for standardization.