Airline Pilot 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
averate 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 welPilots 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 jumbseat 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.
Airline Pilot Schedules
In this section...heir 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 recip
Airline Pilot Schedules
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Airline Pilot Pay
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Airline Pilot Regulations
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Seniority
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Pilot Jumpseat
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Flight Deck Security
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Why Union
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Pilot Crashpads
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