When we consider what is a ‘cool’ job, thoughts turn to things like being a rock star, an athlete, a wine tester and in many cases, a pilot. There is something which just looks so very impressive about those men and women who walk through airports in their uniform, ready to take a large amount of people to another country, city or continent. We spoke to Scott Beale aviation expert on what life is like as a pilot, and whether or not it was quite as cool as we all think. Scott Beale is a man who has dedicated himself to aviation and become an entrepreneur in the process, working with cutting edge companies such as ADI. Whilst Scott may not be a pilot, he knows exactly what the life of one is like.
Body Management
All pilots must manage themselves very well in terms of how much work they do between rest periods. The laws on this are incredibly strict so that pilots are not flying when tired, and most pilots think more about how much they work and rest, more than any other profession. Naturally this process becomes far more difficult when you consider the various time zones which they are operating in, so much of a pilots life revolves around managing themselves.
Checks
When on the job, a pilot actually spends as much time doing checks as they do flying the plane itself. Pilots must make weather assessments, file flight plans, carry out pre and post flight checks on the aircraft and they also have to make safety checks throughout. There is a lot of pressure around these checks because they are critical from a safety perspective.
Spectacular
Scott Beale tells us that the most important part of life as a pilot are the things which they see from the cockpit. Sunsets, fluffy clouds, spectacular thunderstorms, mountain ranges and city views are some of the most awesome things which anyone can see, and the pilot is able to witness this from the greatest viewing platform in the world.
Technology
Interestingly Scott Beale tells me that most pilots who he speaks to are still amazed by what they do, and that the novelty of taking a huge vehicle like a plane into the air at heights of 40,000 feet never wears off. With this in mind, it is fair to say that generally speaking the life of a pilot is happy one, as long as they are up in the air, flying amongst the clouds.
Destinations
There are two sides to the number of destinations which a pilot will visit during their time on the job. The first part of this is that yes, they do have the chance to travel all over the world and witness some sensational things and some incredible sights. Unfortunately however, pilots do sometimes nit have any time to do touristy things, because they need to rest before another day’s work the next day. This side of the job can be both rewarding and frustrating.
