Case Study: Airline Pilot - Anna

What do you do?

I'm a pilot working for one of the low-cost airlines.

What is your background?

Well, my background is quite diverse. I've got A levels, and I've also got a
degree in construction, which obviously you don't need to become a pilot.
Although it is useful to have a degree level education.

I've also got five years of airline ground-operations experience, which was
very worthwhile, in terms of networking.

What characteristics do you need to be successful in your job?

You have to be able to lead but equally, you need to be a good team member. You need to have good co-ordination.

Also, you need to be the sort of person that can do a number of tasks at once and be able to prioritise.

You have to be a calm and focussed person, someone able to cope with pressure.

What other jobs could you do using the skills from this job?
Some kind of project management, or some areas of management. The main thing about being a pilot is that you're
the manager of the flight deck, so the skills you've developed would be valued in many areas of business.

What changes will there be in the future?

In my job, I think there'll be more automation, as that will improve safety.

In the industry, it's very cut throat, and I think low-cost will still be the way forward for a long time. Eventually, I think
you'll see transatlantic low-cost.

What are the biggest challenges in your job?

The main ones I can think of are the weather, any technical faults with the aircraft and disruptive passengers!

Are there many opportunities to enter this career?

There are opportunities, not lots, but if you want to do it, you'll find a way of getting the licence. Once you've got your
licence, you then need to find a job, and there're a lot of people going for those jobs.

What do you like about your job?

I like the different challenges every day. I like being in the air and the thrill of flying. Also, I like being part of a
professional team.

What do you dislike about your job?

I dislike getting up at 4.30 in the morning! Other than that though, I like most aspects of being a pilot.

What are your ambitions?

I want to be become a captain, which basically means I would be accountable for the safe and efficient operation of

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 the flight. At the moment, I am a senior first officer as I have passed a command assessment and I'm waiting for a
Captain's course.

What advice would you give to someone interested in your career?

I would advise them to go to their local flying club and to take a trial lesson in a little aircraft, to see if they really do
like flying.

I would also say to look at how much it'll cost and think about how they are going to finance it. Also, it's worth
checking out the RAF to see if they've got any sponsorships or scholarships.

One other thing, I would say is, if you are serious about becoming a pilot, you need to get a class-one medical from
the Civil Aviation Authority, carried out at Gatwick. If you can't get a medical, you can't fly, so it's a waste of money
doing any other type of preparation without knowing you've passed the class-one.

A day in the life

6:15 am

Report for work. Assess the weather, the route, the fuel and any technical issues with the aircraft that you are aware
of at that time. You'll also meet your cabin crew at this point.

6:30 am

Go out to the aircraft, do the walk round. Then carry out any internal checks.

6:45 am

Give the pilot a brief on how we are going to depart the airport, what we're going to do if we have an emergency on
departure, and any information relevant to getting airborne.

7:00 am

Push back, start the engines, taxi out and then take-off by about 7:15am.

During the flight, there are various checks that need to be carried out at different points of the journey. You'll also
have to speak to the passengers and liaise with the cabin crew.

Then when you land, there'll be a 25 minute turnaround while the passengers get off, the aircraft is cleaned and
refuelled, then the next lot of passengers get on.

This day would finish at around 5:00 pm. We'd land back at East Midlands at around 4:30pm, then I'd have to
complete any post-flight duties. This takes around half an hour.

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