Some questions in an attempt to create a real understanding of what the day to day as a commercial pilot really looks like:
Outside of the long hours and travel, what is it really like to fly as a commercial pilot?
With today’s level of automation, how much time is actually spent piloting the jet and what are the other responsibilities inside the cockpit?
Is there parts of the Job you wish were more manual processes?
Was there anything about flying as a commercial pilot you weren’t expecting / surprised you?
or - was there any aspects you were expecting that didn’t pan out in reality?
Anything else you would want someone outside-looking-in to know?
It can vary dramatically depending on the aircraft and the operation. When I was on the A330 flying internationally there were definitely long periods with not much going on. You of course monitor systems, fuel burn and do position reports but that’s really not that arduous. You don’t even make radio calls when you’re over the ocean. The aircraft are highly automated and you’re really more “managing” the aircraft then flying it.
By contrast I’m back to flying the B717 InterIsland. The longest flight is about 35min and we’re in a critical phase of flight the entire day and often hand fly every leg.
After that there are various degrees in between the 2.
Check out this article I wrote for my thoughts on automation in the airlines.
Things turned out pretty much how I expected, but I had the benefit of being a third generation airline pilot, so one could say I had the inside scoop.
The only thing I would really change is commuting. When I got hired, I decided that the commute wasn’t that bad and that it was better than moving to base. I was wrong. The commute is tough, takes a lot of time, energy and costs money. If I had it to do over again, I would move to base the day I got hired at an airline.
With that being said, does being a commercial pilot still fulfill the love for flying that brings most to the career, or do you find something missing at times?
I would not say that I ever had a love of flying. I enjoy it, I like the history of the airlines and aviation, I always look up when I hear an airplane, but I do not have that undying passion that some have. Don’t get me wrong, I truly like my job, but I would be happy with other jobs as well.
I still feel fulfilled from my job, I like the view, the different cities and the income that it offers. On my days off though I don’t fly little airplanes or read aviation magazines. My kids are really into trains, so we spend a lot of time looking for trains, visiting train museums and playing with model trains. I also have a wife and a miniature horse that keep me rather busy.
Flying enables me to do all of those things and I do like flying itself. It does not bother me how much automation we have (it makes the job easier and allows us to focus on other things). I still enjoy it as much as when I started, perhaps more now that I am a captain.
Thanks Chris, just trying to no be disillusioned. The pros certainly seem to outweigh the cons and most pilots I talk to still Love the job they have done for many years, so this is promising.
My flights range anywhere from 28 minutes to 4.5 hours. I could have anywhere from 1-5 flights a day. The most I’ve flown in a day is 8.5 hours. On average I fly about 4 hours a day. 10-15% of that flight time is hand flown. Automation is a valuable asset (used properly of course). Flying is a mental exercise. Having automation available to the pilot can greatly reduce pilot workload.
Most of our time in the flight deck is spent managing threats and errors.
I surprised myself with how much I enjoy this job. I used to think that being an airline pilot would be boring. It is anything but. There’s a lot more to the job that keeps me busy.
Do you remember the feeling you used to get when you would go on a field trip in elementary school? That feeling never went away with me. I love staying in hotels, and I love the feeling that I am working to my full potential. I would agree with Tory, in that those that don’t feel fulfilled might have something going on internally and it more or less is a personal dilemma.
You might try your little ones on RC cars. Traxxas has a Baja style desert truck rc car that has “on board audio”… my son loves how it sounds like a real car, something to look into with the kids. I take my kids to the hobby shop all the time where we see the hobby trains, slot cars and why not. That’s a fun hobby! I’m 33yrs old and love playing with RC cars.