PILOT JOB

An airline pilot is responsible for the safe, efficient operation of an aircraft. The captain has full responsibility for the safety of the aircraft and its occupants. Pilots exercise command over the crew, including the co-pilots (first officers) and cabin crew. Aircraft are usually operated by two, three or four pilots, depending on the type of aircraft and length of journey. Pilots are employed in one of four areas: passenger scheduled services; passenger charter services, freight services, and business aviation.

The latter is the biggest sector worldwide and includes: private aircraft flying schools and companies transporting oil and gas workers to offshore rigs. Flying can be a very rewarding profession, both financially and in terms of the personal satisfaction it provides. Many consider it to be a dream job but perhaps have an unrealistic idea about what it is really like; in practice, the job demands a great deal of personal commitment and self-sacrifice.

A pilot has to pass stringent training courses, and will then be tested in recurrent training twice yearly in order to maintain the relevant licence. Taking responsibility for the safe and economic operation and management of the aircraft from take-off to touch-down is the primary function of an airline pilot. In order to achieve this, the pilot carries out a number of tasks, including: getting information about the route, weather, passengers and aircraft.

Working out a flight plan, including the route and flying altitude calculating take off and landing weights and working out how much fuel to take supervising the loading and fuelling of the aircraft briefing the cabin crew before the flight. Carrying out pre-flight checks on the navigation and operating systems. Communicating with air traffic control prior to take-off and during flight and landing. Updating the aircraft logbook and/or writing a report at the end of the flight noting any incidents or problems with the aircraft. Most of the above tasks are shared between the captain and co-pilot.