Airline Pilot

Airline pilots are responsible for flying aircraft and their passengers and cargo safely and efficiently around the world for business and leisure purposes.

A pilot's tasks may include:

• checking the route, flying plans and weather
• safety and security checks
• briefing the cabin crew and maintaining regular contact during the flight
• contacting air traffic control to gain clearance for take-off and landing
• checking data on the plane's instruments and monitoring progress
• making passenger announcements
• completing a flight report.

Airline pilots work shifts. Their working hours are strictly controlled but include nights, weekends and public holidays. For long-haul flights, pilots can be required to spend nights away from home and may fly across several time zones, meaning jetlag and fatigue can be a problem.

Salaries may range from around £21,000 to £75,000 or more a year.

An airline pilot needs to:

• work well under pressure and remain calm in any emergency situations
• have the ability to follow instructions carefully and to process information quickly and accurately
• be confident using technology and a range of equipment
• have excellent hand-to-eye co-ordination and spatial awareness
• have an interest in planes and travel.

There are over 10,500 airline pilots in the UK. They are employed by scheduled, chartered and freight airlines and start out their careers as co-pilots, working their way up to the position of captain.

The minimum qualification required to be an airline pilot is a 'frozen' Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL). There are several routes to achieving this, but all require that the pilot undertakes ground studies and flight training and that they must pass flight skill tests. Pilots training for their frozen ATPL must have at least 150 hours' flight experience. The next step for an airline pilot is to achieve a full ATPL. To do this they must achieve considerably more hours of flying experience. A full ATPL is required to be considered for training and promotion to captain. Training is expensive and most pilots must fund the training themselves.

Airlines provide an induction course for qualified pilots on entry, to train them in airline procedures. Pilots have to take refresher training and tests on a regular basis throughout their career. All pilots must also undergo medical checks every year.

Pilots can take on other flying roles, such as crop spraying, aerial photography or flight testing. They can also become instructors.

Further details