Smelly student
Posted by No-Classic7908@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 47 comments
I’m a CFI and I have a student who has horrible BO every single flight lesson. The temps are now rising as we enter the summer season so it’s getting worse and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I can fly with him in the afternoon during the summer months. Would you tell your student they smell or would you just suck it up? I don’t want to be rude, they’re a good student and they mean well.
EmotionalBar2533@reddit
Tell student they fucking stink and to be an adult
jellybeans_wya@reddit
ayo professional matters man but hilarious comment. imo just say it nicely to him that he should shower often.
InsGuy2023@reddit
That discussion is part of lesson # 1 in ground school. Everyone is told up front...don't stink. No perfume either.
coldcarb@reddit
Why no fragrances?
anon7631@reddit
Aside from moderation already mentioned, it can have respiratory effects on some people.
B_O_A_H@reddit
I don’t work in the airlines, or know the true reason why, but I imagine it’s because some folks don’t understand moderation. There’s a woman I work with who wears men’s cologne, but she bathed in it. It’s good, high-dollar shit, it smells great, but you can smell her from 50 feet away. Can’t have that in a cramped space.
johnsourwine@reddit
8 sprays of Dior savauge minimum anytime you enter a plane with someone. Jokes aside. I’ll kind of miss fragrances when I move to a crewed environment.
Commercial_Soft6833@reddit
Rather than saying "hey you need to put deodorant on" , I like to say "hey whatever deodorant you're using isn't working well. Try a new one or an antiperspirant. I myself have to switch deodorant/antiperspirant frequently as my body develops resistance and they often stop working"
It's true for me that I have to buy different ones each time or they'll stop working on me. For a long time I had no idea that the old spice I put on before work wasn't doing anything and I smelt of BO all day.
The same technique also works for bad breath. "Hey you should try a new toothpaste. Whichever you're using isn't working well".
ljthefa@reddit
Soggyknob@reddit
Ask tower to send a hazmat crew to you on the ramp while they’re in the plane
Kermit-de-frog1@reddit
A case of axe body spray….. after two days you’ll be begging for the BO lol.
Just kidding, dude to dude , you can tell someone you stink and need to shower before a lesson. Guy to gal or gal to guy , it can be devastating .
If this student is planning to go pro , a lesson in pre flight preparation is a good idea . Eight hours bottle to throttle , hot shower with lots of soap ( you don’t want swamp ass in the cockpit to kill your chances in the bar on an overnight) , prep your duties on the flight … etc.
That way you can work it into professional development if you don’t want to be direct .
Maldivesblue@reddit
Wake up and speak to the student. Sort it out.
Ok_Witness179@reddit
Tell them, then when/if they show up smelly again, send them home, charge them a no-show/unprepared fee.
org000h@reddit
Two options depending on your relationship with the student:
"Fuck me mate you been wrestling some pigs this morning? Need a hose down? I could smell you a mile away" ... "Naa seriously ya cunt, go home, shower, rub one out and put some clean clothes on and come back, or let's find another time - i ain't getting in a tin can sauna with ya"
Or
"I'm sorry John, I don't handle poor odour too well and i might end up being sick in the plane. Can you please go shower, get some clean freshly washed clothes, use some anti perspirant and avoid colognes / perfumes (they end up mixing with BO and making it all worse). Depending on how long that will take i'll wait here, or let's reschedule so you have time to go freshen yourself up before flying "
No-Classic7908@reddit (OP)
I appreciate the response! I’m a female and my student is a male and I’m not so sure I can say the first one to them lol.
frostyhongo@reddit
Here is the thing. You want to be an airline pilot from your post history. When you go for your command and they need a story of an uncomfortable situation you have put yourself in, this is it.
Have the conversation. Even if it goes wrong, at least it has been had and you have a story to tell about your handling of crew issues in the future.
abcdefgahfuckit@reddit
People smell. Get over it.
Mossieoak@reddit
You must be stinky boi
DisregardLogan@reddit
Getting sweaty from nerves and/or cooking alive in the middle of summer in what is essentially a tin can with wings? Sure.
Regular day? No… that’s just gross.
frostyhongo@reddit
Speak to your student about the professionalism of Hygiene in the industry. especially if they are going onwards to a CPL and looking at working commercial.
Don’t just accept the smell.
VikingLander7@reddit
It’s an awkward conversation but keep it private and professional. Had a student with similar issues and I couldn’t stand instructing him but after our conversation it was a joy to fly with him.
Mossieoak@reddit
I had a flight instructor that always smelled like absolute ass. I just asked for a new instructor lol.
_FlightLevel@reddit
bring some cologne or spray next time and ask if they want some
Weakness4Fleekness@reddit
My cfi had halitosis or something, i just cracked the window
TheAnonymousPilot@reddit
In my own experience, being a female talking to a male student abt smell/hygiene, but wanting to put it lightly, I usually hit them with the 'Hey, just curious, do you go to the gym before you fly?' When they say yes/no, add a 'I've got to be honest, you smell like it' (or something nicer... depends on the dynamic).
It can be awkward, but in my opinion, that's as 'subtle' as it can get if you want to avoid being too blunt.
Don't be afraid of advocating for yourself- you're trying to do your job, this is your workplace!
compulsive_drooler@reddit
Diet can play a large part, especially one high in garlic and spices. In college I lived with an international student who absolutely reeked and we weren't polite in telling him he needed to shower much more often. It didn't seem to matter at all how much he showered and we finally realized it was his diet and that it was just coming out of his pores.
It can also come from people who don't seem to realize you can't just wear the same clothes for weeks on end without washing them. Some people were never taught otherwise.
Have the talk, be gentle, the conversation is never as bad as we imagine it to be. You'll be glad you did.
nonoohnoohno@reddit
Are they from another country? If so, it can soften the conversation by wrapping it in cultural norms.
i.e. along the lines of "American pilots expect each other to wear deodorant, even if it's not something you're typically expected to do"
ThatLooksRight@reddit
Often it’s not just BO. It’s also because they don’t wash their clothes. So make sure you cover that, too.
CowboyAndIndian@reddit
Also, some don't use deodorant
Impossible-Bad-2291@reddit
Offer him a wafer thin mint?
tieiwo@reddit
Well🇮🇳well🇮🇳well🇮🇳. Tell him to wear deodorant.
harambe_did911@reddit
You gotta just tell them man. After an event end of the debrief. "Hey idk if you are aware but you smell strongly of BO. They deodorant i use is this. Using deodorant and showering daily is necessary to be successful working with others"
happierinverted@reddit
I learned the best protocol in this situation from the movie ‘The Dictator’ :)
‘look one of my last students left a box of razors and deodorant, do you want to use them?’
Flyguy115@reddit
This is one of those things where you are just going to have a sit down conversation about hygiene with your student and tell them if they continue to have poor hygiene to the point where it’s affecting the flight you will start canceling flights.
DeltaTule@reddit
Vic’s vapor rub rubbed/globbed on under your nostrils. If he asks about it just say you have allergies and it helps.
Low-Age8594@reddit
If you can’t clean yourself, you can’t fly a plane. Done
NumbersRLife@reddit
"Hygiene is important. That includes showering every morning, using deodorant, and washing your clothes."
wtfover@reddit
You'd be doing him, yourself and everybody around you a favor if you told him.
GoobScoob@reddit
Tell them discreetly
CStoEE@reddit
You’re doing this person a favor by telling them. I agree with others, keep it private, be professional.
saml01@reddit
Tell their mom.
BarnackIIIF@reddit
Tell them; as difficult as it may seem, you will be doing the person a favor. Just do it some place private where the two of you can then gracefully exit afterward.
Relative_Average3267@reddit
Be honest and up front. If you smelled bad how would you want your student to react?
MehCFI@reddit
Great interview and CRM story! Tell em to shower
OriginalJayVee@reddit
You serious, Clark?!?
sassinator13@reddit
It’s a long career of sitting in small spaces with other people. Nip it in the bud now.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
I’m a CFI and I have a student who has horrible BO every single flight lesson. The temps are now rising as we enter the summer season so it’s getting worse and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I can fly with him in the afternoon during the summer months. Would you tell your student they smell or would you just suck it up? I don’t want to be rude, they’re a good student and they mean well.
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