Co-pilots Options

[RLM]

Recently, I was reading a RV magazine wherein they used the term “co-pilot” for a female spouse. I have heard it used a dozen times before and I realize it’s a standard term used for some time. However, I thing it is used more likely by the senior generation of RVers who have been indoctrinated and have accepted the term.

Albeit, I have a few of my own gendered prejudices, I never have liked what is perhaps a male chauvinist tag and my wife dislikes it even more since she is perfectly capable of driving and operating every aspect of the rig. On more than one occasion, she has reminded me that the bus gets much better fuel economy if I first raise the leveling jacks. It’s those types of co-operator functions that make us a team, not pilot and co-pilot.

Does being the pilot mean that the male driver is always in charge and gets to give the orders or does it mean that he gets all the blame for screwing up? In the aviation industry the two up front are the Captain and First Officer. Obviously, the Captain is first on the blame line, but his duty title is earned from many more years of experience than that of the FO. Since we typically purchase a RV as a family and start the learning curve at the same time, aviation hierarchy doesn’t necessarily apply.

Now if the ladies who read my post prefer just to hold the map and tune the radios as a co-pilot, that’s ok. However, I’d like to have another term for my partner and equal team member that reflects her skills and contributions in operating our rig. Anyone have a suggestion?

[Cheryl]

What is so hard about dumping waste tanks? Is there something I don't know?

The smell!

[DXSMac]

The smell!

OK! I gotcha!

I usually wash my dishes in a Rubbermaid dishpan (that sits on one side of the sink), then I throw that water down the toilet. I rinse the dishes in the other side of the sink. Using the Rubbermaid basin to WASH the dishes serves two purposes for me:

1. Since I dump that down the toilet, and only use rinse water in the sink, this makes my black and grey fill up at about the same rate (so I'm not dumping grey three times before I dump black....)

2. Dilutes the black tank enough so there isn't much of a "smell." I very rarely use "chemical" in my toilet..... Usually only in very hot weather.

JJ (the only bad thing about solo travelling is that I have to do EVERYTHING!!!!!)