A Pilot's Life
Airline pilots, because of FAA regulations, cannot fly more than 100 hours a month or more than a total of 1000 hours per year. Most airline pilots average around 75 hours of flying a month. Pilots spend several hours each day between flights waiting for their aircraft or waiting for flight delays to clear. These duty hours are not paid. A 75-hour flight month may also have about 140 duty hours and approximately 360 hours away from base.
Airline pilots work together as a crew. Most commonly, two pilots can be found on the flight deck during flight; however, on some larger aircraft there may also be a third required crewmember known as the Flight Engineer who assists in monitoring and operating several of the systems of the aircraft. There are also Flight Attendants that provide passengers with evacuation instructions in the event of an emergency, as well as customer service during the flight to make the flying experience more pleasant. An Airline Pilot must work well with their crew and manage these resources in the event of an abnormality.
Pilots are known to have compensation comparable to doctors and lawyers, but those salaries come with years of experience and seniority. Most airline pilots begin their careers at around $18,000 annually. This increases gradually each year until the pilot has the experience and seniority to upgrade to captain. The average captain at a commuter or regional airline has a salary of around $50,000. Most airlines also provide health, vision, loss of license, and life insurance coverage.
Pilots generally receive free flight benefits from their employer and most use this ability to travel to and from work if they choose to commute from a city outside of their hub. Pilots on reserve generally must be able to report for duty within 2 hours of notice. This usually results in the pilot living at his or her hub city. Most airlines have reciprocal jumpseat agreements that allow airline pilots of different carriers to share their available jumpseat with each other. The jumpseat is physically an auxiliary seat located in the cockpit of most airline aircraft, on some larger aircraft there may be multiple jumpseats located in the cockpit. Jumpseating is a long standing tradition negotiated by union pilots since airline service began.
The most obvious benefit of an aviation career and serving as an airline pilot is the flying. Any pilot can attest to the joy of commanding an aircraft and assuming the responsibility for, and the challenge of, operating a multi-million dollar aircraft with the trust of its passengers. The love of flying keeps the weathered days sunny. If this seems like a match for your career goals, your aspirations, and your sense of adventure, then begin your journey and start training.
