A Computer Pilot
By Javier Escandarani, Engineering Director
I remember when I was a kid, we often went with the family to spend weekends at an outdoor club, located in Greater Buenos Aires. By the time it was time to go home almost reaching night, I had already invested all my energy in an afternoon full of jumping, running around and playing games in every corner of the club. Naturally, the car was my bed on the way home. Anyway, it was mandatory that my dad woke me up before passing by Jorge Newbery Airport in the hope of being able to see one of those giant machines landing or taking off and end the day with a smile on my face and my wish fulfilled.
In those years, I earned the nickname of “the genius of Power Point”. Besides being the restless son, I took on the role of making ppt presentations for every party or event, no matter how small; it was an excuse to play with the computer for a while and do something productive by putting photos or phrases on a blank digital canvas in honor of the honoree.
(Now that I think about it, it was probably too exhausting for everyone in the family to put up with so many birthday, anniversary and, above all, miscellaneous celebrations. Even so, and for some reason, they always encouraged me to keep doing it and I was happy).
However, I want to make a clarification before the eyes of my fellow designers: I must say that, although I handled the tool better than my parents (both computer teachers), these presentations were far from being at the level of a designer’s work.
Years went by. My first memory of talking about my main interests was at the age of 12 when a lady asked me what major I was going to choose in high school, to which I answered with confidence (much more than you can expect from a 12 year old): “computer science, and I want to be a pilot”.
Everything changed that day. I understood that, in addition to my fascination for the world of computers, I had a hidden passion that little by little would start to become important in my life: aviation.
I graduated as the valedictorian of my class with an orientation in computer science. Soon after, I got into PSh where I grew a lot both personally and professionally and, while I was studying for a degree in Computer Science, I took all the aviation courses until I became a Commercial Pilot.
(I never imagined being able to realize my childhood dream of becoming a pilot).
For a long time I wondered if there was any relation between my two passions. Certainly, one can say that today’s airplanes are operated by computerized equipment; or that a ticket to anywhere in the world is purchased through a computer system. However, I found the most concrete, coherent and profound answer by working at PSh.
It goes like this…
Generally, in a cockpit, there are two pilots whose hierarchy doesn’t usually change (Commander and First Officer). What does change are the roles (“the one who flies” and “the one who monitors”) that distinguish the one who flies the aircraft from the one who controls the systems and communicates with the outside world. The Commander, regardless of his/her role, has a very big responsibility in addition to making decisions. He/She must generate a feeling of belonging among all the flight and cabin crew, to conclude in a common goal: to execute a safe flight. After having studied a lot the synergy in a flight deck and the impact that a good leader has on the flight, I can now understand the importance of my role in PSh.
(This is what makes PSh, PSh).
Currently, I serve as Director of Engineering and my responsibilities are mainly focused on making sure that each person finds in their teams a comfortable and fun space, but at the same time serious and professional, that promotes a didactic environment of learning and mutual help in search of personal and group goals… In other words, that they feel they can be the commanders of their own career, and that they rely on PSh, their crew, for their growth.
Most importantly: no matter where you are, no matter what your role is, make your experiences as enjoyable for everyone as possible. After all, it’s always better to fly with company.
