Ab und zu frägt hier jemand nach einem Beruf oder Job den man barfuß ausüben kann. In der heutigen New York Times (November 18,2003) ist ein Artikel über Wasserflugzeuge die auf dem East River stationiert sind und die von betuchten Leuten aus den Villenvororten ausserhalb NY als Taxi benutzt werden. Darin wird von einem Piloten berichtet der nicht nur sein Flugzeug barfuß fliegt sondern auch sonst meistens barfuß geht, sogar in Schnee und Eis.
Hier ist ein Auszug aus dem Artikel mit "Job Description" einschliesslich Gehalt. Babelfish Übersetzung ist halbwegs verständlich.
"In New York, the seaplane's high season lasts from May until September. They fly until there is ice on the East River, but not as regularly in the off-season, and not with every seat full. Now there is room on weekend flights to the Hamptons. Most of the regular pilots have bolted — in seaplanes — for the winter flying season in the Caribbean.

Urban bush pilots are tough yet sensitive. They must monitor the weather, the river currents, boat traffic, air traffic and the unpredictable objects of nature unique to the East River, as well as the feelings of their passengers. But in the highly sanitized and technical world of commercial flying, seaplane pilots feel they offer the last vestiges of flying's romance. "What works for us is finding a guy, or gal, who loves to fly but doesn't feel like putting on a uniform," said Mr. Kelly.

Mr. Kelly has found Mr. Atkins and Amy Rowell, 38, a co-pilot. Mr. Atkins cannot be bothered to wear shoes while flying — or, for that matter, for much of the winter. "You're like, `Eric, it's snowing outside,' and he's walking around barefoot in the ice and snow," Ms. Rowell said.

For her part, Ms. Rowell, a former flight attendant who took flying lessons after she realized she was working the wrong end of the plane, is also a bit of a daredevil.

She enjoys swimming with whales in the open sea, and sailing. She has no permanent address, and in September, she flew her own Cessna 172 four-seater across the United States. It took four days.

Being a seaplane pilot is a hard living, but for those who love it, it is hard living without it. The pay is not high: pilots make around $50,000 a year, and co-pilots around $35,000 — a fraction of what commercial jet pilots make.

Mike Volk, president of the Seaplane Pilots Association in Lakeland, Fla., said: "Some people are not cut out for seaplane flying. They have a macho attitude toward it, and that's the type of attitude that's going to get you in trouble."

Mr. Kelly, a native of Boston's Back Bay and a seaplane pilot who employs a revolving staff of about a half-dozen pilots during the summer, said it was hard to figure out what makes a seaplane pilot tick.

"I've been trying for years and still can't," he said.

He narrowed it to this: "You got to have enough ego so you can have enough confidence to do what you do. You have to be willing to get wet, because that's what they do, get wet, that's part of the job. At the end of the day, they have to wash their planes to get the saltwater off. They're not the prima donnas you get with the jet pilots. I probably shouldn't say that, but it's the truth."

Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company