One day in the Life of an Airline Pilot

(From Internet)

It’s not common for most passengers to question how their pilot’s day has started. They just go about their business of getting to the airport on time, getting through security and hoping to have a little time to grab themselves a vente white chocolate mocha from Starbucks. Did you know your pilot is likely going through the same thing? The pilot’s schedule can be an extremely rigorous one. Some may only fly a few times a month and some may fly as many as 4 to 5 days a week, depending on their seniority number within their company. The higher their number, the better schedule they can get. The FAA rules state an airline pilot can fly up to 100 hours in a month and not exceed 8 hours of actual flying time within a 24 hour period. Sure, that seems like a great deal considering most folks work on average of 40 plus hours per week which is 160 hours or more a month. Most people might assume, the airline pilot has it easy. The reality is actually the complete opposite once you factor in the other components such as the amount of time the pilot might be sitting around the airport. Many pilots work an average duty day of 13 hours. The maximum duty day for a pilot can’t exceed 16 hours according to the FAA’s current rules. The duty time is the time a pilot is on the job and available to fly.

The typical day of an airline pilot will usually start the night before. What time did they arrive to their hotel? How much sleep did they get? That answer can be broken down on a few levels. The pilot may have started a very early morning shift the day before which may have put him or her into their hotel before 6pm, giving them plenty of time to rest. However, the quality of rest can be debatable. Pilots are usually put into hotels the airline feels are affordable for their bottom line. These guys and gals aren’t typically staying at the Hilton or a Ritz Carlton. The quality of rest can be very hit or miss. Another common scenario might include the pilot working the maximum duty day allowance. They may not have gotten to their rooms until late at night and have a 6 am flight the following morning. The FAA’s current rest requirement is 8 hours. That does not include the time it takes to de board your final flight of the evening, powering off the airplane, walking through the airport to catch the hotel shuttle, driving time to the hotel and the time it takes to check in and get to your room. Those 8 hours have likely decreased.

The following day begins with the hotel shuttle from the hotel to the airport where the pilots must go through the standard security. Many airports have separate lines for employees to help get the flight crews through quicker without the long waits most passengers might encounter. The pilot will then check their gate information and head to their aircraft. Once at the gate, the gate agent will get the pilots paper work printed. This paper work will include the flight plan, weather information, the weight of the aircraft, estimated flight time and other important information such as any minor maintenance issues that airplane may have. If time permits, they may attempt to grab a bite to eat if they didn’t have the opportunity at the hotel. Most hotels do provide some type of breakfast for crew members, however, if it’s a 6 am flight for the crew, the odds are they breakfast wasn’t available yet. It’s very common for many flight crews to not eat for the first few hours of their duty time.

Once the crew is situated on their airplane, they begin the routine of running the airplane’s numerous system checks and other checklists. The copilot generally heads outside to do a walk around of the aircraft looking for any abnormalities, such as low tire pressure, leaks and the exterior condition of the engines and the airplane’s control surfaces such as the wings and flaps. Once that is completed he or she will then head back into the cockpit to complete the other duties such as programming the FMS (flight management system). This is the computer that is programmed with the flight plan information and is the main navigation system for the aircraft. It works in coordination with the airplane’s autopilot system. After the preflight cockpit procedures are completed the pilots may take the time to brief the rest of the crew about the flight and safety procedures if he or she has to declare an emergency.

Once the airplane is boarded and ready for departure, the pilots will get the necessary clearance from the tower as well as taxi instructions to the runway. Even though the busy work might be done, the pilots still have a lot of duties to do inflight. They will constantly monitor the airplanes systems as well as make note of close airports in the event they need to deviate due to weather or any mechanical issues that may happen. They are also constantly preparing for the final phase of the flight; the landing.

The landing phase is an extremely important and potentially stressful moment for every pilot. Prior to landing the pilots will get the destination airports current weather conditions as well as the wind speeds. This is done in order to calculate a number of important factors for a safe and efficient landing. If there is a heavy thunderstorm in the area, the pilots may have to put the airplane in a holding pattern near the airport until the storm has passed. On occasion, the visibility may be diminished at a destination airport making it extremely challenging for pilots. It requires an endless amount of concentration in preparing for what pilots call an IFR approach (instrument approach) where the pilot relies mostly on their cockpit instruments without the assistance from the control tower. These are fairly routine procedures but they can also become very stressful at times.

After making a successful approach and landing, the airplane is parked at the gate and the pilot starts the process all over again with a different group of passengers. For many pilots, this can be repeated many times in one day. The life of an airline pilot isn’t the glamor many folks may have envisioned when they board their flight. The schedules can be very rigorous and extremely draining on a pilot’s physical and mental well-being. Recently the FAA put a new rule into motion that will give pilots 10 hour of required rest in addition to cutting back on their allowed duty time.