Airline Pilot Questions

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

Touchdown! Greaser!
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
My long flight to El Paso and back got me curious on these questions...

1) What are you pro pilots doing to keep the tedium of cruise flight from overwhelming you?

I would think you and your fellow crew member can only play "I spy with my little eye" so many times before that becomes boring.


2) For the work days where you have multiple legs to fly before the day is over,
a) are you in the same aircraft for the entire day?
b) are you with the same captain/fo for the entire day?​


3) With the large number of pilots that work for the same airline, how frequently do you find yourself flying with someone you have met and flown with before? Or is it more likely you are working with a stranger?
 
AggieMike88 said:
My long flight to El Paso and back got me curious on these questions...

1) What are you pro pilots doing to keep the tedium of cruise flight from overwhelming you?

I would think you and your fellow crew member can only play "I spy with my little eye" so many times before that becomes boring.


2) For the work days where you have multiple legs to fly before the day is over,
a) are you in the same aircraft for the entire day?
b) are you with the same captain/fo for the entire day?​


3) With the large number of pilots that work for the same airline, how frequently do you find yourself flying with someone you have met and flown with before? Or is it more likely you are working with a stranger?
Click to expand...

#1 is classified. TSA doesn't want us giving away our procedures. ;);)

IMG_3857.JPG

#2&#3 varies. Could fly with someone you know or have flown with before, ya don't know. Changing planes throughout the day is the usual case. Nice when you get one though for an entire day.
 
Not your typical pilot, but...

#1 Crosswords

#2 Typically just the same aircraft, but if there's a maintenance issue, I could hop in a spare

#3 There's a few hundred pilots that I work for. Most of them I've never flown with. But I do get to fly with people I know quite often. Typically, we're paired up with the same folks for days, possibly weeks at a time.
 
AggieMike88 said:
1) What are you pro pilots doing to keep the tedium of cruise flight from overwhelming you?
Click to expand...

That is a closely guarded secret. LOL

2) For the work days where you have multiple legs to fly before the day is over,
a) are you in the same aircraft for the entire day?
b) are you with the same captain/fo for the entire day?​
Click to expand...
​

a. Sometimes, sometimes not.
b. Usually. We are typically scheduled as a crew for an entire trip, be it a day or 4 days. But sometimes things come up that prevent that.

3) With the large number of pilots that work for the same airline, how frequently do you find yourself flying with someone you have met and flown with before? Or is it more likely you are working with a stranger?
Click to expand...

Usually we fly with the guys at our same relative seniority so we tend to fly with the same guys/gals a lot.
 
What about the planes? Is one say B737-700 the same as any other? Cockpit layouts are I'm sure the same. What I mean is the 'feel.' Do you have notes to look at like 'the watchamacallit tends to whatever, the giddyflotcher wants to pull left, etc
 
1. Read company approved material;)
2. Unless it’s quick turns, we’ll usually swap planes. Since I’m a reserve captain, I usually only fly one or two legs with the same FO. I basically pick up the scraps of their trip. Sometimes I’ll have an entire 4 day with the same FO.
3. When I was an FO I knew most of the captains and flew with them several times throughout the years. There were some captains who I’ve only flown with once.
 
jordane93 said:
1. Read company approved material
Click to expand...

LOL. I seem to recall some material that probably wasn’t company approved behind some panel covers in a certain ATR-42 I may or may not have been in the right seat of when I was supposed to be in the jumpseat.
 
denverpilot said:
LOL. I seem to recall some material that probably wasn’t company approved behind some panel covers in a certain ATR-42 I may or may not have been in the right seat of when I was supposed to be in the jumpseat.
Click to expand...

Should have seen the hidden material when we had Brasilias. Behind caps, escape rope covers, maintenance can, etc.
 
At Delta I was on the “7ER” fleet which includes the 757-200, 757-300, 767-200 & 767-200ER. I had one day that I flew a different type on each of the three legs. In my experience we switched planes more often than not.

Cruise can be brutal if the other person isn’t a conversationalist!

We typically did the whole 3-5 day rotation with the same 2-3 pilots.
 
Ryanb said:
All jokes aside, what do you actually do up there? Especially for those longer legs?
Click to expand...
Whatever it takes to keep from becoming mind numbingly bored. Not going to incriminate myself more than I already have.
 
EvilEagle said:
At Delta I was on the “7ER” fleet which includes the 757-200, 757-300, 767-200 & 767-200ER. I had one day that I flew a different type on each of the three legs. In my experience we switched planes more often than not.

Cruise can be brutal if the other person isn’t a conversationalist!

We typically did the whole 3-5 day rotation with the same 2-3 pilots.
Click to expand...

This guy could converse

 
EvilEagle said:
Cruise can be brutal if the other person isn’t a conversationalist!
Click to expand...

It can also be brutal if the other person is too much of a conversationalist! Fortunately most guys know how to strike a good balance. :)
 
Regarding #1:

Okay this would obviously be bad enough for a female pilot. But I'm thinking a male captain or two has put a move on a male FO? It must happen and must be excruciatingly awkward and quiet afterwards!
 
I'm on the corporate side of the house, so things are a little more laid back. I'll leave it at that.

But crossing the Atlantic is super boring with the advent of CPDLC. Once you coast out you don't even have to chat on the radio, and there isn't any more wifi.
 
jordane93 said:
1. Read company approved material;)
2. Unless it’s quick turns, we’ll usually swap planes. Since I’m a reserve captain, I usually only fly one or two legs with the same FO. I basically pick up the scraps of their trip. Sometimes I’ll have an entire 4 day with the same FO.
3. When I was an FO I knew most of the captains and flew with them several times throughout the years. There were some captains who I’ve only flown with once.
Click to expand...

So how’s the airline life going? Still enjoying it?
 
I thought everyone knew that the definition of cockpit is where pilots meet to talk about their stocks and stocks options....
 
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