The "Day in the life of a pilot" thread.
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whats life like as a pilot?
Hi all,
Basically I am seriously attracted to the idea of a carreer as an airline pilot and am currently weighing it up very carefull given the huge training costs and commitment needed.
Unfortunatley I don't know any pilots personally so I only have a pretty vague idea about what the job is like.
Are their any UK airline pilots out there who can tell me a bit about their jobs, such as:
What kind of flying you do,i.e. shorthaul/ longhaul and what is your typical weekly/ monthly routine?
How often do you have to work at weekends?
How much time do you have to spend away from your families, say over a month period? Can this cause problems?
How much spare time do you have in comparison say with someone who works a regular 9-5, Mon-Fri job?
Is it a sociable job, do pilots socialise/ go out drinking much with each other?
Hope some of you can be assistance and help me in making the decision,
Cheers, Hedges.
Basically I am seriously attracted to the idea of a carreer as an airline pilot and am currently weighing it up very carefull given the huge training costs and commitment needed.
Unfortunatley I don't know any pilots personally so I only have a pretty vague idea about what the job is like.
Are their any UK airline pilots out there who can tell me a bit about their jobs, such as:
What kind of flying you do,i.e. shorthaul/ longhaul and what is your typical weekly/ monthly routine?
How often do you have to work at weekends?
How much time do you have to spend away from your families, say over a month period? Can this cause problems?
How much spare time do you have in comparison say with someone who works a regular 9-5, Mon-Fri job?
Is it a sociable job, do pilots socialise/ go out drinking much with each other?
Hope some of you can be assistance and help me in making the decision,
Cheers, Hedges.
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It really depends on the company you work for and the type of flying you do. There are a lot of disaffected pilots in this industry as it continues to evolve in an ultra-competitive, low-cost, post-September 11 environment. Conversely, a lot of guys (and girls) really love what they do and couldn't imagine doing anything else.
My career has had a myriad of incarnations and each has been different, fun, challenging and kept me motivated. My current company (who I'm very happy with) has me flying long-haul in a B744, works me about 17 or fewer days per month, operates to lots of interesting locations and pays me a lot of money. The downside is being away from home a lot and occasionally having a very mucked up body clock.
Think long and hard and talk to as many people as you can before you spend your dosh on flight training. Also, ask yourself whether you honestly have a passion for flying. If you dont, I wouldnt recommend this career path. Good luck!
My career has had a myriad of incarnations and each has been different, fun, challenging and kept me motivated. My current company (who I'm very happy with) has me flying long-haul in a B744, works me about 17 or fewer days per month, operates to lots of interesting locations and pays me a lot of money. The downside is being away from home a lot and occasionally having a very mucked up body clock.
Think long and hard and talk to as many people as you can before you spend your dosh on flight training. Also, ask yourself whether you honestly have a passion for flying. If you dont, I wouldnt recommend this career path. Good luck!
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Ok, So I wanted to be a pilot from the age of 8 years old after visiting the flight decks of Trident;s and Bac 1-11's ect whilst going on hols. I got the bug for it then. I am now flying Executive Jets around Europe and it's fantastic.
A few points if I may...
I don't know how old you are but try and get sponsorship if possible...my bill at the end of the day was £47000.01 that took a long time to pay off..
The Industry is not like it use to be in the (80's - 90's) not so glam as it was then less perks etc and many of the low cost Airlines require you to pay for your Type rating.
I would get you PPL first just to see if flying is your cup of tea.
Aside the awful amount of money one has to spend in "Getting There" I absolutely love my job and enjoy going to work.
A few points if I may...
I don't know how old you are but try and get sponsorship if possible...my bill at the end of the day was £47000.01 that took a long time to pay off..
The Industry is not like it use to be in the (80's - 90's) not so glam as it was then less perks etc and many of the low cost Airlines require you to pay for your Type rating.
I would get you PPL first just to see if flying is your cup of tea.
Aside the awful amount of money one has to spend in "Getting There" I absolutely love my job and enjoy going to work.
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Well, I'm no pilot...heck I don't even have my PPL yet...but I'll do my best to give you as much info as I can
1.What kind of flying you do,i.e. shorthaul/ longhaul and what is your typical weekly/ monthly routine?
It really depends on the company you work for and what aircraft you fly. If you fly 747s for British Airways, then you will most likely fly long flights. If you fly 737s for British Airways, the flights obviously won't be as long as if you flew the 747s.
2.How often do you have to work at weekends?
When you first start off with the company, you will have a low senority number and you usually won't get the flights that you want. That means that for your first few years, you will be stuck with all-nighters, weekends, and flights to the middle of no where...pretty much the flights that no one want. after a while as you build your way up the ladder, things will look brighter.
3.How much time do you have to spend away from your families, say over a month period? Can this cause problems?
again, when you first start out it will be a lot of time away from home stuck in hotel rooms eating out a lot. I think I read somewhere that the new pilots fly about 20 days a month or so..don't quote me on that though.
4.How much spare time do you have in comparison say with someone who works a regular 9-5, Mon-Fri job?
Well assuming that you fly 7 hours a day, 4 days a week, you will have some extra time off compared to other people. However, those 28 hours may be mostly day, so even if you do get more free time, it will be during the day when you want to sleep...it all depends on many different factors.
5. Is it a sociable job, do pilots socialise/ go out drinking much with each other?
From what i've heard they do...a real airline pilot can give a better answer to that.
Once again, I'm not an airlines pilot, this is just from what I've heard over the years from my brother (737 FO for Alaska), and other pilots.
1.What kind of flying you do,i.e. shorthaul/ longhaul and what is your typical weekly/ monthly routine?
It really depends on the company you work for and what aircraft you fly. If you fly 747s for British Airways, then you will most likely fly long flights. If you fly 737s for British Airways, the flights obviously won't be as long as if you flew the 747s.
2.How often do you have to work at weekends?
When you first start off with the company, you will have a low senority number and you usually won't get the flights that you want. That means that for your first few years, you will be stuck with all-nighters, weekends, and flights to the middle of no where...pretty much the flights that no one want. after a while as you build your way up the ladder, things will look brighter.
3.How much time do you have to spend away from your families, say over a month period? Can this cause problems?
again, when you first start out it will be a lot of time away from home stuck in hotel rooms eating out a lot. I think I read somewhere that the new pilots fly about 20 days a month or so..don't quote me on that though.
4.How much spare time do you have in comparison say with someone who works a regular 9-5, Mon-Fri job?
Well assuming that you fly 7 hours a day, 4 days a week, you will have some extra time off compared to other people. However, those 28 hours may be mostly day, so even if you do get more free time, it will be during the day when you want to sleep...it all depends on many different factors.
5. Is it a sociable job, do pilots socialise/ go out drinking much with each other?
From what i've heard they do...a real airline pilot can give a better answer to that.
Once again, I'm not an airlines pilot, this is just from what I've heard over the years from my brother (737 FO for Alaska), and other pilots.
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Well, I am a pilot and can give you first hand info, based on UK.
1.What kind of flying you do,i.e. shorthaul/ longhaul and what is your typical weekly/ monthly routine?
Shorthaul will generally involve either 2 sector days with the charters or multi sector days with the low costs, getting back to base most nights. With BA you get more "tours" - ending up in different haunts in Europe and UK for a few nights.
Longhaul obviously entails longer sectors, so you would do one sector and then go to a hotel. Minimum rest is 12 hours or the length of previous duty; some charters do operate on near to minimum rest at certain destinations but other stopovers will be a few days.
2.How often do you have to work at weekends?
With most airlines you will always do some weekend working, as that is the busiest part of the week. I think only in BA can you choose to work less weekends as you gain seniority.
3.How much time do you have to spend away from your families, say over a month period? Can this cause problems?
Depends on the airline/ type of flying. As I mentioned, charter airlines (ie. the holiday airlines) and low cost generally get back to base, whereas with BA and long haul flying you'll be away much more. You mgith do 4 or 5 long haul trips in a month. With short haul you'll probably get 8-12 days off a month, and some home standbys. However, some of the flights will be night flights, with days off afterwards. Your days off are meant to be used for recovery and resting before your next duty period starts again.
4.How much spare time do you have in comparison say with someone who works a regular 9-5, Mon-Fri job?
Depends on the airline. I have gone through periods of working 7 days on-2 off although now it tends to be much better, perhaps 5 or 6 on-2 off. In the summer you'll generally be flying 5 or 6 days a week, but there is a maximum number of duty hours in the week - 55 - and you can't fly more than 100 hours in 28 days (although obviously your duty time is greater than your flying time). In the winter it is sometimes quieter (depending on airline) and you may find that you are flying only 3 days a week with lots of standbys. Standbys are good as you can do what you like providing you are within a certain callout time, usually 1.5-2 hours. So in the summer, unlikely to see much of your friends, unless they are around on a Tuesday and you can't drink anyway unless you drink the first night before your day off and then you are too knackered anyway!!!
5. Is it a sociable job, do pilots socialise/ go out drinking much with each other?
I think pilots and crew are generally sociable, on a nightstop they generally go out, but outside of work I haven't found there is a huge amount of socialising, except with maybe one or two colleagues.
1.What kind of flying you do,i.e. shorthaul/ longhaul and what is your typical weekly/ monthly routine?
Shorthaul will generally involve either 2 sector days with the charters or multi sector days with the low costs, getting back to base most nights. With BA you get more "tours" - ending up in different haunts in Europe and UK for a few nights.
Longhaul obviously entails longer sectors, so you would do one sector and then go to a hotel. Minimum rest is 12 hours or the length of previous duty; some charters do operate on near to minimum rest at certain destinations but other stopovers will be a few days.
2.How often do you have to work at weekends?
With most airlines you will always do some weekend working, as that is the busiest part of the week. I think only in BA can you choose to work less weekends as you gain seniority.
3.How much time do you have to spend away from your families, say over a month period? Can this cause problems?
Depends on the airline/ type of flying. As I mentioned, charter airlines (ie. the holiday airlines) and low cost generally get back to base, whereas with BA and long haul flying you'll be away much more. You mgith do 4 or 5 long haul trips in a month. With short haul you'll probably get 8-12 days off a month, and some home standbys. However, some of the flights will be night flights, with days off afterwards. Your days off are meant to be used for recovery and resting before your next duty period starts again.
4.How much spare time do you have in comparison say with someone who works a regular 9-5, Mon-Fri job?
Depends on the airline. I have gone through periods of working 7 days on-2 off although now it tends to be much better, perhaps 5 or 6 on-2 off. In the summer you'll generally be flying 5 or 6 days a week, but there is a maximum number of duty hours in the week - 55 - and you can't fly more than 100 hours in 28 days (although obviously your duty time is greater than your flying time). In the winter it is sometimes quieter (depending on airline) and you may find that you are flying only 3 days a week with lots of standbys. Standbys are good as you can do what you like providing you are within a certain callout time, usually 1.5-2 hours. So in the summer, unlikely to see much of your friends, unless they are around on a Tuesday and you can't drink anyway unless you drink the first night before your day off and then you are too knackered anyway!!!
5. Is it a sociable job, do pilots socialise/ go out drinking much with each other?
I think pilots and crew are generally sociable, on a nightstop they generally go out, but outside of work I haven't found there is a huge amount of socialising, except with maybe one or two colleagues.
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You need three essential things which are:
1. MONEY (loads and loads of it)
2. SKILL/APTITUDE (quite a lot of the licence is earned through ground exams after much studying, flying tests are also hard)
3. HEALTH (you must must get yourself a class 1 medical before you go ahead with anything professional)
The 4th thing which would also help and people have already pointed out is an actual LOVE/PASSION for flying. You would be amazed how many trainees and indeed professional pilots don't actually like flying.
Personally, I would have considered my life a failure if I didn't make it as a pilot and at 30 in my first year of the job, it has been a long time coming with many sacrifices and hard work which makes it all the more satisfying. Good luck with it all. Get your PPL done first I would suggest.
1. MONEY (loads and loads of it)
2. SKILL/APTITUDE (quite a lot of the licence is earned through ground exams after much studying, flying tests are also hard)
3. HEALTH (you must must get yourself a class 1 medical before you go ahead with anything professional)
The 4th thing which would also help and people have already pointed out is an actual LOVE/PASSION for flying. You would be amazed how many trainees and indeed professional pilots don't actually like flying.
Personally, I would have considered my life a failure if I didn't make it as a pilot and at 30 in my first year of the job, it has been a long time coming with many sacrifices and hard work which makes it all the more satisfying. Good luck with it all. Get your PPL done first I would suggest.
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Before the airline job
Since it will probably take you long to get to an airline (if that is what you want), think about your life right after graduation, too.
I am not trying to demoralize you, but just stating the dark facts of the business. Honestly.
Unless you know someone who can offer you a job, it will be hard to get one once you finish your studies.
If you are lucky, you will be towing gliders for free, that is, you pay for your own meals, transportation to the airfield and all. You can work for 10 hours a day or more, and fly just a couple of them maybe.
I used to sleep in the bar of the airfield I towed for.
If you decide to become an instructor, it will be expensive. You will have a hard time getting a job and, once you get it, won´t get paid much.
You will fly a lot, by the way. Sometimes in summer up to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.
All of the above are if you are lucky. Your best bet is to become a ground studies instructor. No flying, not well paid, lots of work...but you are in the aviation business, and you learn a lot if you try hard to do a good job.
Bare in mind that you have to renew your license each year, sometimes having to pay from your own pocket the flight time to get the renewal, and the renewal itself. Single engine, multi engine and IR. Very expensive.
Also, when you get an oportunity to fly, my opinion is that you should take it. Things like "ferry this one to the mechanics at whatever airfield. The mags are not working properly". Done that tons of times and it´s no fun, but people get to know you, and that is one of the most importat things in this business.
Study a lot after you are graduate. You don´t get to learn in school a fraction of what you need to know.
Just to let you know some statistics: I was in a school where it took 3 full years (12 months a year, 5 days a week ground, 7 flying) to graduate. There were 22 other lads in my promotion, and out of that only about 5 of us have a job where we fly. And I was out of school 4 years ago.
I must say I could not think of myself doing something that is not flying.
I have worked on many other things, always on a short to medium term basis, but nothing even compares to flying.
It is well worth the effort!!!
I am not trying to demoralize you, but just stating the dark facts of the business. Honestly.
Unless you know someone who can offer you a job, it will be hard to get one once you finish your studies.
If you are lucky, you will be towing gliders for free, that is, you pay for your own meals, transportation to the airfield and all. You can work for 10 hours a day or more, and fly just a couple of them maybe.
I used to sleep in the bar of the airfield I towed for.
If you decide to become an instructor, it will be expensive. You will have a hard time getting a job and, once you get it, won´t get paid much.
You will fly a lot, by the way. Sometimes in summer up to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.
All of the above are if you are lucky. Your best bet is to become a ground studies instructor. No flying, not well paid, lots of work...but you are in the aviation business, and you learn a lot if you try hard to do a good job.
Bare in mind that you have to renew your license each year, sometimes having to pay from your own pocket the flight time to get the renewal, and the renewal itself. Single engine, multi engine and IR. Very expensive.
Also, when you get an oportunity to fly, my opinion is that you should take it. Things like "ferry this one to the mechanics at whatever airfield. The mags are not working properly". Done that tons of times and it´s no fun, but people get to know you, and that is one of the most importat things in this business.
Study a lot after you are graduate. You don´t get to learn in school a fraction of what you need to know.
Just to let you know some statistics: I was in a school where it took 3 full years (12 months a year, 5 days a week ground, 7 flying) to graduate. There were 22 other lads in my promotion, and out of that only about 5 of us have a job where we fly. And I was out of school 4 years ago.
I must say I could not think of myself doing something that is not flying.
I have worked on many other things, always on a short to medium term basis, but nothing even compares to flying.
It is well worth the effort!!!
PPRuNe Handmaiden
Are their any UK airline pilots out there who can tell me a bit about their jobs, such as:
Not in an airline but live in the UK so I'll have a go.
What kind of flying you do,i.e. shorthaul/ longhaul and what is your typical weekly/ monthly routine?
Do mainly short and medium haul. From a sector of 8 min to 4 hours usually.
I don't have a typical week as I fly exec jets for a "corporate airline". So, one week could be a heap of earlies out of Moscow and heading all points south. Other weeks are shuttling around Europe. There is no pattern. Some seasonal trends though.
How often do you have to work at weekends?
Often. It's roster dependant.
How much time do you have to spend away from your families, say over a month period? Can this cause problems?
My family lives in Australia so I don't see them for about 18 months to 2 years usually. I am usually away from my hubby about 14 nights in a standard month. I blocks of 6 days on 4-5 off. Problems? No, he's a pilot with easyJet so he knows the business. He's home every day so even when I am home and he's working we see each other. That is important, they have to know and understand the business.
How much spare time do you have in comparison say with someone who works a regular 9-5, Mon-Fri job?
It's been so long since I have done a standard 9-5 job I can't remember. The big difference is predictability. Someone who works 9-5 knows when they have to be at work, when they will finish and what they're doing on the weekends. We don't. WIth sufficient lead time you can get a weekend off but it's never guaranteed.
Is it a sociable job, do pilots socialise/ go out drinking much with each other?
Yes, my job is very social. Often your crewmember is the only person you know in the hotel so you may as well have a drink with them. Of course if you're on min rest then it's just as likely you'll go to your room and sleep. I have some friends from a former company that I go and have a meal/drinks with but that is in my own time. The days of getting rat arsed on a night stop are over.
Not in an airline but live in the UK so I'll have a go.
What kind of flying you do,i.e. shorthaul/ longhaul and what is your typical weekly/ monthly routine?
Do mainly short and medium haul. From a sector of 8 min to 4 hours usually.
I don't have a typical week as I fly exec jets for a "corporate airline". So, one week could be a heap of earlies out of Moscow and heading all points south. Other weeks are shuttling around Europe. There is no pattern. Some seasonal trends though.
How often do you have to work at weekends?
Often. It's roster dependant.
How much time do you have to spend away from your families, say over a month period? Can this cause problems?
My family lives in Australia so I don't see them for about 18 months to 2 years usually. I am usually away from my hubby about 14 nights in a standard month. I blocks of 6 days on 4-5 off. Problems? No, he's a pilot with easyJet so he knows the business. He's home every day so even when I am home and he's working we see each other. That is important, they have to know and understand the business.
How much spare time do you have in comparison say with someone who works a regular 9-5, Mon-Fri job?
It's been so long since I have done a standard 9-5 job I can't remember. The big difference is predictability. Someone who works 9-5 knows when they have to be at work, when they will finish and what they're doing on the weekends. We don't. WIth sufficient lead time you can get a weekend off but it's never guaranteed.
Is it a sociable job, do pilots socialise/ go out drinking much with each other?
Yes, my job is very social. Often your crewmember is the only person you know in the hotel so you may as well have a drink with them. Of course if you're on min rest then it's just as likely you'll go to your room and sleep. I have some friends from a former company that I go and have a meal/drinks with but that is in my own time. The days of getting rat arsed on a night stop are over.
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What surprises me is that nobody is mentioning the fact that getting to be an airline pilot is not something you choose to become. It is something you get to be after years of sacrifice, if you are lucky and persistent. And everybody seems to forget that it is not a question of airline pilot versus doctor or lawyer or whatever else..There is a huge span of different occupations within the title pilot. You can end up as an instructor flying singles, or flying post in a twin, doing mapping/scanning of the landscape in a Navajo, firefighting in F-27's, and some guys end up flying fighters and that is as easy as becoming a Formula 1 race driver.
And my story does not differ from the rest, I was very lucky after years of sending thousands of resumes to get that interview.
But the good thing about this is that if you really, REALLY think that you are keen enough after reading the above...then I would say you have a good cance of reaching your goal and you have taken the first step in the right direction.
Good luck!
And my story does not differ from the rest, I was very lucky after years of sending thousands of resumes to get that interview.
But the good thing about this is that if you really, REALLY think that you are keen enough after reading the above...then I would say you have a good cance of reaching your goal and you have taken the first step in the right direction.
Good luck!
PPRuNe Handmaiden
I didn't bother with that aspect as it was a question our original poster didn't ask.
After having been a flying instructor, bush charter/scenic pilot, coastwatch pilot, regional airline pilot, larger regional airline pilot, night freight pilot and now exec pilot I can honestly say the exec job is the best.
The bush flying was the most fun. Poorest paid. (so was the instructing but I was only part time with that).
Coastwatch the most interesting.
Exec wins though as it's interesting, no two days are the same, great equipment and pretty good pay.
I feel sorry for those who go straight onto a 737 or A320 straight out of flight school. Sure, great pay and all but they've missed out on a lot of fun flying.
After having been a flying instructor, bush charter/scenic pilot, coastwatch pilot, regional airline pilot, larger regional airline pilot, night freight pilot and now exec pilot I can honestly say the exec job is the best.
The bush flying was the most fun. Poorest paid. (so was the instructing but I was only part time with that).
Coastwatch the most interesting.
Exec wins though as it's interesting, no two days are the same, great equipment and pretty good pay.
I feel sorry for those who go straight onto a 737 or A320 straight out of flight school. Sure, great pay and all but they've missed out on a lot of fun flying.
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I understand the "keep at it, it will come good if you wait long enough". But, why do some companies that you look at on ppjn state they can't get enough pilots, and if you go to one of the ab initio schools it seems to imply you could get a job as soon as you graduate, even some companies are approaching students with a position before they have even finished training, yet so many people state it takes yearts of hard graft and networking, let alone running up huge interest on the money you have borrowed to get the licence?
How do people afford it?
How do people afford it?
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Paddygee: There are always sunshine stories and then you have reality, which counts for the rest of us. But as you say a lot of companies struggle to fill up their cockpits. But they usually require highly qualified pilots, with the typerating and experience on type. Ryanair needs alot of pilots, but they currently need typerated, direct entry captains.
You mention ab-initio schools with job promises. Do not believe them. Ask them about their statistics and they will lie. Here are mine: About 10 % of graduated students will get a "proper" job during the first year or two after graduation. Unless they are cadets for specific programs (which can be an easy way into flying jets). But after 10 years around 90 % will be employed as pilots, 50 % of them as airline/regional pilots. Some reach their goals after a couple of years, and some after ten years, and a few of them...never. I am from a school like that myself. Just remember that their primary concern is how to get hold of your money.
You mention ab-initio schools with job promises. Do not believe them. Ask them about their statistics and they will lie. Here are mine: About 10 % of graduated students will get a "proper" job during the first year or two after graduation. Unless they are cadets for specific programs (which can be an easy way into flying jets). But after 10 years around 90 % will be employed as pilots, 50 % of them as airline/regional pilots. Some reach their goals after a couple of years, and some after ten years, and a few of them...never. I am from a school like that myself. Just remember that their primary concern is how to get hold of your money.
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No, it's OK - you can be offensive to him. He's a pilot, not a lawyer!
Hedges, I'm not sure that anyone here will answer your questions adequately, as the doubt you have will not be sated by others' experiences, only your own.
Briefly to answer some of your points, though not necessarily in order, this is a job unlike any other. Once you are within its clutches, whatever your field, you have to say goodbye to a certain amount of life that a 9-5er takes for granted.
You will never again be able to guarantee a given day off three months in the future. You will forget what it's like to have a regular crowd of weekend drinking buddies. You will be away for part or all of most weekends. You will not, ever, be able to promise someone you'll be at their wedding/funeral/christening/birthday. You will have the pleasure of explaining this to your wife/significant other/kids several times. And they'll still get pissed off when you don't turn up. Can it cause problems? It's easier to count the pilots who aren't divorced...
Yes, you can have something of a social life at work - mainly with people you've never seen before and will never see again. This is true whether you fly longhaul or shorthaul, but in longhaul you get to spend more than one night with these strangers.
And yet, after all that's said, I still love it. Perhaps it's because the only place that I can find people who understand my weird lifestyle is among others who share it. But, believe me, it will have an effect - a serious one - on whatever you take for granted as your social life now.
Scroggs
Hedges, I'm not sure that anyone here will answer your questions adequately, as the doubt you have will not be sated by others' experiences, only your own.
Briefly to answer some of your points, though not necessarily in order, this is a job unlike any other. Once you are within its clutches, whatever your field, you have to say goodbye to a certain amount of life that a 9-5er takes for granted.
You will never again be able to guarantee a given day off three months in the future. You will forget what it's like to have a regular crowd of weekend drinking buddies. You will be away for part or all of most weekends. You will not, ever, be able to promise someone you'll be at their wedding/funeral/christening/birthday. You will have the pleasure of explaining this to your wife/significant other/kids several times. And they'll still get pissed off when you don't turn up. Can it cause problems? It's easier to count the pilots who aren't divorced...
Yes, you can have something of a social life at work - mainly with people you've never seen before and will never see again. This is true whether you fly longhaul or shorthaul, but in longhaul you get to spend more than one night with these strangers.
And yet, after all that's said, I still love it. Perhaps it's because the only place that I can find people who understand my weird lifestyle is among others who share it. But, believe me, it will have an effect - a serious one - on whatever you take for granted as your social life now.
Scroggs
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Middle England
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Hi Hedges81
Can't vouch for any of the above as i'm not a pilot, just a wannabe. I've wanted to be a pilot for ages so when I graduated I decided i'ld start at the bottom to get some work experience in an airport working for a major handling/passenger services agent. If you want a taste of how much disruption this sort of life can be then I suggest you try this. I got my shifts approx 2 days before the weekly rota started, had roughly one weekend off every 5 weeks (if i was lucky!) and had shifts ranging from 4 hrs to 12 hrs starting at anytime in the day (i mean literraly anytime, could have been 3 in the morning or 9 at night). I missed numerous friends birthday who didn't understand why i couldn't just swap a shift and as for my G'friend, It was like trying to explain to a brick wall why I couldn't see her at weekends. I'm sure pilots hours can't be this bad(!) because of flight time directives etc but its definitely a taster!
Having said this I loved it. I loved the buzz of the airport and it taught me shed loads about ops etc of an airline and also I learnt loads of CAA regulations etc. All minor stuff but non-the-less still stuff! I only did it for 6 months because my hours dropped in the winter but it was great fun. I also harassed (to the extent i'm sure one or two of them turned the other way when they spotted me) every pilot I met about how they trained, did they enjoy the job etc. Most were easy/bmibaby/First choice and Thomas cook pilots and all were very pleasant and helpful.
It's not glamorous and its minimum wage stuff and bl**dy annoying at times but i'm definitely glad i did it for the experience.
Can't vouch for any of the above as i'm not a pilot, just a wannabe. I've wanted to be a pilot for ages so when I graduated I decided i'ld start at the bottom to get some work experience in an airport working for a major handling/passenger services agent. If you want a taste of how much disruption this sort of life can be then I suggest you try this. I got my shifts approx 2 days before the weekly rota started, had roughly one weekend off every 5 weeks (if i was lucky!) and had shifts ranging from 4 hrs to 12 hrs starting at anytime in the day (i mean literraly anytime, could have been 3 in the morning or 9 at night). I missed numerous friends birthday who didn't understand why i couldn't just swap a shift and as for my G'friend, It was like trying to explain to a brick wall why I couldn't see her at weekends. I'm sure pilots hours can't be this bad(!) because of flight time directives etc but its definitely a taster!
Having said this I loved it. I loved the buzz of the airport and it taught me shed loads about ops etc of an airline and also I learnt loads of CAA regulations etc. All minor stuff but non-the-less still stuff! I only did it for 6 months because my hours dropped in the winter but it was great fun. I also harassed (to the extent i'm sure one or two of them turned the other way when they spotted me) every pilot I met about how they trained, did they enjoy the job etc. Most were easy/bmibaby/First choice and Thomas cook pilots and all were very pleasant and helpful.
It's not glamorous and its minimum wage stuff and bl**dy annoying at times but i'm definitely glad i did it for the experience.