( Source - Hubpages: Life as A Pilot)
In this article we will focus on the Life of a Pilot and his duties, like what are the things included in his job apart from just flying the plane, what he should do before take off and what he has to do after landing and also what he has to do during non flying hours etc.
Before going further you can grab more information from the article - How to become a Commercial Pilot? A Quick Article for choosing pilot job as a career option.
1. Basic job description :
•Commercial pilot's basic duty is to fly the commercial aircraft with their skills and expertise to deliver the passengers safely to their destinations.
•Apart from the safety of the passengers, crew, and cargo, pilots are also involved in assessing the aircraft's control equipment, monitoring weather conditions, and constantly communicating with the air traffic control officers regarding the above conditions.
•During the flight the aircraft is put under the control of auto pilot but the pilot and co pilot should be always aware and alert for the equipments to function properly.
•Every Pilot receives his/her flying schedule once in a month. Pilots are on duty for minimum 14 to 16 days in a month far from their family flying around 8 to 14 hours a day.
•Airline authoriities like FAA has set certain regulations on flying hours for the commercial pilots. In a month they cannot fly more than 100 hours, so they usually fly less than 70 hours.
•Airline pilots often suffer from headaches, irritability, depression, fatigue, insomnia etc. This is caused due to the varing timezones. Since they keep travelling in different timezones against the body clock hence resulting in these symptoms. This disease is called as jet lag. They also suffer from intense mental stress which is associated with being awake and alert for long flights.
•Benifit for an experienced pilot are earning more than $100,000 a year, receive health and life insurance packages and also free or concession on the air travelling for pilot and family.
2. Before Take Off :
Prior to the take off cockpit crew (includes captain, copilot, flight engineer) checks the route that the aircraft has to fly along with meteorological information and then they meet with the cabin crew (inlcudes airhostess, stewards) for the preflight briefing. During the briefing the cockpit crew informs the cabin crew about the weather conditions, route, total flight duration and some special qualities of the respective aircraft. Cabin crew discusses the number of passengers, meals, flight procedure and the if any special care duties. Around 40 - 60 minutes prior to departure the crew comes reaches the aircraft in the crew pickup bus.
On the plane the captain/copilot starts with the preflight checklist -
•They examine the aircraft tires, engines, hydraulic leaks to ensure there are no irregularities.
•Co pilots obtains and reviews the data, such as load weight, fuel supply, routing, take off cross weight.
•If there has to be any changes to make then the pilots order changes in fuel supply, load, route, or schedule to ensure flight safety.
•After the preflight checks if time permits then the captain/copilot greets the boarding passengers.
•After the boarding completes, the captain is handled with the load list which includes the correct head count of the passengers, cargo, baggage mail etc.
•As soon as the load sheet verification completes the doors are locked and the aircraft is ready to startup.
3. Take - Off and Flight :
After the door is locked cabin crew reports the cockpit "cabin secured" and the copilot asks the ground control officers for the engine start and taxi permission. Captain taxis the aircraft to the departure runway.
After receiving the permission by the air traffic controller (ATC) the take off roll begins. During the take off the copilot usually keeps communicating with the ATC and also monitors the instruments and the captain is responsible for the flying operation. Hence both pilots totally concentrate during the take off phase. The instruments has to be checked rigorously for the right adustments and stability.
4. Landing :
Approx. 30 minutes before the arrival the pilots start the preperations for the landing. After the safe landing and the evacuation of the passengers the aircraft is either prepared for the return flight or is secured for a night stop or even it may be handled for the new crew.
5. Outside the airport :
After the custom cleareance the crew members take their luggage and head towards the hotel in a shuttle bus or an airline taxi. From there either the pilots can relax or meet friends enjoy etc.
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