Piloting

The life of a pilot is a glamorous one, full of flying to far-flung locales and discovering new places on layovers, but it is also a lonely one. Pilots have to spend lots of time away from home, which affects their relationships with family and friends. How often do pilots actually get to be home […]

The thought of seeing your pilot out of the cockpit feels just as wrong as the thought of seeing your elementary school teachers in their pajamas at the grocery store. However, it comes with the added element of danger as you wonder who is flying the plane! Are pilots allowed to be out of the […]

Driving at night comes with its own challenges, but you’re still able to see the road thanks to headlights and streetlamps. However, there is no lighting for the road in the sky, and planes don’t come equipped with headlights. How are pilots able to make overnight flights? The short answer is that the way pilots […]

The life of a pilot involves a lot of adjusting to rules and regulations that the airline has, including where they live. Airlines have several bases that act as hubs for their operations and for flights that pilots and cabin crew go on. Living and working around a base is a big adjustment, so you […]

There are a lot of rules about who can be a pilot. While outdated rules about height, perfect vision, and even societal norms about gender are out, there are still some restrictions about who can be a pilot. One of the restrictions in place is on age. Becoming a pilot is like getting a driver’s […]

Being a pilot is a tough job, especially for commercial airline pilots who have hundreds of people depending on them every time they take to the air. All jobs are hard to do when tired, and piloting a plane is one of the most important ones for maintaining your energy. Therefore, airlines and governing bodies […]

Flying is a dangerous business. Pilots have to be ready to deal with turbulence, extreme weather, and potential damage to the aircraft. However, sometimes the threats come from within the plane, such as terrorist attacks, hijacking attempts, or even unruly passengers. Pilots have to do everything they can to ensure flight safety, but can they […]

Many people like listening to music while they work. It helps them concentrate and breaks up the monotony of certain repetitive tasks. Another popular place to listen to music is in the car while driving to liven up life in a traffic jam. With all that in mind, can pilots listen to music? Yes, pilots […]

Everyone knows that it’s really important for pilots to have good vision along with a host of other qualities. They need to be alert and ready to deal with a whole host of air tasks that require good eyesight from takeoff until landing. However, do they need to have naturally good vision, or can they […]

Pilots have pretty strict rules they need to follow, including what they do when they’re not flying. Airlines want pilots to show up to work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, so they can fly without putting anyone in danger. However, do these bans extend to smoking any kind of substance? Pilots are allowed to smoke cigarettes—and technically, […]