Once all of that has been completed, we begin the procedure of getting air traffic control clearances, starting engines, doing system checks, and taxiing out for takeoff.
The first half hour of flight is very busy. Once we are at cruising level and autopilot is in control and everything is nor-mal, we just sit there, monitoring all systems and fuel to make sure things are going as planned.
About two hours before we land things begin to happen again. We do checks of weather, fuel, and which runway we will be using. We then program all this information into the computer and begin our descent.
The last half hour to forty minutes carries a heavy workload, ending with the landing and the taxi into the parking bay. The final part of the flight is again paperwork and the trip to the hotel, where we will spend about thirty hours before we return to the airport and do it all again.
On an average month we spend about eighty-five hours in the pilot's seat. It might sound like a good deal, but often the time spent on the ground doing flight planning and cockpit preparation is never acknowledged.
The people we work with are all dedicated professionals who love their jobs. There is a high level of camaraderie and we all try to make the most out of each trip. People we work with have a wide range of interests, and come from many backgrounds. We are in a position to learn a lot from each other.
A downside of the job is that it is an industry in which pilots are often attacked as overpaid and under worked. The jet lag is also a downside. It's difficult to adjust to and it's cumulative. You don't really get over it until you have a long leave.
But I am doing a job I love. I like the variety of destinations, the crew, the passengers, and the working hours. I have lots of days off at home with my family.
The salary and benefits are good, too. I earn about $12,000 a month, plus housing, travel, and schooling allowances.
These extra allowances are given because I work as an expatriate; I am not a local hire. The cost of housing in Hong Kong is among the highest in the world. Our modest flat costs $5,500 month. This airline and most others also pay per diems in local currency at the destination to cover your meals.
Salary is based on job title and years of service. Many other airlines structure their salaries on job title, years of service, and the type and size of aircraft.
If you get your first job with an airline in the United States, you would expect to earn around $2,000 a month. If your first job is in general aviation, you would expect to earn less.
Expert Advice
You have to have a love of aviation. You have to be sure of what you want and be determined to follow through. You don't suddenly become an airline pilot. You start at the bottom where the pay and conditions are less than you would have hoped for.
Pilots are technical, logical, and analytical people. You may be called upon to sum up the situation and make a decision in a short period of time that will affect your life and the lives of your passengers.
To get started you can go the way of a military career or go to your local flying school or buy an aviation magazine and apply to a flying academy advertised there.
In summary, if you have thought of a career in aviation, there is so much more than the Air Force or airlines. If you really enjoy this sort of work, get in and do it. Yes, there will be obstacles, but pilots are people who will overcome these and get on with the job.
INTERVIEW
Jim Carr
Pilot
Jim Carr has been flying since 1967. He is a Boeing 757 captain with America West. He got his commercial license when he was in the air force and has been flying commercially since 1980.
In 1971 he earned his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
How Jim Carr Got Started
As far back as I can remember I was fascinated with airplanes. As a little kid I had a strong interest in them. While I was on a summer job between high school and college, a friend brought in a $5 coupon for an introductory offer to fly your first lesson. It was just awesome. That gave me the bug and I continued after that and got my private license. I flew a little bit through college and once I graduated from college I went into the air force and stayed there for ten years.
I first started flying for Air Florida. That was in 1980. After two years I moved to Phoenix where I am now, with America West.
I started out as a line pilot and was asked to join the management group in 1985. I became the assistant chief pilot and ultimately the chief pilot. Then in 1987 I became Vice President of Flight Operations. I stayed with that position until February of 1995. All through my administrative tenure I continued to fly. Now I fly full-time.
What the Job's Really Like
Typical to a day's work is checking in about an hour prior to departure time. We go to our dispatch center, which has a lot of computers and individuals who plan all the flights, monitor the weather, and so forth. They provide us with a flight plan- the route of flight that we have filed with the air traffic controllers. We sign off on that, then from that point we proceed to the airplane and we do a series of preflight checks. These include verifying the maintenance data, a preflight inspection of both the exterior of the plane-we're looking for any apparent damage or anything that looks abnormal, leaks, that sort of thing-then a cockpit check before we leave the gate.
Most modern turbojet airliners now have two pilots, a captain and a first officer. We do our checks and then ultimately we go over a formal checklist to ensure that all the switches and controls are in the proper position before we leave the gate.
There's activity galore during that process. The fuelers are fueling the plane, the flight attendants are doing their own safety checks and then we start boarding passengers. There's just a lot of activity as we get closer and closer to the push back time, our published departure time. The push back is when we back off from the gate.
We taxi out to an assigned runway and are cleared for takeoff and away we go. It's a matter of flying the airplane and accomplishing the procedures set by the FAA. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the flights are routine. When something happens, we analyze the situation and take whatever appropriate action is necessary. I've never had what I'd call a close call. I've had hydraulic systems fail and an engine quit, but we're trained to handle that. An airplane can fly quite well with only one engine operating. It's really a testament to the equipment we're flying these days. There are so many backup systems; rarely do you ever have a serious problem.
