Whats it actually like flying airliners ?
Discussion
As per the title, interested in insights into what it is really like, is there actually much to do once up in the air ?
Is it alarming landing in thick fog ?
What are the biggest concerns for pilots ?
Do you ever get to throw the plane about a bit to get a feel for it (other than a simulator) ?
Any other anecdotes you can throw in.
Is it alarming landing in thick fog ?
What are the biggest concerns for pilots ?
Do you ever get to throw the plane about a bit to get a feel for it (other than a simulator) ?
Any other anecdotes you can throw in.
It's a job. I can't say i ever get anxious or nervous when flying, if I had done, then I reckon I'd be in the wrong job!
The goal in flying an airliner is to make it as repetitive and boring as possible, as that's the safest way to go.
I spend all my time in the office now and I actually find it more stimulating and interesting. Some pilots cannot understand this and look at me very strangely when I say it, but meh. Airbuses bore the tits off me.
I do miss the old fashioned flying I used to do when I first flew for an airline. No area nav systems, no autopilot half the time and just raw data flying all the time. I look back on that and realise how much I missed the mental challenge of that. It was as dodgy as hell at times, but bloody hell it was fun. I don't miss getting paid sod all though!
The goal in flying an airliner is to make it as repetitive and boring as possible, as that's the safest way to go.
I spend all my time in the office now and I actually find it more stimulating and interesting. Some pilots cannot understand this and look at me very strangely when I say it, but meh. Airbuses bore the tits off me.
I do miss the old fashioned flying I used to do when I first flew for an airline. No area nav systems, no autopilot half the time and just raw data flying all the time. I look back on that and realise how much I missed the mental challenge of that. It was as dodgy as hell at times, but bloody hell it was fun. I don't miss getting paid sod all though!
).Haven't worked with an airline but did used to co-pilot a business jet. Manual take-off and landing (aircraft I flew didn't have autoland), but the rest of the time flown with the autopilot in. Even then you're reasonably busy, as you have to monitor where you are and where you're going. It can get boring in the cruise on long trips though. We used to do Scotland to Scandinavia a lot, and often would be the only jet over the northern North Sea at night, only talking to Air Traffic Control a handful of times.
Once we were halfway between Stavanger and Aberdeen at 41000 feet in the middle of the night when we heard another business jet crew we knew coming the other way on the radio, calling at a reporting point we were also about to hit in a minute or so. A quick flash of our landing lights in the darkness was reciprocated by the other jet giving us a flash as we passed with a closing speed of Mach 1.5!
I never got bored with the push in the back on the runway when selecting take-off power. A good landing was also a challenge, and great when it all comes together. We were limited to a 200 foot cloudbase to land in bad weather, and would often fly down the approach in solid cloud only seeing the runway lights at 200 feet, which is only seconds from touchdown at over 100mph. If there is a significant crosswind the lights appear in one of the side windows as the jet is flying sideways to compensate for the wind drift, leaving you a few seconds to get it straight for the touchdown when you take the autopilot out.
The view is epic. Over southern England at night, being able to see the lights of Dublin, Belgium and Manchester all at the same time. Crossing the French coast northbound in daylight looking at the tiny gap below between Calais and the Dover cliffs, wondering what it must have been like in a Lancaster or Spitfire. At night we'd turn the cockpit lights down to get the best view of stars and satellites you've ever seen. Over the Arctic Circle on a clear night there's a glowing arc in the sky caused by ambient light reflecting off the polar ice. Mid-point over the North Sea at night the cloud below would be bright orange from the oil & gas rig flares.
It's a good way to make a living.
Once we were halfway between Stavanger and Aberdeen at 41000 feet in the middle of the night when we heard another business jet crew we knew coming the other way on the radio, calling at a reporting point we were also about to hit in a minute or so. A quick flash of our landing lights in the darkness was reciprocated by the other jet giving us a flash as we passed with a closing speed of Mach 1.5!
I never got bored with the push in the back on the runway when selecting take-off power. A good landing was also a challenge, and great when it all comes together. We were limited to a 200 foot cloudbase to land in bad weather, and would often fly down the approach in solid cloud only seeing the runway lights at 200 feet, which is only seconds from touchdown at over 100mph. If there is a significant crosswind the lights appear in one of the side windows as the jet is flying sideways to compensate for the wind drift, leaving you a few seconds to get it straight for the touchdown when you take the autopilot out.
The view is epic. Over southern England at night, being able to see the lights of Dublin, Belgium and Manchester all at the same time. Crossing the French coast northbound in daylight looking at the tiny gap below between Calais and the Dover cliffs, wondering what it must have been like in a Lancaster or Spitfire. At night we'd turn the cockpit lights down to get the best view of stars and satellites you've ever seen. Over the Arctic Circle on a clear night there's a glowing arc in the sky caused by ambient light reflecting off the polar ice. Mid-point over the North Sea at night the cloud below would be bright orange from the oil & gas rig flares.
It's a good way to make a living.
J4CKO said:
As per the title, interested in insights into what it is really like, is there actually much to do once up in the air ?
It's just a fairly routine, reasonably straight forward job at the end of the day. Some folks do however try and over complicate it somewhat. Some aspects of the job are good, some less so. Work rate in the cruise is fairly low.
Is it alarming landing in thick fog ?
More of a surreal feeling with the most challenging part trying to find your way off the runway and to the stand.
What are the biggest concerns for pilots ?
For me personally it's having an uncontrollable fire onboard.
Do you ever get to throw the plane about a bit to get a feel for it (other than a simulator) ?
You do get a feel for it but within the confines of the published limits. The simulator affords the opportunity to explore beyond the limits if there is spare time at the end.
Any other anecdotes you can throw in.
Roll on retirement. It's just a fairly routine, reasonably straight forward job at the end of the day. Some folks do however try and over complicate it somewhat. Some aspects of the job are good, some less so. Work rate in the cruise is fairly low.
Is it alarming landing in thick fog ?
More of a surreal feeling with the most challenging part trying to find your way off the runway and to the stand.
What are the biggest concerns for pilots ?
For me personally it's having an uncontrollable fire onboard.
Do you ever get to throw the plane about a bit to get a feel for it (other than a simulator) ?
You do get a feel for it but within the confines of the published limits. The simulator affords the opportunity to explore beyond the limits if there is spare time at the end.
Any other anecdotes you can throw in.
I liked it! An ATPL friend of mine when asked what he did for a living, said he was a machine minder, but that he really earned his money, when something went wrong.
Many air line pilots I know, as has been posted above, just want their commercial flights to be the same, boring, but safe wearing of a groove in the sky. Which is why lots of them, like to fly warbirds, fast jets, aerobatics etc, when they are on their `own' time to get away from the just driving down an aerial highway day after day feeling which comes with their day job.
I liked the comment of an American pilot when asked the same question as above. His reply was that he was just a traveler in `aluminum' products.
Many air line pilots I know, as has been posted above, just want their commercial flights to be the same, boring, but safe wearing of a groove in the sky. Which is why lots of them, like to fly warbirds, fast jets, aerobatics etc, when they are on their `own' time to get away from the just driving down an aerial highway day after day feeling which comes with their day job.
I liked the comment of an American pilot when asked the same question as above. His reply was that he was just a traveler in `aluminum' products.
speedtwelve said:
Haven't worked with an airline but did used to co-pilot a business jet. Manual take-off and landing (aircraft I flew didn't have autoland), but the rest of the time flown with the autopilot in. Even then you're reasonably busy, as you have to monitor where you are and where you're going. It can get boring in the cruise on long trips though. We used to do Scotland to Scandinavia a lot, and often would be the only jet over the northern North Sea at night, only talking to Air Traffic Control a handful of times.
Once we were halfway between Stavanger and Aberdeen at 41000 feet in the middle of the night when we heard another business jet crew we knew coming the other way on the radio, calling at a reporting point we were also about to hit in a minute or so. A quick flash of our landing lights in the darkness was reciprocated by the other jet giving us a flash as we passed with a closing speed of Mach 1.5!
I never got bored with the push in the back on the runway when selecting take-off power. A good landing was also a challenge, and great when it all comes together. We were limited to a 200 foot cloudbase to land in bad weather, and would often fly down the approach in solid cloud only seeing the runway lights at 200 feet, which is only seconds from touchdown at over 100mph. If there is a significant crosswind the lights appear in one of the side windows as the jet is flying sideways to compensate for the wind drift, leaving you a few seconds to get it straight for the touchdown when you take the autopilot out.
The view is epic. Over southern England at night, being able to see the lights of Dublin, Belgium and Manchester all at the same time. Crossing the French coast northbound in daylight looking at the tiny gap below between Calais and the Dover cliffs, wondering what it must have been like in a Lancaster or Spitfire. At night we'd turn the cockpit lights down to get the best view of stars and satellites you've ever seen. Over the Arctic Circle on a clear night there's a glowing arc in the sky caused by ambient light reflecting off the polar ice. Mid-point over the North Sea at night the cloud below would be bright orange from the oil & gas rig flares.
It's a good way to make a living.
Fantastic reading that, thanks for taking the time. Did you get any good pictures of those views?Once we were halfway between Stavanger and Aberdeen at 41000 feet in the middle of the night when we heard another business jet crew we knew coming the other way on the radio, calling at a reporting point we were also about to hit in a minute or so. A quick flash of our landing lights in the darkness was reciprocated by the other jet giving us a flash as we passed with a closing speed of Mach 1.5!
I never got bored with the push in the back on the runway when selecting take-off power. A good landing was also a challenge, and great when it all comes together. We were limited to a 200 foot cloudbase to land in bad weather, and would often fly down the approach in solid cloud only seeing the runway lights at 200 feet, which is only seconds from touchdown at over 100mph. If there is a significant crosswind the lights appear in one of the side windows as the jet is flying sideways to compensate for the wind drift, leaving you a few seconds to get it straight for the touchdown when you take the autopilot out.
The view is epic. Over southern England at night, being able to see the lights of Dublin, Belgium and Manchester all at the same time. Crossing the French coast northbound in daylight looking at the tiny gap below between Calais and the Dover cliffs, wondering what it must have been like in a Lancaster or Spitfire. At night we'd turn the cockpit lights down to get the best view of stars and satellites you've ever seen. Over the Arctic Circle on a clear night there's a glowing arc in the sky caused by ambient light reflecting off the polar ice. Mid-point over the North Sea at night the cloud below would be bright orange from the oil & gas rig flares.
It's a good way to make a living.
I remember meeting an airline pilot (relation to my uni lecturer) and he said relationships were difficult. He said he only knew a few pilots still who were still happily married.
Its a job that I would have loved to do, but at the time, I had never thought about how it would affect your personal life.
Its a job that I would have loved to do, but at the time, I had never thought about how it would affect your personal life.
I've just switched from LH to SH. It's very different. Rushed with no glamour and most of the time routine.LH is fantastic with the best views in the world and the huge satisfaction of arriving in another continent at the end of your working day.
Sometimes it's dull, but at worst it's a high speed office with good windows.
No time just now, I have to fly shortly, but I have heaps of pics out of the window. I'll try and share some later.
Atvb
Ps, landing in fog is always a bit weird.
Pps, one of my colleagues said we're paid for what we can do, rather than what we normally do. I think that sums it up well.
Sometimes it's dull, but at worst it's a high speed office with good windows.
No time just now, I have to fly shortly, but I have heaps of pics out of the window. I'll try and share some later.
Atvb
Ps, landing in fog is always a bit weird.
Pps, one of my colleagues said we're paid for what we can do, rather than what we normally do. I think that sums it up well.
I'll second what Mabbs said.
I did short haul for a number of years, and while there's a lot more 'flying' involved, I found it way more tiring than Long Haul, which is (in comparison) a piece of cake.
I, like some, fly on days off for fun. Commercial flying is a lot about self-preservation - if you start chucking about an airliner, it doesn't go down well with anyone, and there are fairly rigid rules regarding flying stabilised approaches which mean that it becomes a very regimented job. This is fine by me, it keeps me in a job (!) and makes for less surprises regardless of who's doing the flying.
I still enjoy the job after many years, going Long Haul was a change for the better. I fly less (!), and I get more time free to do what I like - not necessarily at home, but while I was short haul, home was somewhere you'd sleep in between work, and recover in on days off (and you usually needed every day off as part of that recovery process)!
Rarely land in fog. . . it's something we don't normally do, but are well drilled in carrying out.
I did short haul for a number of years, and while there's a lot more 'flying' involved, I found it way more tiring than Long Haul, which is (in comparison) a piece of cake.
I, like some, fly on days off for fun. Commercial flying is a lot about self-preservation - if you start chucking about an airliner, it doesn't go down well with anyone, and there are fairly rigid rules regarding flying stabilised approaches which mean that it becomes a very regimented job. This is fine by me, it keeps me in a job (!) and makes for less surprises regardless of who's doing the flying.
I still enjoy the job after many years, going Long Haul was a change for the better. I fly less (!), and I get more time free to do what I like - not necessarily at home, but while I was short haul, home was somewhere you'd sleep in between work, and recover in on days off (and you usually needed every day off as part of that recovery process)!
Rarely land in fog. . . it's something we don't normally do, but are well drilled in carrying out.
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