This question is about what a pilot does.
By
Zippia Team
- Nov. 16, 2022
The pros and cons of being a pilot relate to travel, salary, and stress. Here are the pros and cons of being a pilot:
Pros:
You get to travel for work. Many pilots get the opportunity to travel all over the world during their careers. Most work for commercial airlines or as private pilots, and they fly passengers to destinations in many different regions and countries. This means most pilots have the opportunity to experience a wealth of cultures from around the world.
They get to meet different kinds of interesting people, see sites of historical significance and try the local cuisine of their destinations. Some pilots also accrue hotel points while working.
So in their off time, they may even have access to free hotel stays or discounted rates. Again, this makes doing recreational travel so much more financially accessible than for most other people.
Salary. Most pilots' salaries are very good relative to their profession. The average salary of a pilot in the United States is $71,867 per year. In addition to salary, most pilots also receive generous employee benefits packages that include health insurance, retirement plans, savings accounts, free or discounted flights, and many other perks.
Lots of job opportunities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of airlines, commercial, and private pilot roles is expected to grow by 13% in the years leading up to 2030. This is faster growth than most other professions.
Being a pilot is exciting. The ability to control an airplane is an exhilarating experience for most pilots. Getting to see the world from such a high vantage point and traveling at really fast speeds is something that appeals to most in the profession.
There is also a sense of adventure in being a pilot because you do not know where in the world your next flight schedule may take you. This helps keep the job fresh for many pilots.
Free food. Pilots working for commercial airlines get free food. In addition to the in-flight snacks and meals, airlines may also reimburse crew members for food expenses during travel and when staying overnight. Meaning some pilots get to try local restaurants in a layover city for free.
Airlines generally pay food reimbursem*nt based on hours worked. This means that pilots that work on long flights will have higher food expense reimbursem*nts.
Free of a superior while flying. While flying, pilots have a lot of autonomy. While in the air a pilot who is captain answers only to himself and air traffic control. Co-pilots may take direction from captains, but this isn't your typical boss dynamic.
However, all pilots must follow airline policies and safety protocols, but they are free to self-direct their flying in ways they see fit.
Free flights. Many pilots work for airlines that allow them to accumulate flight miles through their job and as a result they can fly for free on their company's planes when they are not working.
Most airlines typically offer these kinds of flights on standby, meaning paying customers get the chance to book travel first, but if there are any remaining seats, a pilot can take one.
Some airlines also offer discounts to pilots, even for those that work for different companies. So most pilots can always find flights at a discounted rate. In addition, some airlines also offer flight benefits to the family and friends of pilots. Certain companies, for instance, allow parents and children of pilots to fly for free.
Many allow the spouses of pilots to fly for free, as long as it is recreational travel and not a work trip. Free flights can also be obtained at some airlines in the form of buddy passes. Typically, a pilot will receive a set amount of passes per year and can distribute them to friends and family members as they wish.
Cons:
Long and sometimes unpredictable hours. Pilots work different numbers of hours depending on several factors. Airline pilots average 75 flight hours per month and an additional 150 work hours per month performing other necessary duties, such as checking weather conditions and preparing flight plans.
Some airline pilots may work 10 to 15-hour days in instances of international flights. Airline pilots average 52 work hours a week. Private pilots keep varying work schedules because they are on call for their clients' planned and sometimes abrupt travel needs. A private pilot may work as little as 20 hours a week or as much as 80 hours a week.
In addition, many pilots do not work a strict schedule, meaning the days of the week they work and the hour shifts they put in often vary from week to week. This can result in more flexibility for carving out personal time but can also make scheduling time outside of work challenging.
Training. You need a lot of training to be a pilot. The qualifications of a pilot are graduation from flight school, flight hours, and skills and experience in professional flying. Qualifications also vary for commercial and private pilots depending on their employer.To earn a pilot's license, you must attend flight school.
These institutions consist of difficult classes that are similar to most forms of education, with textbooks, homework, studying, and exams. You will learn the basic procedures for operating and flying a plane, as well as the laws that govern the aviation world. You need to pass many flight simulator tests before you can get up into the air.
To become a licensed pilot, you need to have 150 hours of instructed flight time. Here are some skills that are necessary for all pilots: a good understanding of math and physics, an ability to understand highly technical information, excellent spatial awareness, and skilled coordination.
Also, you need to have strong communication skills utilized when talking to co-pilots, flight crews, and air traffic controllers, the ability to think quickly and make decisions in difficult situations, and the ability to remain calm under stressful conditions.
Flight school and training can be expensive. Many pilots have to take out loans to attend flight school, so there are a lot of new pilots that are saddled with a fair amount of financial debt.
Stress of the job. A pilot's work can be stressful for a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons is that as a pilot, you carry the responsibility for the lives of your passengers when in the air.
This means pilots must perform their jobs correctly and with sometimes extreme amounts of focus, mistakes when flying can have dire consequences. Another stressor is things that impact flying ability that is totally out of a pilot's control, such as weather or a mechanical malfunction with their plane.
The good thing is that most flight schools do proper preparation for pilots in this area so that they know how to deal with these situations and the stresses that come from them when they arise.
