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Questions You Always Wanted To Ask A Pilot


Air travel is a glamorous business, both as a passenger as well as an airline pilot. Though being an expensive business, the airline industry is one of the fastest growing industry ever. We have an experienced captain with us, willing to answer all the questions about being an airline pilot. 



How does it feel being responsible for hundreds of passengers onboard?

It's quite a responsible job being an airline pilot. You need to follow all procedures to the point to ensure the aircraft and the passengers are safe. Should anything go wrong, it's the Pilot-in-Command of the aircraft who is in trouble. But we have different laws and procedures to prevent anything go sideways. And at the end of the day, its an incredible feeling transporting passengers to their destination, with so many things which could have gone wrong.


Do you actually fly the airplane or the autopilot does all the job?

The company I fly for requires the autopilot to be activated shortly after takeoff and turned off moments before touchdown, so basically the entire flight. This is done to reduce the room for errors in the sky. We also use autopilot for landing at high altitudes and airports with minimal visibilities. We do need to make all adjustments to the autopilot in order to execute a safe and uneventful flight.


Have you ever come close to crashing the airplane?

There have been some instances of the autopilot not working, engine failure, and some more. There was one landing which terrified me. The runway was short, heavy rainfall, and a steeper than normal approach required above all. I was the Pilot Flying. I flared too much on the runway, and touched down in the other half of the runway, which resulted in the captain taking control and initiating a go-around. The passengers were unaware of how close they were to a crash.


What is the need of an iPad in the cockpit?

The iPad stores all our flight maps, all the technical manuals for the aircraft, and all the required paperwork for each flight. It's all electronic these days.


How many languages does a pilot need to know?

The universal language of aviation is English. The International Civil Aviation Organisation states that every pilot needs to have a proficiency in the English language. As pilots travel to different countries, they need to communicate in a particular language.


How dangerous are thunderstorms?

Thunderstorms in their extreme level can topple the airplane and everyone inside. Its always better to stay away from it. We have a specific instrument, Air Weather Radar, just to track thunderstorms in the area, so you might wanna strap into your seat and buckle up to avoid turbulence whenever the seatbelt light illuminates.



What do you think about the answers? Let us know in the comments. Also, comment questions you have, and we will have them answered.







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