Do you eat airline food?
No, but that is because my airline does not offer any meals, only snacks. Occasionally I'll eat some cookies, but I try and stay away from those. When I ride on other airlines to get home, I will usually eat their food, but that's because most of the time it comes from first class.
What's the most amazing sight you've seen from the cockpit?
I see many amazing sights from the cockpit all the time, but I think the most incredible was a full moonrise right on our nose rising in the east, with the sunset in the west behind us, causing the moon to hover slightly above the terminator (the black line in the sky separating night and day). And the colors that early evening were simply gorgeous.
When were you most scared while flying?
The most scared I've been was on the van ride I took last week to the hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. Actually, it was early in my flight training, when I couldn't get the gear to come down in my small general aviation airplane. I finally got it lowered and landed uneventfully, but on the drive home I began shaking from fear.
Have you ever had a close call brought on by human error?
Yes, I've been cleared to take off on runways that were being used for landing aircraft less than a mile from touchdown. I've also been cleared by ATC to climb to a higher altitude with opposite-direct airline traffic just 1,000 feet above us. If we had started the climb, there would have been a lot of falling metal over North Carolina.
Click "Read more" to see the pilot's answers to questions about full-body scanners, compensation, those Northwest pilots who flew right past their destination, and more.
Do you think commercial airline pilots are fairly paid?
Adjusted for inflation, my answer is no. That is especially true for commuter airline pilots who put in twice as much work as I do and get paid less than half. Ticket prices have dropped considerably in the past two decades, while most airline CEO pay has quadrupled and labor wages have been cut by up to 30 percent.
What kind of accommodation do the airlines put you in now in this age of cost-cutting?
Our hotel accommodations are actually quite nice, as our airline ensures our layovers are equipped with gyms and are in close proximity to malls, restaurants, etc. At the regional airlines, however, the hotels usually consist of a bed and shower in a bad part of town near the airport.
Do you ever get to take advantage of the traveling opportunities you're afforded while working?
Absolutely. It's been hard lately since I have a young family, but last summer we took our 2-year old down to Disneyland for a fantastic weekend. The year prior we all flew over to Hawaii for a week. As our children grow up, we will be traveling more.
Should flight attendants have to go through full-body scanners at airport security?
No. Flight attendants, pilots, and in-flight crew associated with the safety of an aircraft should not go through body scanners. Did you know pilots and flight attendants must go through security like everyone else (at most airports), but the people who cater and clean aircraft at the gates on a daily basis never pass through security? Those people are commonly the lowest paid and many may have criminal backgrounds.
Considering the extensive automation of commercial airplanes today, how do you see your role changing, if at all? What do you think the ramifications of this will be on your career and industry in the long term?
I feel my 2-year-old son will not have the same opportunities to fly as an airline pilot as I have. In the military, for example, most fighter aircraft today are already being replaced with unmanned drones. Our modern commercial aircraft of today are highly automated machines, and I find myself mostly monitoring the systems in cruise flight. Our monitoring will only increase as technology advances; when the computer breaks (and it commonly does), however, we are still there to fly the plane. There are certain tasks that can only be evaluated and executed by the human brain and that a computer would not be able to compute, such as avoiding inclement weather, etc. So I think there will always be pilots past my retirement age, but those climbing the ranks today to get into the flight deck may see the biggest challenge yet to come.
It seems like we keep hearing about drunk pilots these days. Are there more than there used to be?
I don't think so. We are in such a safety-sensitive industry, that when news grabs hold of a drunk pilot, it seems to cause a lot of concern with the general public. When in reality, drunk pilots represent less than .00001% of the total professional pilot population.
How long do you have to leave between your last drink and flying?
The FAA madates pilots must have eight hours between "bottle and throttle" and some companies/airlines have increased that to 12 hours and beyond. Furthermore, reporting for duty or remaining on duty having a blood alcohol concentration of .04 or greater is a direction violation. Once again, specific companies and airlines may find any negligible concentration in the blood a direction violation.
The FAA madates pilots must have eight hours between "bottle and throttle" and some companies/airlines have increased that to 12 hours and beyond. Furthermore, reporting for duty or remaining on duty having a blood alcohol concentration of .04 or greater is a direction violation. Once again, specific companies and airlines may find any negligible concentration in the blood a direction violation.
Should pilots be allowed to carry guns onboard?
Yes, as we are still the last line of defense in the breach of the cockpit.
Remember the Northwest pilots who flew past their destination? Is it really possible they were lost in conversation?
I don't know what transpired up there, but it seems unlikely. As professional pilots, we are extremely vigilant about maintaining communications with Air Traffic Control, so for them to fly for many hours without talking to ATC seems very unlikely.
What would you change first if you were in charge of the FAA?
Work rules regarding rest requirements. Currently, all airline pilots can work up to 16 hours per day on duty, and some commuter pilots fly up to eight legs in all sorts of weather. There's also the issue of pay. Those same pilots may make less than $17,000 per year! Some even have long commutes to/from work and may have commuted across the country and had less than three hours of sleep in a 24-hour period, causing extreme fatigue. These are the factors that precipitated the crash of Colgan Flight 3407 in Buffalo, N.Y.
What’s your best packing tip?
I bring my own soap from home so my skin doesn't dry out from those cheap hotel soaps. It also saves on landfill waste when you use and discard a hotel soap just one time. I also wrap my shirts in plastic (from the cleaners) so they don't get wrinkled. I can just pull them out of the bag and they are ready to go.
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