What goes on behind that triple latched and deadlocked door at the front of the plane? Obviously being responsible for the safety of thousands of passengers is no easy job. It would be stressful to say the least. But with automation taking over much of a pilot’s job, what else goes on in the cockpit?
Kit Baker, a retired captain with Eastern Air Lines and Aloha Airlines, comes clean on what pilots do in the cockpit that they don’t want passengers to know.
Flying blind
What do pilots do they don’t want passengers to know about? Three things come to mind. First, flying west in the afternoon always requires maps … to cover the windshield to keep the sun out of the pilot’s eyes. That could be a little unnerving to passengers used to driving and the need to keep an eye on traffic but in an airplane – completely unnecessary at altitude.
Hands off the wheel
Second, in turbulence, there is no flurry of hands flying around the ‘controls’ to keep something horrible from happening. Mostly during turbulence, someone is looking at the radar and the other pilot will be talking to other airplanes on the radio to see when the annoyance, which is all that turbulence is, will end.
Turn out the lights
Thirdly, at night, the landing lights are turned off as soon as 10,000 feet is passed. I once had a passenger ask: “How do you see?”
My answer is: “See what?”
No lights at night above 10,000 feet is a little difficult for non-aviators to understand. Landing lights are only left on below 10,000 feet for collision avoidance.
Does any of this surprise you? If you could ask a pilot a question, what would it be?
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What do pilots do when the plane is flying on aour-pilot?
“It a long way to Tipperary….it’s a long way to go..to the sweetest girl I know”
Refresh their memberships in the Mile High Club ??
keep a radio listening watch, scan the instrument panels and weather radar, with regard to the landing lights they are turned off which also retracts them to avoid them being ripped off by the high speed.
Before all the terrorists problems I flue to Perth Weston Australia from Melbourne, I flue with Anset one of the best airlines, the stewardess read that I was frightend of flying so she fetched me and we went into the cockpit. It was marvoules just a shame it’s not safe to still do that. That was many years ago now but I will never forget it . Thanks to all the piolets out there for getting us to our destinations safely.
Sorry got pilots spelt wrong
Joy You got more that Pilots wrong
Flue = Flew
Weston Australia = Western Australia
Anset = Ansett
Marvoules = Marvellous Sheeeeeeez
Oh and Returned Serviceman What is a aour-pilot ??????????????
Feel betta four that Watto?
You missed frightened Watto.
Ahhhh. Pedants argh aloive an well, evin on these patches 🙁 Wot, what ? 😉
aour-pilot: A sramt ssa that cocrrets oerths serllping
This is the quietest flight I have ever been on…We just ran out of fuel.
haha!
I assume you mean feel better FOR that Rosret That vegetarian diet isn’t doing you any good is it ?
Frightened of what Grumpy. I have held a Pilots license for 26 years.
Dear dear Watto in Australia Licence is spelt with a c not an s. Who is vegetarian now?
26 yeers ??!?! Innit time too givvit bark too the pirate so he/she kin ‘go fly her/his kite’ ?? That is iff youse can nivigrate yer whey too shis’ss ressidunce 😉
Oops sorry Grumpy I missed your point.
my question: Are pilots really trained to fly the plane when the mystery black boxes and George fails
Seems that there have been quite a few incidents when pilots forgot to actually fly the plane instead replied on faulty instrument with nasty results.