The following article is taken from Studio Classroom magazine. I hope we can get some knowledge about aviation and improve English at the same time!
Studio Classroom talks to commercial airline pilot Francisco about life as a pilot. Captain Francisco currently flies Boeing 747s as a relief captain and works as a flight simulator instructor.
SC: How much time do pilots actually spend flying a plane ?
F: It varies from about 20 minutes on some domestic flights to as much as 18 hours on international flights. It all depend on if the flight is a short- or long-haul flight.
SC: Do pilots take break during flights or do they fly the whole time ?
F: Yes, we take breaks during long-haul flights. Airlines assign three or four pilots to long flights. Since jets like the Boeing 747 and 777 only need two pilots, we fly the plane in shifts.
SC: If pilots are traveling all the time, how do they deal with jet lag?
F: Jet lag is annoying for almost all pilots, and there are hundreds of ways to deal with it. I try to keep to the same schedule as I would at home.
SC: How important is it to know the weight and size of the plane you're flying?
F: Knowing the weight of an airplane is very important because it affects how high and how long you can fly. We weight almost everything put into the airplane and make estimates based on the number of people on each flight.
SC: How have security changes affected your job over the last several years?
F: After the 9/11 tragedy, the airline industry developed all kinds of products and procedures to make flights even safer than they already were. For example, they have introduced new bulletproof cockpit doors and airport procedures for dealing with bomb threats.
SC: How do you deal with troublesome passengers?
F: Pilots are entitled to take all reasonable measures to protect the safety of the aircraft, passengers, crew and property on board. Pilots should consider restraining a violent or unruly passenger if he or she is becoming a hazard to safety.
SC: Do pilots eat the airplane food?
F: Yes, we do eat airplane food! We eat the business class food. Airplane food changes every season and is very delicious unless you get tired of eating lobster every day! The pilot and co-pilot are supposed to make different meal choices so that if one of the dishes causes food poisoning, only one of them will be sick. That way, at least one pilot will always be well enough to fly the plane!
✈ Source: Studio Classroom Magazine December 2009
