Airline pilot in front of commercial aircraft

Category Pilot

How hard is airline pilot training?

A look at how hard commercial airline pilot school is

As an experienced airline captain, I’m often asked about the training airline pilots have to have. It’s typically one of the first things both cockpit visitors, and wannabe pilots, ask. More specifically, how long does it take to train to…

Can airline pilots have facial hair?

A clean shaven captain in the cockpit — can airline pilots have facial hair?

Think of an iconic pilot — from fictional hero Goose in Top Gun, to real life heroCaptain “Sully” Sullenberger of Hudson River fame. Aside from excellent pilot skills, they’ve got one thing in common, a rather impressive moustache! Despite the…

Do pilots have to eat different meals?

Do pilots have to eat different meals when they fly together?

In the past, airline pilots were required to eat different types of meals to one another. This was to ensure that if one type of meal was contaminated, and a pilot fell ill due to food poisoning or an allergic…

Do pilots go through security?

Do pilots have to go through airport security lanes like passengers

Anyone who has flown on a commercial airplane in the last couple of decades, will know that passing through airport security can be one of the most frustrating parts of the entire travel experience. In fact, airport security are so…

How do airline pilots park planes?

Parked commercial aircraft with chocks

With modern aircraft continuing to increase in size, and weighing hundreds of tons — unlike your car — parking an aircraft is not as simple as pulling into a spot and turning off the engine. The largest passenger aircraft in…

Do pilots still land planes manually?

Airline pilots performing a manual landing

This is one of the most common questions any commercial airline pilot receives from both passengers and friends — do you manually land the aircraft? The answer is a resounding yes. Pilots typically always manually land an aircraft when possible.…

Do airline pilots get vacation?

A look at if commercial airline pilots get paid vacations to

Rightly or wrongly, when most people think of an airline pilot’s life, they think it is one permanent vacation! The rise of instagram pilots — who seemingly sit on a beach 24/7 — showcase a working environment that’s one big…

Is being an airline pilot boring?

Do commercial airline pilots get bored at work?

The job of an airline pilot gets mixed reviews! On the one hand, there are plenty of movies, TV series and articles written about heroic aviators wrestling the controls and saving the day. Equally, there are plenty of articles bemoaning…