Tuesday, June 9, 2015

The Use Of Flight Simulation Training For Pilots And Its Benefits

The Use Of Flight Simulation Training For Pilots And Its Benefits

Whether you are young or old and are a pilot living in the European continent you need to keep your piloting skills up to date and stay sharp with your skills. All pilots need to take enough practice time, they need to learn to stay focused and learn everything on the practice deck as it can be a very difficult and trying time, especially when so many lives are on the line. The general consensus is that after thousands of hours on a simulated flight deck or even in the actual flying of a plane one might have the ability to navigate any plane anytime.

Many pilots need to upgrade their skills on a regular basis and with using a flight deck simulation process they are able to work on their skills to be able to keep up the individual licenses and certifications needed to fly a plane, be it a small aircraft or a large airliner. The different flight schools simulation programs, which are offered at flight schools, and training facilities around the world are one of the main way these pilots can get the specialized experience they need.

There are different types of flight simulators that can range from a simple computer program that a pilot can use or a large simulator where a practicing pilot actually sits at a functioning control board that makes it seem like the real thing. There are many reasons and advantages to using a flight simulator for practice to keep your skills honed. Real time flight can be far more strenuous than a simulation, so by using a simulator you can log more hours in for practice. Also with so many training facilities and flight centers popping up throughout Europe and the United Kingdom, a traveling pilot can log in hours on a day off and check out new flight simulators and new control configurations.

Another option that many pilots utilize to help keep their skills sharp and get some extra hours of flying time, considering their hectic work schedule, is to book some flying time on private charter airplanes. Many airline pilots who have left a position with an airline find this option has a lot of advantages as the flight schedule with private charters can be much less rigorous. Flying a small charter plane for practice or as a career is far less demanding than flying in the mainstream airline industry for numerous reasons.

Obviously, because the charter plane is much smaller, the pilot has less controls and functions to worry about. In addition, because the plane is smaller it holds a limited number of passengers allowing the pilot to be able to break his routine occasionally and speak with the passengers.

Being a pilot can be a very demanding type of profession that requires constant attention to the changes in the industry and planes in general. Though it may be somewhat time consuming to put the extra hours into the practice that all pilots need, it ultimately ensures the safety of the millions of people that fly every year.

Announcing: The *MOST REALISTIC* flight simulator game for Windows and Mac.

Click the link to visit ProFlightSimulator.com below:
- flight simulator download

ProFlightSimulator features over 120+ aircrafts to fly and 20,000 real life airports with 100% freedom to explore!

Take to the skies with the most realistic flight sim today!

Sunday, June 7, 2015

That Grainy Old Photograph - The Crash of Flight 191

That Grainy Old Photograph - The Crash of Flight 191

I often find myself looking at old photos, not of people I know or places I've been, but of people I don't know and places (at least sometimes) I haven't been. There's one aviation photo I find myself looking at time and time again, it's an image I find captivating but for all the wrong reasons - it's such a tragic event caught on film and one I find so hauntingly interesting. American Airlines flight 191 was a regularly schedules passenger flight flying out of O'Hare airport in Chicago, captained by Capt. Walter Lux it should have been a regular flight. Captain Lux had been flying the DC 10 since its introduction in 1971 and with 22,000 flying hours, he was one of the most experienced pilots flying with American Airlines.

As horrifying as this crash was, it's not the crash itself that I find so interesting, it's more, the thought of the crash, that fraction of time, that split second frozen in a single frame that I find so intriguing - it's the photograph. For me, it's a feeling that if stare at that infamous photo taken by Michael Laughlin back in 1971 for long enough I can sea Captain Walter Lux along with co pilot James Dillard fighting with the controls like true heroes, I can hear the warning alarms, the ground proximity warning I can see the sheer determination of both pilot and first officer.

Looking at this grainy, faded old photo of the crash and looking at the plane (a DC10) it's easy to imagine the horror the passengers inside must have felt. Most (if not all) would have been able to tell something was not right with the take off, hearing a loud bang as the number 1 engine (the left side) detached from the aircraft flew up and over the wing tearing vital hydraulic lines as it did so. I find it frighteningly easy to imagine the noise coming from inside the plane, the sound of passengers gasping and baggage falling from over head. I can imagine loved ones holding hands as they sit, helplessly strapped into their seats and strangers staring at each other in fear and disbelief - what were they thinking? What were they saying? All this from a single photograph.

Unlike a lot of other airline accidents, flight 191 differs in that there is very little cockpit voice recorder audio. A single word is all that's picked up, "Damn", an air traffic controller sees what's happened to American Airlines 191 and asks "...do you want to come back, and to what runway?" - there was no response. It's strange how much can be read from a single photo - or rather, how much we think can be read, but with photos like Michael Laughlins' the harrowing truth is presented to us in a basic and frightening form. The sense of horror and the sense of 'end' is so prevalent in this image one has an almost overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. May they rest in peace.

[http://www.seaorair.com], all the latest news from the aviation and marine industry, upload your photos and check out the forum - sea you there.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

How to Become a Pilot

How to Become a Pilot

Mary Wells was wrong. She was the head of a trendy New York advertising agency back in the 1970 era and she once said...advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Yes, advertising is fun, but compared to flying, advertising is just a little snuggle.I am often asked by dads and sometimes young folks, what do you have to do to become a pilot?

The journey can be a tough one. You have to get through lots of tests and ratings and frankly, you have to have some luck. I had my share.

I came out of the general aviation ranks. That means I went out to the airport, paid the nice folks $25 for a test flight, and $10,000 later, I was in the front end of a Learjet. Trust me, I got lucky. I had no business being in the front end of a Learjet at that time in my career.

Baby Pilot, one of my dearest friends, went to school to become a pilot...a pilot college if you will. He went about it just like you would go about becoming a teacher or a business person. He went to class and his classes were in the air. He is zooming around the skies in a 747 somewhere and was one of the youngest guys to ever become a 747 left seat driver. (Left seat is the captain. Right seat is the copilot. Sideways is the flight engineer.) Not all planes have engineers anymore. There role has been replaced by computers and demands by airlines to cut cost by cutting the engineer.)

Baby Pilot went to Emery-Riddle Aviation University. There is no guarantee you will get that cushy airline job just because you went to an aviation university! Aviation is a brutal lover. It is about supply and demand and standards are very high. It is a popular career, too. If you want to check, just ask five of your friend if they would like to know how to fly a plane? Then ask the same group if they would like to become a bridge designer. You will get the idea.

The government is the biggest supplier of pilots. The Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines turn out tons of them and these pilots are popular with the airlines. Delta loves them! If you want to become a pilot and serve your country, why not check out the services? Most of the service pilots will come out of the officer corps so you should check into the service academies and use some congressional pull to help get you in. Frankly, having some pull is another big part of aviation. You will need some. Make pilot friends. Go to the airport and say hello.

You also have to be healthy. In fact, everything revolves around you being healthy. A pilot's license is good for life but you have to have a current medical certificate before you can get in a plane and fly it. There are three medical classes.

Third Class Medical. Your heart is beating. You can hear fairly well. You can see. Get this and you can fly but not for hire. In other words, you can fly but not be paid for it--no career potential. The certificate is good for three years and you have to be examined by a doctor certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (known as the FED's).

Second Class Medical. This one is a little more complex. It's usually reserved for pilots who get paid to fly but who are not airline captains. It's good for one year.

First Class Medical. Any pilot sitting in the left front of a commercial airliner has to have this medical certificate. It's a much more complex exam and is only good for six months.

If you are wondering what it will take to become an airline pilot, here's a great place to start. Find an approved FAA doctor--the pilots at the airport can help you with that or ask your family doctor--and get a first class medical exam. If you pass, you have a shot at being an airline captain if you stay healthy. If you don't pass, get passionate about something else and save yourself tons of money and frustration! Plus, you get a cheap physical.

On to the business of learning how to fly.

Category. Class. Type. Those are important words to the FED's and you! It's how the FED's sort things out and see who is qualified to fly what. Category refers to stuff in the air...plane, airship, balloon yada. Class refers to single engine, multi-engine. Type refers to the type of airplane. Think Ford...Pickup...F-150.

If an airplane is over 12,500 pounds in weight, you need an airplane type rating to fly it. In other words, you need a type rating to fly a 737 but that rating will not let you fly a 747 or a Learjet.

The FED's, or pilots they appoint, check you out to make sure you can fly that equipment. That little demonstration is called a check-ride. Today, most check-rides are given in simulators at the airline level and in the airplane at the little plane level. So, to sum up so far, in order to be a pilot, you will need:

1. A current medical certificate.

2. Rated for the category, class, and type of plane you want to fly.

Congrats. You can fly on nice sunny days! But what happens if it is cloudy and foggy? Well, you will need an instrument rating. You will have to learn how to fly using the information presented to you in the airplane without any benefit of outside such as where the sky is and where the ground is. Ground school, flight training and check-ride required. This rating makes a pilot a pilot.

Now you have:

1. A current medical certificate.

2. Rated for the category, class, and type of plane you want to fly.

3. An instrument rating.

Pretty big stuff! Now do you want to make a living at it? Well if you do, you will need a commercial pilot rating. The FED's want to know if you can fly the plane smoothly and with exact precision. That is import if you don't want to spill your coffee. Flight training and Check-ride required. Now you have:

1. A current medical certificate.

2. Rated for the category, class, and type of plane you want to fly.

3. An instrument rating.

4. A commercial rating.

Plenty neat. Now you really are hot stuff. You can fly a single engine land plane in the clouds smoothly and be paid for it. But how many single engine airliners are there?

The FED's want to see more from you and the more is called a multi-engine rating. Can you safely fly something with one or more motors going or one of those motors not going? Flight training and check-ride required. Now you have:

1. A current medical certificate.

2. Rated for the category, class, and type of plane you want to fly.

3. An instrument rating.

4. A commercial rating.

5. Multi-engine rating.

Now comes the toughest test of all and the FED's have nothing to do with it. The insurance companies call this one. Those folks want to see some experience before you go zooming off into the clouds and pay-for-play skies. 1,500 hours of flying experience would be dandy!

But not many people have the bucks to fly around for another 1,000 or so hours at $75 an hour to build the time to reach that magic 1,500 hour mark. What do young pilots do?

Back to the ratings. Pilots teach other pilots how to fly and it is often the young 500 hour pilots that become the teachers. They are called flight instructors There is ground school to take and a check ride from the right seat. That will allow them to teach new pilots how to fly on sunny days. Get an instrument instructor rating and you can teach new pilots how to fly in clouds. Get a multi-instructor rating; and you can teach them how to fly multi engine airplanes.

Get the picture? You can log the needed time sitting in the right seat and nagging a young pilot in the left seat like an ex-wfie at a son's wedding. Plus, the student pilot pays and you get paid to teach.

Last but not least, the ATP or Airline Transport Rating. You need 1,500 hours of experience to get this one. It's the master's degree of aviation. The ATP will help you get a better job.

Hopefully, you will, but always remember, there are a lot of pilots out there and as fuel prices go up and airlines merge and fold, the number of jobs is getting tighter. It's a tough business. It demands perfection. And it takes luck to get in.

But once you do, sorry Mary Wells, it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on!

If you like Kenny's writing and have a Kindle, you will love his four star aviation thriller, The Africa Bomb. Enter a tension filled cockpit and see if co-pilot Chance Mikelson will do what he has to do in order to prevent a major disaster. If you ever wondered what it was like to fly a modern business jet, this is your story. Here's the link http://www.amazon.com/The-Africa-Bomb-ebook/dp/B003XVYGX0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286121060&sr=8-1

Just copy and paste into your browser.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Airline First Officer - Doing Your Apprenticeship Before Airline Captain

Airline First Officer - Doing Your Apprenticeship Before Airline Captain

Once you've got your private pilot license and are working towards a career as a pilot, its stimulating thinking about the variety of roles within the air carrier sector that your commercial pilot license is likely to make obtainable for you. Of course, the highest echelon of becoming a full-fledged aviator is to pilot the large international jet passenger liners. Prior to that though, an arduous journey between your current skill level and the role of Captain of the airliner exists. Therefore, first officer is a fantastic aim to start with.

Obviously, one way to speedily become the head of the team as a commercial airline pilot and earn a decent commercial pilot's salary could be to fly for any air-carrier which might have you piloting a smaller aircraft or you could work for a charter carrier so you are the only one in command of the airplane on every outing. That is a good opportunity and it is a respectable job using your pilot's license. Not to mention it's a great way to boost your logged flying hours. However, there's very little which can take the place of moving your way up the ladder in a larger commercial airline, in the process allowing you to take advantage of the large benefits. These will sooner or later have you becoming the chief pilot on a sizable plane flying to some exotic destination.

When you secure the status of first officer on the flight deck of a substantial airliner, that position or ranking is certainly nothing to sniff at. It is an "apprentice" status and your role is to be a backup and assistant to the aircraft captain whilst you learn the ropes. Eventually you will be at the control yoke of a big and complicated airplane. However if you're a junior aviator and you need to get a decent record of real-world cockpit practical knowledge, building up your hours as a 1st officer is a brilliant point in your career and an opportunity you can capitalize on tremendously. The job of first officer won't pay out as well as when you make captain of the aircraft; still you should view the role as your internship and be happy that by holding down that spot, you are on your way.

Much of the excitement of being in command of a large jet flown by the large airlines can also be experienced when working as the first officer. And the hours you rack up whilst holding down that role with a large air-carrier will look great on your resumé when you go to apply for more lofty roles and ranks. Along with studying the subtleties of the aircraft's operating systems and how to react to varying in flight events coming from a practical standpoint, any time spent in the co-pilot seat under the "wing" of an experienced and savvy commercial airline captain and flight crew will let you sort out the corporate culture in the air carrier which means you can not only navigate the jet but also your career path within the industry as well.

By working a good several months or years in the first officer role, you will be exposing yourself to the scrutiny of superiors whom create the choices about contracting for aircraft captain duties or other top opportunities inside of the commercial airline marketplace. Aircraft captain is not a ranking where you can merely stroll off of the street and perform successfully. And doing some solid hours as a first officer and getting noticed for your great effort in that role, you will end up prepared when the time comes that you register for the top job. So add a stretch as first officer into your career path while you commence the ascent through the various rankings of authority in your airline pilot career.

And remember, when you make this initial target and are being employed in a first officer position, never get overly quick to hurry through your time in this role of first officer. This is truly a fantastic time to grow associations and to illustrate skill not just to the people who may perhaps support you to aircraft captain but to your airline flight workers plus your fellow crew members who may at some point say "Yes Captain" to you when you sit down in the left hand seat to be in control of a big airplane flying to Sydney, Singapore or Berlin.

Making your way to captain of a large aircraft is a long journey which starts out with the simple step of getting your private pilot license. There is so much to know about learning to fly and becoming a pilot, you need a good guide to help you avoid the pitfalls. Check out www.pilotswanted.com for a good guide of where to start, information on pilot pay rates and more. Even if you're looking to research the costs of your helicopter license, you will find that information there at your fingertips!

Monday, June 1, 2015

The Hazardous of Aircraft Icing?

The Hazardous of Aircraft Icing?

Many people who have a fear of flying only comprehend the hazards of icing condition involving airplanes taking off. Icing can be a hazard for aircraft in flight too. When it comes to icing, you should always have respect for it. The FAA always emphasize that you must have a clean airplane. That has been hammered into the brains of every pilot since their first days in flight school. Basically, having a clean airplane means having no ice, snow, or frost adhering to the airplane. Airlines make sure that all ground personnel receives yearly training on how to properly deice the aircraft on the ground. Only experience ramp personnel are allowed to deice aircraft. Communication is very important. They get trained on applying the right temperature, mixture ratio, & where to apply it on the aircraft.

Airline pilots are trained to make sure they depart the gate with a clean airplane, & if there is any doubt they will get the airplane deice anyway. Usually in the cockpit both pilots would have time to make an observation if there is any ice on the airplane. Sometimes flight attendants, or ramp personnel will be the first to notice it, & bring it to the crews attention. Departing with a clean airplane is a collective effort with everyone working together as a team to ensure a safe flight. But, ultimately it is the captain's responsibility.

Once you get airborne, your icing problems doesn't just go away. Most turboprop, & jet aircraft have anti-icing systems to prevent the ice build up on certain critical parts of the aircraft. For example, they usually will have engine anti-ice to prevent ice build up in the engine intake. There are wing anti-ice heaters on jets to melt off ice. While turboprops have boots that inflate like a balloon to break off ice on their wing. Other features are windshield anti-ice, fuel heat to prevent ice build up in the fuel lines,& anti-ice that heat certain probes that give pilots instrument readings. Airplanes that have all of these features are approved to fly into icing conditions.

But, just because you are approved to fly into icing conditions doesn't mean pilots will stay leveled at an altitude in prolong icing conditions. As a pilot, you always want to try to get out of icing whenever feasible. Icing degrades aircraft's performance & aerodynamics so there's no incentive to stay in it. Staying in icing conditions produces drag, & makes the airplane heavier therefore wasting more fuel. Furthermore, for airplanes not approved for icing conditions this could be dangerous. For examples of airplanes not approved for icing conditions would be some light general aviation single engine type airplanes & some light twin engines.

Some of the conditions you need to get icing in flight are visible moisture such as clouds, rain, drizzle, and you must be in the right temperature range between plus 6 degrees Celsius & minus 15 degrees Celsius. There are some exceptions when you could still get icing conditions in slightly colder conditions such as flying through cumulonimbus type clouds. But generally, its difficult to pick up icing when beyond minus 20 degrees Celsius. If you are flying in clear blue skies, you will not get in flight icing. Icing is measured on a scale from light, moderate, & severe. Any aircraft that is approved to fly into icing condition will generally not have a problem in moderate conditions.

But, you will probably want to change altitude soon to get out of it. Severe icing can cause a lot of problems for any airplane approved in icing conditions. Basically, it means ice accretion is continuous making the aircraft's anti-ice system ineffective. Severe icing is more of a problem at lower altitudes, but a quick change in altitude will usually get you out of it. In the higher flight levels where most commercial jets fly its generally too cold to pick up icing. If an aircraft in severe icing doesn't change course, or altitude soon it could be in real danger. Fortunately, Severe icing condition doesn't happen that often.

There are basically two types of in flight icing. Rime ice is formed when super cooled water freezes on contact with the airplanes wing. Rime ice looks like granular form white type with entrapped air. The other type is clear air ice. Clear air is a glossy form of ice a little harder to notice visually. Its a slow freezing of large super cooled water droplets. It forms a sheet of ice. Regardless of the ice form there are some clues that trained pilots could notice when they are picking up icing in flight. When pilots fly into visible moisture its almost instinctively to look at the temperature gauge in the cockpit to see if your in that temperature range to get icing. One big clue is the metal rod on the windshield wipers are usually your first clue to icing because they will start to build up ice on it. Also, you will notice a slight decrease in your airspeed. Other clues can come from the autopilot that will start having a harder time maintaining altitude. The autopilot will need more & more trim, or higher pitch to maintain altitude. But, there are so many clues that any professionally trained pilot can recognize very early before the icing becomes dangerous.

Finally, one last icing condition that is dangerous to all aircraft is freezing rain. This is also another rare type of icing. Most civilian aircraft are not approved to fly in freezing rain. Generally, the best thing to do is to avoid that area of freezing rain, or cancel a flight. Freezing rain makes anti-icing systems ineffective.

Captain Simmons is a MD-80 pilot for a major air carrier with over 20 years experience. To learn more please visit our site at [http://www.flyinganxiety.com]

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Be the Kulula Airlines of Your Classroom

Be the Kulula Airlines of Your Classroom

Let me take you to beautiful South Africa, home to wild animals, stunning beaches, delicious wines and lovely people. South Africa is also home to a very successful airline you've never heard of before. Out of the Southwest Airlines mold comes another unique airline in a very competitive and tough industry.

The airline - Kulula (in Zulu meaning "it's easy.") Airlines, "which, judging by their jets, has literally branded themselves as a fun airline. Everything is labelled in a fun way: the emergency row is called the "throne zone," the rudder is "the steering thingy" and the overhead compartments are "VIP seating for your hand luggage." (Humor at Work: Airline Has Great Fun Branding Itself, April 10, 2013)

This is a low-cost airline that doesn't take itself too seriously. You could understand it by looking at the images that I found of the aircraft. But it's more than the paint on the plane. It's a culture of fun, play and humor.

How do you differentiate in a mature industry (any industry for that matter). Why not look at an industry that is extremely mature - airlines. Not just any airlines, Kulula Airlines, a quirky upstart from South Africa.

After 11 years since launching, Kulula Airlines has actually become the No. 2 carrier in South Africa (2nd only to a government owned airline), thanks to eye-catching ad campaigns that depict ordinary flyers as superheroes, under their slogan, 'Now anyone can fly!' Now, the airline is going even further with humor, using it both inside and outside the plane.

Humour has been part of Kulula from day one, said Heidi Braurer, Kulula's marketing chief. It is well to be easy and funky, but this is serious business, too. They are encouraged to be interacting and original, but not insulting to anybody, Braurer said. We don't hire them as comedians, we hire them as flight attendants. But outside the plane's cabin, Kulula is turning heads and making a name for itself in the process. The company has become very liberal with their exterior decoration (lime green paint), painting some planes with cows, signs that read This Way Up, and even adding arrows that point out each individual feature of the plane, including the black box, the seats, the back door, the nose cone, and even where the co-captain sits. It's highly unusual for an airliner to not take itself so seriously, and people are noticing. (International Business Times, "Kulula Airlines: Funny 'Flying 101' Jet Brings Airplane Humor to the Skies," March 22, 2012)

One of their six core values is Great Fun, which they define as: "We help people lighten up. Smiles and jokes are free. We always want to be genuinely friendly and provide the right environment for our staff's natural talent to shine." ("Humor at Work: Airline Has Great Fun Branding Itself," April 10, 2013)

To deliver WOW experience could also be justified on what they have done to boring & lame "flight safety lecture" when delivering it to passengers by making it more entertaining and edible. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

  • On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"

  • On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

  • On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."

  • After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo, a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."

  • Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."

  • "As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."
  • And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"
  • Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town. The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."

(D3eksha, Delivering Wow Experience: A Lesson to Learn from Kulula Air)

If in the airline industry - which relies on safety and security to the Nth degree - can inject humor into their daily operations with success, then it's a no-brainer that we in higher education can do so as well!

There are lots of great business examples of success while having fun (sounds like another post).

So next time you're struggling to create classroom and teacher differentiation, try a little humor.

As a recovering lecturer Russ Johnson makes a living in the classroom and corporate training room on a variety of topics (teacher training, student engagement, change management, etc). A popular speaker, trainer and author. http://teachertrainer.com/

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Being a Commerical Airline Pilot

Being a Commerical Airline Pilot

Today just in the UK there are well over 10,000 trained airline pilots flying different sized aircraft all over the world. There are also many more people looking to become airline pilots and it is arguably one of the best jobs in the world.

The gradual progression of the career path of an airline pilot is essential and should not be rushed under any circumstance. Putting a pilot into an aircraft who is not yet fully competent endangers the lives of all the passengers. Pilots will initially start off with smaller air craft often on short haul flights to help them build up their experience. Usually after about 5 years they will apply to become co-pilots on long haul flights and make the gradual progress to pilot. Promotion to the position of captain usually requires at least 2,400 flying hours but this is dependent on each individual and salaries can range from around £25,000 to £80,000 or more a year.

The minimum qualification required for an airline pilot is a 'frozen' Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL). This involves passing written examinations for the ATPL and doing 200 hours of flight training, including flight tests. Commercial pilots are put in charge of a machine that is literally worth millions of pounds and therefore to become a pilot you need to develop a number of key skills. Although this job has a number of benefits, their is also a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of the pilot as they are responsible for all the people on board. They must ensure they arrive at their destination safely.

Air Traffic control plays a key role in helping the pilot to undertake their job. It is this teamwork that often ensures a safe and secure landing and take off. As an aircraft progresses along a flight route and moves into airspace handled by different air traffic control centres, communication will be transferred to a new controller for each particular sector of airspace.

The pilot is the captain of the aircraft and he must therefore demonstrate leadership qualities by directing his crew and ensuring that they all fulfill their duties before, during and after the plane has taken off.

If you feel that you would not be able to handle the responsibility that the job of a pilot brings with it then it is recommended that you do not apply for this role. This is often a part of the job that many applicants do not consider and it can hinder them in their application.

Airline pilots are responsible for flying aircraft, people and luggage around the world safely. Airline pilots will typically work on a shift basis and many get to travel to all parts of the world. One of the great advantages of becoming an airline pilot is that each day is different, exciting and brings with it new challenges and new people.

For information regarding the pilot selection process please click here: Become A Pilot [http://www.become-a-pilot.co.uk]