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Old 1st Mar 2015, 14:29
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NinER fIveR
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
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Apologies

Apologies SandPilot, I can promise you that not all pilots become dehumanized cynical wretches after getting cushy jobs that so many others would kill for.

Regarding your question, maybe no one is willing to show you their schedule but u can still get an idea.

You will have a minimum 8 days off per month. Probably an average of 9-10 for your first few years. At least 3 times a month you will get a "weekend" of some sort (meaning 2 or more days off in a row, not necessarily on the actual "weekend"). This is in addition to 42 days off per year annual leave. As you get more senior you can probably manage 12-14 days off per month on a regular basis. It is important to understand that you will spend most of these days off recovering from strings of long duties and jet lag.

Regarding where you will go, it depends on which airline you join and which fleet you are on. If you join Emirates (or any other wide body ULR operator) you can expect a mix of really long flights to N and S America, Australia, etc medium stuff like Europe, Africa, and Asia and some very short flights to the Middle East. Most of the long and medium flights will be layovers, but don't be under the impression that any airlines will send you anywhere for more than absolutely necessary. Long gone are the days of the 72 hour layover where you get to properly explore a city or take your wife/GF for a decent mini vacation. If you decide to go with a narrow body fleet like Air Arabia or flydubai your flights will mainly be quick turnarounds to places within a 5 hour radius of your base. The destinations are mostly lesser known places or "second cities" rather than capitals, and the layovers are few and not that interesting, and there is a LOT of flying within the Middle East.

All UAE carriers operate extensively at night so a large portion of your flying will be in odd hours regardless which fleet or airline you choose, and they operate to dangerous areas like Iraq and Afghanistan. The working environment is as multicultural as it gets. You could be on a flight with colleagues from 15 different nationalities who speak 20 languages between them.

Another aspect of a career as a pilot, here or elsewhere, is the constant training and testing in the sim and the annual physical exams. Stumbling over any one of these hurdles could lead to a disruption to your career.

Becoming an airline pilot could be a great and regarding career, but it certainly requires a dedication to hard work and love for flying to be able to cope with the strains to your physical health and your social life. It's not for everyone. My two cents would be to go flying a few times with an instructor and see if you get bitten by the flying bug. If your mind is not made up by then I would say find another career.

Good Luck.
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