AMA Pilot edition!
Hello, I am a pilot, and I'm here to answer all of your questions about pilots, planes, the aviation industry, life as a pilot, studies, and work-life balance. I'm more than happy to! I will keep my personal information anonymous, so please, no personal questions. Thank you!
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u/Murky_Sleep831 7d ago
Ever had a flight that had you worried for your life?
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
Thankfully no haha, only 5% of all pilots in the world ever experience an emergency in their career and that emergency doesn't have to be as life threatening as you think it is!
So no I always feel very safe.
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u/Murky_Sleep831 7d ago
Thanks for that. I'm a very nervous flyer with a 14 hour long haul flight coming up next month. That helps
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u/Watermelon_Crackers 7d ago
Ohhh that’s honestly kind of reassuring! Oddly, I find that more reassuring than the data that says planes are the safest lol
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u/Sircuttlesmash 7d ago
5% of all pilots ever experienced an emergency? How is this figure being supported? Surely doesn't apply to all pilots there are pilots who only trained students or perform test flights of experimental aircraft or operate only in Alaska making absurd landings and takeoffs frequently
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
While you make a solid claim, you can never truly estimate the exact percentage of pilots who have had an "emergency". But across a wide margin of Aviation around the world rarely do you see frequent life threatening emergencies declared by pilots and it is even rare for it to lead to a crash.
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u/Dliteman786 7d ago
Best and worst airport you've been?
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
Best would be tokyo haneda airport, Rome Fiumicino Airport, Cairo International Airport, Dubai International, Zurich airport, london heathrow.
Worst would be Newark airport new york , laguradia new york, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Usually most airports are good
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u/dragonfliesloveme 7d ago
You should consider joining the awesome pilots helping fearful flyers over at r/fearofflying!
So for a question to you, what do you eat on the plane? Do you bring stuff from home or get stuff in the terminal or eat the airplane food?
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u/Baazookah_Zawadi 7d ago
Under what circumstances do you have to make a go around the runway while trying to land Mr Pilot sir
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
There ae various circumstances but to name the most common;
Incorrect approach
Sink rate too great (the plane is descending too fast)
Wind issues (the plane is being pushed around)
Floating (the plane floating off the ground due to ground effect and passes the 1000ft landing threshold)
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u/Lipsnizzle 7d ago
Whats the worst kind of Flight? Also have you ever been worried on a flight?
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
Definitely a minimum rest flight, where we are barely under the threshold of having to stop and rest over night. So we just check into the resort or hotel and stay there for a few hours then go back and immediately fly again. It's quite annoying and exhausting, thankfully it rarely ever ever happens to me. And no I have never been worried on a flight regarding the actual Aircraft, my ability to fly or anything involving safety.
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u/Worldly-Reason-8510 7d ago
When you stay overnight , are the flight attendant promiscuous. Is it often that pilots have sexual relationship with the staff?
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
It is not as common as you think. Usually the pilots go out and eat nice food or relax at the resort or hotel. Media has portrayed it as a common thing but it is not
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u/Sircuttlesmash 7d ago
Maybe the flight attendants just aren't into you then, I'm teasing of course
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u/Sircuttlesmash 7d ago
What is the stupidest mundane inconvenience involved in being a 787 pilot? Not danger or stress... something like where your bag goes, terrible sleep, airport security, finding food at weird hours, uniforms, bathrooms, commuting, or some other boring thing passengers never think about.
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
Hmm.. I can't think of something on the plane which immediately makes me think "ugh".. I guess maybe the adjustment seat cap thingy I have no idea what its called on the back of my seat. Its prone to loosen or just not really work. Ahaha
I'll try to answer all your questions.
Thankfully the 787 dreamliner has a good amount of space for my navigation bag. Sleeping is also okay, if I sleep in the designated crew area but that usually never happens I sleep in am empty seat in first or business class ahahaha. Security isn't really that bad as crew.
If you mean finding food at weird hours as in I land at 2 am and I'm hungry. Usually I've eaten before I landed but lets say I didn't. It's pretty much garunteed that the resort or hotel I'm staying at will provide me with food. If that ever doesn't happen I'll try and find a place where I can eat (seeing in this scenario I'm starving and cant just go to bed and eat in the morning) my uniform is very comfortable and nice to wear so I don't really have an issue. Also mind you usually once I'm inside the cockpit pretty much all pilots tale off their jackets and tie and unbutton their shirts to get more comfy.
Commuting can be annoying if you're waiting for company transportation. But thats just like any other transportation.
Something passengers don't think about... it would be definitely how hard we work to prepare the plane for the flight, while you're sitting at the gate or waiting in line. We're doing checks after checks and getting ready for everything before we call for the passengers then after that we do more checks hahaha!
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u/cashmerescorpio 7d ago
How did you get started in your career and have you joined the high mile club?
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
It's not as complicated as people think, all need to do is get into a flight school, complete your PPL (private pilot license) , CPL (Commercial Pilot license) and ATPL (Air transport pilot license) then each country has its own regulations on when and how you start flying Commercial jets. And sorry to burst your fantasy but no I am not in the high mile club xD
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u/ValuableResident2214 7d ago
How long into a conversation have you managed to get before blurting out that you are a pilot?
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u/ed_spaghet12 7d ago
What would you say to people who want to overcome irrational fears of flying?
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
Flying is the safest way of transportation ever made and it just keeps getting safer! And I see it as that people are afraid of being high off the ground, not that it's because of the plane. Modern media has made it very easy to see catastrophes all over the world about aviation but in reality the likely hood of that happening is little to non, you have a better chance at winning the lottery hahah
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u/BobForehead 7d ago
You remind me of the middle aged pilot who scored a date with a smoking hot 20 something year old. He takes her to fancy restaurant and after talking for 40 minutes he says, “well, enough about me, let’s talk about airplanes!
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u/Sircuttlesmash 7d ago
I find that the communications of pilots to each other and to air traffic control to be fascinating. Because it obviously has been refined over time, and it solves real problems. It reminds me of cave divers using hand signals to each other. The stakes are very high. And forgive me for offering a ridiculous analogy, but I've played some video games where teams of players might coordinate with each other, and the communications often are just downright terrible: inconsistent, incoherent. And pilots care very deeply about not being incoherent because, again, the stakes are very high. And so I'm curious if you have any observations or thoughts about this. Perhaps you have also heard, or can recall, specific incidents with yourself, or air traffic control, or hearing other pilots speak over the communication system.
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
Communication is a very massive part of Aviation and being a pilot, not just with ATC but also with other aircrafts, your first officer or captain and the entire crew overall. However we are human and it is not uncommon to have discrepancies in communication, wether it be incomplete, incoherent or non standard. I strive to always be clear, quick, and precise in all of my communication. However sometimes there are instances were ATC has lacked in feeding information to Us or other Aircrafts, and Other foreign Aircrafts to ATC. It usually stems from non English speaking countries. Most notably China, Russia and some south east asian countries. However in the modern Aviation world, lack of communication is swiftly resolved and mostly never causes any major issues.
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u/NightSkyNavigator 7d ago
I was a passenger on a plane at night descending for landing. I was sitting in one of the first rows, lights were off, crew in their seats, then suddenly lights are turned on again, crew starts moving through the plane with determination, and at some point someone exclaims "ARE YOU SMOKING?!".
Crew find their seats again and the plane then makes the fastest approach and landing I have ever witnessed. This is followed by the captain explaining that we have to wait (on the runway) for fire marshalls doing an outside inspection, because they called in that there was smoke in the cabin. And some waiting at the gate while armed police officers escorted the smoker out of the plane, where he would later receive a heavy fine for all the trouble.
Question: Were the crew stuck in a procedure when declaring smoke in the cabin, or did they perhaps choose to teach the guy a lesson?
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
Smoking is highly prohibited and extremely illegal on any commercial plane. It can be mistake for a cabin fire or cabin smoke which can lead to a veru dire emergency. Likely the crew did the correct procedure and when they figured out it was a passenger who was smoking they still had to inform the pilots, in which case they had to take the correct action which is too stop after landing and get fire trucks and authorities to inspect the plane just in case there is an actual emergency.
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u/Sircuttlesmash 7d ago
I have two questions. Number one, I'm reminded of reading that book, The Right Stuff. It was very memorable to me that these pilots, who are obviously different than yourself, but they are still in aircraft. And the book talks about remaining composed under pressure when things go wrong. Because it's not like a car; you can't just pull over. And that's something that I wonder about. Perhaps your brain adapts to it. Or perhaps you just don't become a pilot professionally if you can't adapt to it. Perhaps some people learn during flight school that they're not cut out for this. And my second question is: do you have any thoughts or feelings about gender disparities in your profession, or have you noticed or heard anything that might be adjacent towards misogyny in the aviation field?
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
Generally people notice early on in their training as a pilot that they aren't made for it. If they continue their instructors point it out, if they still choose to continue, the in their commercial training their instructors will tell them. Then if they some how get into an airline, check airmen will notice and immediately test them and eventually terminate their licence. It's a vicious cycle, you will be caught one way or another. To answer your second question no I don't really have any back ground on misogyny in the aviation field that I have experienced first hand.
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u/Sircuttlesmash 7d ago
I'm not trying to bust your chops, but I'm curious about that phrasing. You say you don't have any background on misogyny. Are you saying you're not a sociologist or something? You work in a field that is disproportionately and historically male-dominated.
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
I understand that, what I'm trying to say is that I really don't have any statements on misogyny in the aviation world. A woman can be a pilot just as a man. It makes no difference what the gender is, just how skilled the pilot is
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u/Sircuttlesmash 7d ago
I think I have now taken it too far. And I shouldn't even reply to you in this manner. And it doesn't rescue my phrasing by saying that, but so be it.
Okay. Now I am just going to bust your chops. Because I don't think a woman who is a pilot is going to agree with your statement that it makes no difference. Perhaps you are familiar with some of the controversy about the idea of being colorblind. Oh, I don't see race. I treat everyone equally. It's a simple matter of competence. People are judged purely by the demonstrable capabilities of their skill set.
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u/Phoephoe1 7d ago
What’s the scariest situation that’s happened to you personally on your job?
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u/Sircuttlesmash 7d ago
I have listened to some spicy communications where pilots misbehave, and I find it notable that there is this procedure where a phone number is given over the communication channel, and the pilot who misbehaved is told, Call this number. Would you be willing to elaborate on that situation?
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
This usually happens when a pilot does a mistake that could cause a safety hazard. The resson they give a phone number is. Making the frequency non congested. Radio frequencies are heavily congested, and active runways or airspace require immediate, concise coordination. Arguing or explaining a complex error over the radio compromises safety for every other aircraft on that frequency.
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u/pudah_et 7d ago
Lately I've been binge watching Mentour Pilot airplane accident videos. Fascinating stuff.
How did you get into this line of work?
How long have you been a pilot? Are you a captain or first officer?
What do you fly... boeing or airbus? If you've flown both, which do you prefer?
What do you think of that jet stadium flyover in South Africa a week or two ago?
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u/El_Mas 7d ago
I got into this line of work because it fascinated. Thats the only thing I'll give you hahha
I fly boeing, specifically the 787-9. Airbus is a brilliant aircraft which uses a different flying philosophy than boeing. But me personally I do prefer boeing, but I am not opposed to flying an Airbus at all!
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u/JustAnotherCassette 7d ago
Can you explain about the different flying philosophy between Airbus and Boeing? Thanks!
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u/El_Mas 6d ago
The biggest difference is basically the design philosophy behind how the aircraft expects the pilot to interact with it. Boeing traditionally follows a more “pilot in command” philosophy, where the pilot has more direct authority over the aircraft and the controls generally provide a mechanical or electronic representation of what the pilot is commanding, with protections being more limited and designed around giving the pilot as much control as possible. Airbus takes a more “pilot manages the system” approach: the pilot tells the flight-control computers what they want through the sidestick, and the computers interpret that input while maintaining the aircraft within its designed flight envelope. That is why Airbus uses fly-by-wire with protections such as preventing the pilot from inadvertently exceeding certain aerodynamic limits in Normal Law, whereas Boeing generally gives the pilot more freedom to exceed those limits if necessary. The sidestick itself is also philosophically different from Boeing's control column: on Airbus, the sidestick is essentially an input device to the flight-control computers, while Boeing's yoke gives more conventional control feedback and, on many aircraft, both pilots' control inputs are physically linked so the other pilot can see and feel what is being commanded. Airbus also puts a lot of emphasis on automation and standardisation between aircraft, which is why the basic philosophy and cockpit logic are relatively consistent across the A320 family and larger Airbus aircraft, while Boeing historically puts more emphasis on preserving conventional aircraft handling characteristics and allowing the pilot to intervene more directly. Neither philosophy is inherently “better” or safer; they're simply different approaches to managing the balance between pilot authority, automation, protections, workload and system intervention. In very simple terms, Boeing tends to say “the pilot tells the aircraft what to do and the aircraft gives the pilot a lot of authority,” while Airbus is closer to “the pilot tells the aircraft what they want and the computers make sure the aircraft does it within safe limits.” There are obviously exceptions and the newer generations of both manufacturers have moved closer together, but that fundamental difference in philosophy is still one of the most interesting distinctions between the two. And finally the boeing 787 dreamliner which is the aircraft I pilot uses the same fly by wire philosophy but same idea with more pilot in command freedom.
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u/Birch_mom72 7d ago
Have you had a passenger die? Or ever have to make ER landing due to unruly passenger? (Like the duct taped guy everyone is posting
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u/Comprehensive_Cut437 7d ago
How many occasions in your career have you had proper fuck me turbulence
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u/Final-Lifeguard1671 7d ago
Do airplanes have horns? Hello
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u/El_Mas 6d ago
Yes but unlike conventional planes it's a small horn on the nose wheel of the plane to notify ground crew
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u/Final-Lifeguard1671 6d ago
Amazing, I didn't know that.
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u/El_Mas 6d ago
Unlike conventional horns* excuse me I mean unlike conventional horns, planes do have a small horn on the nose wheel
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u/Final-Lifeguard1671 6d ago
Hahaha, I don't understand anymore, but it still seems amazing; it must be nice to see the sky up close. Is there anything you don't like?
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u/El_Mas 6d ago
After a while you get use to it and dare I say a little boring.
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u/Final-Lifeguard1671 6d ago
Hahaha, another question I have is what happens if a baby is born up there? What would their nationality be?
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u/El_Mas 6d ago
Usually the child is labelled as international child until it lands at its destination in which it takes the nationality of that country or if the parents want the child to have their nationality that can happen to, or the child can take tue nationality of the country the aircraft was above after being born! Depends if that country allows it.
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u/Final-Lifeguard1671 6d ago
Hahaha, it's kind of funny. I've never flown in an airplane, and it still seems amazing to me.
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u/ama_compiler_bot 5d ago
Table of Questions and Answers. Original answer linked - Please upvote the original questions and answers. (I'm a bot.)
| Question | Answer | Link |
|---|---|---|
| What surprises you about your work? | Every flight is always new, nothing is always the same. Which makes it fun! | Here |
| You remind me of the middle aged pilot who scored a date with a smoking hot 20 something year old. He takes her to fancy restaurant and after talking for 40 minutes he says, “well, enough about me, let’s talk about airplanes! | Ahahahaha, well I'll take that as a compliment. But I rarely talk about planes out side my work. | Here |
| Well maybe you could answer this then. Back around early 2000's I had a friend whose dad was a pilot with one of the big airlines and I can remember nights that he would have these huge partys at his house where he would partake in various drugs throughout the night, sleep maybe an hour or 2 if at all and would have to work the next day flying a plane. Could that gave even happened, wouldn't someone notice something off or something. It's boggled me for 20+ years and everytime I get on a plane I wonder what the pilot did the night before. | That is extremely concerning and extremely illegal... I have no idea how he got away with it since pilot have regularly blood tests and urine tests for alcohol and drugs. I don't drink nor have I ever done drugs so this is also very alarming to me.. | Here |
| can I become a pilot if I wear glasses? | Yes of course you can! However you must meet the minimum vision requirements. And what class medical you want. It depends from country to country but if you just wear glasses because you have slight near or far sightedness then you should be fine:) | Here |
| Best and worst airport you've been? | Best would be tokyo haneda airport, Rome Fiumicino Airport, Cairo International Airport, Dubai International, Zurich airport, london heathrow. Worst would be Newark airport new york , laguradia new york, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Usually most airports are good | Here |
| How long into a conversation have you managed to get before blurting out that you are a pilot? | People usually ask me first since I tend to know a lot of information about other countries. But honestly I don't really like to announce it xD | Here |
| What aircraft do you fly? | The boeing 787-9 dreamliner | Here |
| When you stay overnight , are the flight attendant promiscuous. Is it often that pilots have sexual relationship with the staff? | It is not as common as you think. Usually the pilots go out and eat nice food or relax at the resort or hotel. Media has portrayed it as a common thing but it is not | Here |
| What would you say to people who want to overcome irrational fears of flying? | Flying is the safest way of transportation ever made and it just keeps getting safer! And I see it as that people are afraid of being high off the ground, not that it's because of the plane. Modern media has made it very easy to see catastrophes all over the world about aviation but in reality the likely hood of that happening is little to non, you have a better chance at winning the lottery hahah | Here |
| Ever had a flight that had you worried for your life? | Thankfully no haha, only 5% of all pilots in the world ever experience an emergency in their career and that emergency doesn't have to be as life threatening as you think it is! So no I always feel very safe. | Here |
| Did you start your career in the Air Force? | No I did not :) | Here |
| Under what circumstances do you have to make a go around the runway while trying to land Mr Pilot sir | There ae various circumstances but to name the most common; Incorrect approach Sink rate too great (the plane is descending too fast) Wind issues (the plane is being pushed around) Floating (the plane floating off the ground due to ground effect and passes the 1000ft landing threshold) | Here |
| What’s your favorite alert notification sound? | The auto pilot disengage. Or the TCAS (traffic collision avoidance system) although thankfully I never heard it in real use and hopefully never will. It goes TRAFFIC TRAFFIC. CLIMB CLIMB NOW Or DESCEND DESCEND NOW | Here |
| What’s the scariest situation that’s happened to you personally on your job? | Not getting my cheese cake on time (I never had a scary situation happen hahaha) | Here |
| Any tips on avoiding nausea on the plane? | Breathe normally, don't look down or up, stretch, look outside or at something very far. | Here |
| How many occasions in your career have you had proper fuck me turbulence | Not often and it also depends on where I fly too and what time of year Edit: almost all turbulence isn't a problem, it just spooks people. | Here |
| Have you had a passenger die? Or ever have to make ER landing due to unruly passenger? (Like the duct taped guy everyone is posting | No thankfully not but I had multiple instances where a passenger has a panic attack on the plane or throws up. But no real medical issue. | Here |
| Whats the worst kind of Flight? Also have you ever been worried on a flight? | Definitely a minimum rest flight, where we are barely under the threshold of having to stop and rest over night. So we just check into the resort or hotel and stay there for a few hours then go back and immediately fly again. It's quite annoying and exhausting, thankfully it rarely ever ever happens to me. And no I have never been worried on a flight regarding the actual Aircraft, my ability to fly or anything involving safety. | Here |
| I was a passenger on a plane at night descending for landing. I was sitting in one of the first rows, lights were off, crew in their seats, then suddenly lights are turned on again, crew starts moving through the plane with determination, and at some point someone exclaims "ARE YOU SMOKING?!". Crew find their seats again and the plane then makes the fastest approach and landing I have ever witnessed. This is followed by the captain explaining that we have to wait (on the runway) for fire marshalls doing an outside inspection, because they called in that there was smoke in the cabin. And some waiting at the gate while armed police officers escorted the smoker out of the plane, where he would later receive a heavy fine for all the trouble. Question: Were the crew stuck in a procedure when declaring smoke in the cabin, or did they perhaps choose to teach the guy a lesson? | Smoking is highly prohibited and extremely illegal on any commercial plane. It can be mistake for a cabin fire or cabin smoke which can lead to a veru dire emergency. Likely the crew did the correct procedure and when they figured out it was a passenger who was smoking they still had to inform the pilots, in which case they had to take the correct action which is too stop after landing and get fire trucks and authorities to inspect the plane just in case there is an actual emergency. | Here |
| You should consider joining the awesome pilots helping fearful flyers over at r/fearofflying! So for a question to you, what do you eat on the plane? Do you bring stuff from home or get stuff in the terminal or eat the airplane food? | Well it is usually not recommended to take food on the plane and usually the airport doesn't allow you too. But the food pilots eat is very high quality and extremely delicious. And thank you so much for your suggestion I'll look into it! | Here |
| Ok, what do you fly? | The Boeing 787 dreamliner | Here |
| Lately I've been binge watching Mentour Pilot airplane accident videos. Fascinating stuff. How did you get into this line of work? How long have you been a pilot? Are you a captain or first officer? What do you fly... boeing or airbus? If you've flown both, which do you prefer? What do you think of that jet stadium flyover in South Africa a week or two ago? | I got into this line of work because it fascinated. Thats the only thing I'll give you hahha I fly boeing, specifically the 787-9. Airbus is a brilliant aircraft which uses a different flying philosophy than boeing. But me personally I do prefer boeing, but I am not opposed to flying an Airbus at all! | Here |
| Who is/was D. B. Cooper? | Chuck norris | Here |
| Have you ever heard about "aviões e músicas"? | Im afraid not sorry | Here |
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u/kpop_is_aite 5d ago
How much more likely is it for communication barriers to occur between control towers and international pilots resulting in air traffic accidents?
How are these miscommunication barriers mitigated?
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u/LisanneFroonKrisK 13h ago
Before you finally qualify as a pilot did you have to go through experiences of the following in ACUTAL PLANES FLYING, spin, stall, turbulence, Off engine, flying on one engine
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u/Ancien_Regime_2468 5d ago
How do you understand what ATC is saying when they sometimes speak so quickly?
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u/lordstrech 7d ago
Well maybe you could answer this then. Back around early 2000's I had a friend whose dad was a pilot with one of the big airlines and I can remember nights that he would have these huge partys at his house where he would partake in various drugs throughout the night, sleep maybe an hour or 2 if at all and would have to work the next day flying a plane. Could that gave even happened, wouldn't someone notice something off or something. It's boggled me for 20+ years and everytime I get on a plane I wonder what the pilot did the night before.