simple questions about life as an airline piot
hi I've just started flying and have just recently got my CPL. so i'm new to the industry. just want to know a bit about life as an airline pilot. these are 'practical' hands on type questions that i've always wondered about but never could find an airline pilot to ask. i just want to get a picture of the daily runnings of an airline pilot. Hope someome can help.
ok, here it goes;
1. when you arrive for work at the airport do you have to "check in" at the "office" so to speak and clock on? I'm thinking about how the company keeps track of your flight duty times.
2. when you arrive for work at the airport, how do you know which aircraft is the one you fly and where it's parked on the apron? Do you look up for the flight number and departure gate on the TV screens like the pax do?
3. after take-off and in the cruise, do you choose when you have your meal or do you eat when all the pax are being served their food as well?
4. whilst on the topic of food, are you allowed to bring your own on board if you can't stand the stuff they dish out to pax?
5. who's task is it to do the pre-flight walkaround? is it the captain all the time? or the f/o all the time? or if you carry a s/o, are they delegated this task?
5. what exactly does an s/o do inflight? I imagine they don't get too much hands-on flying, so do they get a decent anount of time in the sim flying rhs?
Thanks .. that's all there is for now.