Landing is one of the most fun parts. I think most pilots enjoy that the most. You're actually manipulating the aircraft controls with your hands and feet, as opposed to letting the autopilot fly. Flying is really just a series of correcting for the last mistake that was made. That's not a negative statement. Flying an aircraft in our atmosphere is just a real dynamic situation and so you're constantly making corrections to get the airplane from point A to point B.
Once we land the work isn't over. We have to find our way to the gate. Sometimes that can be more difficult than finding the airport from the air. There are many more dangers on the ground than there are in the air. There are many vehicles and people-you have to keep your eyes peeled.
We have a shutdown checklist, then we fill out the maintenance log, then I'm cleared to leave. If I'm back at my domicile, I head home. If I'm on the road, we gather up the crew and go out to the curb and take a shuttle to the hotel where we spend our layover. The layover can be anywhere from nine to twenty-four hours. The purpose of the layover is to rest up for your next flight.
The downside is that you have to spend extended periods away from your family. Most airline pilots will fly anywhere from sixty to eighty-five hours a month, which doesn't sound like a lot if you compare it with a forty- or fifty-hour work week, but to get that amount of flight time, you're on duty for upwards of 300 hours a month.
A lot of people who don't do much traveling really like to stay in a hotel once in a while, it's a nice change of pace, for example, you don't have to make your bed yourself. However, most hotels start looking pretty much the same after a while. It seems that you spend an awful lot of time in hotels, just waiting for the airplane to come back so you can leave. You can use that time to read and do other things, but it still seems like end-less periods of time.
And during a long flight, you have to fight boredom and fatigue. You take a break, get up, walk around, and talk with your copilot.
My routes vary from month to month. That's typical of most airlines. The pilots are given flight schedules based on their seniority and their choice of published schedules for the coming month. My schedule over the last few months has been flying from Phoenix to Chicago and Phoenix to Newark, New Jersey, or New York City.
It's not so much the preference of the airport or the route, it provides the specific days off I need for personal business. Unlike a professional who works in an office, if I need to take the car in I can't just say I'll be in late. When I have a flight leaving I can't take the car in. You have to plan those types of things a little bit further in advance. Usually I fly three or four days a week. Typically, it will be a three-day trip. You leave home, you're gone for two nights, and you're back on the third. You might come in and fly another one- or two-day trip during the week. But I can choose my days off more or less. And the time off away from duty is yours.
I love the flying part most of all-to be up in the sky and to be able to look at the wonders of nature. You get to see thunderstorms, weather fronts, and wind storms up close. It's certainly a view of the world not everyone gets to see, at least not with the frequency we do.
The upsides are the potential for a very nice income. Most starting salaries are about $30,000 then it goes up to $45,000 to $50,000 by the second year. The big jump is when you become a captain and move over to the left seat. Twelve years into the company, captains at America West are making about $115,000 a year. At other airlines, flying similar aircraft, pilots are making $150,000 to $180,000.
Generally, we work under the seniority system. All pro-motions and upward movement depend upon when you were hired. So, if you were to switch airlines, you'd be starting from the bottom again.
I'm kind of biased, but I think it's the greatest job in the free world. Most pilots feel real fortunate that we do a job we really enjoy doing. And while I look forward to having time off, at the end of my three or four days off I'm always looking forward to going back to work. Not many people in the workforce have that same feeling.
Expert Advice
I would advise you to work real hard in school and get as good a background in mathematics and science as you possibly can. The more modern the aircraft cockpits and systems become, the more that type of a science/engineering/mathematics background really helps to understand how all of it works. We don't have to build the airplanes, but situations come up that a deeper understanding really helps in troubleshooting problems.
Another thing is that you have to be really conscious of your health and adopt a healthy lifestyle."
INTERVIEW
Grade Anderson
Flight Attendant
Grade Anderson started with America West after a three-month training program. She has been a flight attendant for more than a dozen years.
How Gracie Anderson Got Started
I did this on a bet. Back in 1985 my brother-in-law told me that America West was hiring, so I called them up. They put me through three or four interviews and that's how I ended up getting the job. The first interview was a group interview with about thirty other applicants. You had to get up and talk about yourself and say what you were doing at that time. Then it went to a smaller group interview and they gave you little assignments to do. What if such and such happened, what would you do? That sort of thing, then it went to a one-on-one interview.
I got the job. At America West at the time, we were what they called 'cross-utilized.' That meant that not only were we flight attendants, we also worked reservations, the ticket counter at the gate, and down at the ramp. You were never just flying. Three days a week I'd fly, the other days I'd be at the gate or whatever.
I also went into the training department for a while and taught reservation clerks. I fly full-time now. Cross-utilizations became defunct in 1989 or 1990. But every once in a while I still go off the line and do in-flight training for attendants.
