A Day In The Life Of A Pilot

Hi All,

My name is Capt Mark Casey, Head of Training at Atlantic Flight Centre and a Captain of a B757 with Jet2.com. I’m delighted to have this opportunity to give you all would be pilots a brief insight into the day to day duties of an airline pilot.

Your day usually begins the night before.
1: Check roster to confirm report time
2: Check with crew control via internet or phone to confirm any changes to flying duty re delays re schedules etc
3: Prepare uniform and check licence documentation

As a pilot you should be prepared for early duties with regular 5-6 am report times.

You will usually fly a series of early or late duty flying periods.

Late duty periods usually begin around midday.

Most airlines are flexible and will try to accommodate pilots with regard to their personal preference.

Most of the pre flight planning documentation is prepared by the company operations department and accessed via individual web portals which are at work stations at your company’s offices at your base of operation.

Depending on the airline you work for your working day may involve a series of flights to and from your base or a long flight from your base with an overnight stop at your destination.

The preparation before your first flight requires most work as it builds a comprehensive picture of the operating environment for your working day.

Regular updates will be passed to you throughout the day from the company with regard to the multitude of variables that are ever changing in aviation.

Pre flight preparation will usually take 45-60 minutes for European flights and two hours for long haul intercontinental flights.

Within this period the Captain and the co-pilot will discuss the weather, aircraft serviceability, restrictions at the airports you will depart from and fly to ,passenger and freight loads and load distribution, possible aircraft changes during the day etc.

Once the pilots have a good picture of the days activities rehearsed they will give the cabin crew a short brief on the weather to be expected and flight times en route.

Next step is to go to the aircraft which will require passing through a crew security checkpoint before access to the airfield controlled area called airside.

Once onboard you will carry out a series of safety checks internally and an external walk around will be conducted by one of the pilots.

Normal practice is for one pilot to remain outside while the aircraft is being refueled in order that he/she may communicate with the pilot in the flight deck if a fuel spillage occurs.

During this period the cabin crew will have carried out a security check in the cabin of the aircraft to check for suspect articles.

Once complete boarding commences and both pilots prepare the flight computers and instrumentation for the flight.

Everything that is entered into the flight management system has to be cross checked with the other pilot to prevent errors in the input data.

Once all the paper work is complete and the passengers and baggage are on board the aircraft is closed and secured and the pilots will talk to the ground crew to arrange pushback form stand.

Once air traffic control clearance is obtained the aircraft is pushed back from stand and positioned on the taxiway .Clearance is now required from air traffic to taxy to the runway.

A number of checks before take off must now be carried out in the flight deck and the cabin crew must ensure that the cabin area is ready for take off i.e. no loose items of baggage etc and passengers secure.

The take off is probably the most critical phase of any flight as the aircraft is at high power and failure or malfunction of an engine or aircraft system at this stage of flight requires quick concise decision making on behalf of the flight crew.

In the case of an engine failure during the take off phase of flight this requires an immediate flight control input from the pilot at the controls. Every pilot rehearses this event before every take off as an incorrect reaction will have catastrophic consequences.

The initial climb phase of flight is a busy time for the pilots as you will be flying an instrument departure requiring accurate navigation towards your desired routing on a pre determined air traffic control route which will most likely have a noise abatement routing incorporated into the route as most airports are near large towns and cities.

Pilots are not allowed to have casual conversations in the flight deck until the aircraft is above 10,000 feet as below this level airspace is often congested and the workload in the flight deck is very high.

Once established in the cruise the pilots workload is significantly reduced and you get to work on the in-flight paperwork.

This involves filling out your navigation log and checking that your position is accurate relative to the aircrafts computed location.

Fuel is checked at regular intervals and is recorded on the navigation log.

The engine and instrument parameters must be continually monitored by the crew and most modern aircraft have computer generated warning systems which help the crew to determine the level and type of malfunction that has occurred.

The workload in the cruise will vary considerably throughout the flight. Long periods of uneventful flight are common as the global air traffic control system is very well coordinated .When transiting through very congested airspace over large hubs like London or Paris you may have to change routing continuously to accommodate air traffic control.

All commercial aircraft are now fitted with collision avoidance technology which give the pilots a visual display of aircraft that are in proximity .This presentation is superimposed on a screen in direct view of each pilots seated position and is monitored throughout the flight. If an aircraft gets too near the pilot will receive an aural and computer generated warning from the system.

During the cruise phase of flight the pilots will have time to have a meal or a snack and common practice is for the pilots not to eat the same meal in case of food poisoning.

The descent and landing phase of flight are again busy periods of flight that require continuous crosschecking of input data by both crew.

The descent and landing phase of flight involves busy radio communications and complex clearances from air traffic control that must be complied with .Both pilots need to be vigilant, situation aware and prepared for a variety of changing instructions and situations throughout the descent and landing phase of flight.

When you are on your final approach to landing the pilot will disconnect the automatics and take manual control of the aircraft. This requires a high level of skill accuracy and co-ordination and the landing of a large transport airliner is a two crew exercise requiring the highest level of cooperation and adherence to procedure from both pilots.

A nice smooth coordinated landing is the most satisfying part of a professionally flown flight and I don't know any pilot that will admit to feeling satisfied after having had a bumpy landing.

In bad weather and when landing on short runways the pilot will have to make an extra effort to put the aircraft on the ground positively to commence early braking and obtain good traction at an early stage of the landing roll.

Passengers and flight attendants will often perceive this as a bad landing but you will know that this is what is required and you will be commended by your captain for getting the aircraft on the ground in the safest correct manner.

The professional airline pilot’s job is rewarding, challenging and enjoyable and I would personally recommend it as a future career or career change to anyone.

The job itself is very satisfying and you will meet some brilliant characters from a variety of backgrounds in life .Most have a different story to tell as to how they decided to pursue flying as a career.

You will work hard but you will also be rewarded with good time off to enjoy your free staff travel.

Getting your first job in aviation is a hard slog but it is worth the work and effort to wake up in the morning looking forward to going in to work doing something that you love.

Safe Flying,
Mark J Casey