Is flying an airliner easy?

[WhiteCloud]

Pointing the airplane in the right direction and moving it up and down isn't such a big deal. A non pilot could figure out how to do it in a couple hours of practice. A pilot with a couple hundred hours, some instrument time and some crew co-ordination instruction could do a good job of flying the airplane around the patch or conduct an approach with a little practice. It's the total picture of dealing with the airline environment that can be challenging and requires experience. More experience there the better.

 

[EAP]

...depends on what your definition for flying an airplane is...

I always cringe a bit when pilots put little emphasis on the brain work that goes into flying a high performance machine - in a PROFTABLE and completely comfortable, safe manner day in and day out, in all sorts of conditions (environmental, business, personal, mechanical, etc). It's this very attitude that erodes the respect and compensation package of the professional pilot when it is adopted by some short sighted bean counters.

I've flown many different airplanes, from model jets to large jetliners and much in between. A flying machine is so much more than a collection of levers and buttons. In the end it's just an extension of the cognitive decisions and perspectives that the pilot manifests toward an end goal.

It's generally true that as the airplane gets larger, the basic stability increases. However, other factors such as wing loading, wing sweep, momentum, energy retention characteristics, material strength and thrust to weight ratio play a MAJOR role as to how "hard" an airplane is to fly. For example, stick a random 1000 hour pilot in a lightly loaded B-737-200 with no training or briefing and I think they will probably be able to move it around in the airspace all right (aside from landing it or any unusual problems). Upgrade to a -700 series and the skills required are noticeably higher. Stick them into an MD-80, and well... clear the over flight path as the flight may get interesting. The MD-80 is not all that much heavier than the -200 series Boeing but it has interesting characteristics that will create interesting challenges to the untrained. Can a low time pilot be trained to fly an airliner? Sure. But they won't really be "operating" the airplane until they get years of experience and mentoring from very experienced professionals. In the meantime, they'll just be pointing the jet in a general direction and they'll hold altitudes, speeds, etc probably pretty well.

Aside from the basics of flying, the real challenge in "flying" or "operating" an airliner / corporate jet isn't just to fly it. It's all about AVOIDING and handling abnormal situations, "soft skills" and CRM. During normal situations, it's about extending the service life of brakes, engines and basic airframe components by flying the machine correctly. Also, fuel burn and performance is greatly linked to pilot technique and decisions that are made in the pre-flight room. All the above requires dedicated study, experience and brain work. Then really it all comes down to the decisions that keep the airframe in the proper safety envelope and "money making" performance parameters while giving the passengers a nice ride.

I've come to the conclusion over the years that flying a jetliner or corporate jet for pay is all about the brain work. You are a court house lawyer, a store manager, an emergency management official, a salesman... and finally, you get to move the yoke around as a fringe benefit when your "work load" is down.

 

[Clyde]

My question is -- Is flying an airliner easy?

thoughts?

Flying an airliner is easy. Getting to an airliner is the hard part.

 

[Erlanger]

Originally Posted by skipro101

My question is -- Is flying an airliner easy?

Just ask Mohammad Atta and his brothers!

 

[pilotpat]

Not funny

Just ask Mohammad Atta and his brothers!

I know you're just trying to be funny...but that's not.

 

[F16TJ]

I've had many people ask me if flying the F-16 was hard?

My answer: No, flying it is easy. Employing it...that's the hard part!

 

[say again]

Flying an airliner is easy. Getting to an airliner is the hard part.

And staying there is even harder!!!!!

 

[skipro101]

I

I agree that the skills of doing more than pointing it and flying airspeeds, etc is the hard part...especially flying it well enough to save brakes, fuel, etc.

And that is what I’m getting at...aren’t those settings already decided for you as a airline pilot?

For example, if you were flying for southwest from CLE-DET, wouldn’t your climb profile, settings, routes, hell, everything is already decided for you (unless of course you get into an emergency)..

Again, I know its hard to be a good airline pilot, I guess what I meant to ask is, is being an airline pilot the least taxing/challenging in day to day operations (provided you don’t have an emergency).

I’ve never done it, but it just seems like every move you make in a normal flight is already decided for you, whereas if you flew corp. or smaller freight, you would be the one making those decisions.

Do airlines tell the pilots what altitude to fly for a given route?

Its hard to express my perception...I sounds like an airline flight is almost like a train ride. You go the same route, same altitude, same approaches, day in and day out, the only time you get to make decisions is in an emergency.

As far as going out and seeing for myself like someone suggested...You can just go get hired at UPS or Continental and say, hey id like to try this path our for a few days.

I’m just trying to do some research before I go for a particular route.



Thanks for your replies.



Edited for grammar.

 

[banned username 1]

OK, OK, let's see if we can narrow the focus down for you.

If you picked a Chopin piano concerto and gave it to 100 different concert pianists, it would be played and interpreted 100 different ways- even though they used the same sheet of music. I used to fly a commuter trip to the same place twice a day, 5 days a week, for several years. Talk about tedious. But there was never the identical trip. There are too many variables.

There are a lot of things that are standard operating procedure. There are also things that a pilot has called "technique". No two pilots have the same technique, just like those pianists.

Is it challenging every day? Hell yes it is. It's always a challenge to do something to the best of your ability- and then try to do it even better the next time out. That's called being a professional- and maybe that's why not everybody is one.

Do we "have" to fly a particular altitude for a given flight? No. But then if the altitude is the best one for economy and a safe and smooth trip, why wouldn't you? If you have a valid reason to do otherwise, nobody's going to question you. In fact, they're not going to question you anyway!

I was the one who suggested that you go out and get your feet wet. While I applaud you for trying to get as much information as possible, if you think you're going to jump right into the line that says "Major Airline Only", that's not how it works. You have to go out and get a LOT of training and expend a LOT of effort before you ever start down a pathway toward a particular aspect of aviation. Think of it like deciding to be a brain surgeon. You don't go to "brain surgeon classes" right away, but you have to get a general college education first. With those ratings and 1100 hours, I'm surprised at your questions in the first place. It seems like they would have been answered for you as you have progressed and connected with other pilots.

You've received a lot of good, solid advice from people who know what they're talking about, because they've "made it". I don't really know what more we can tell you to help you out. Like the man said- there are no guarantees, you just have to go out and give it a try and see where the journey takes you.

 

[GuppyPuppy]

I was the one who suggested that you go out and get your feet wet. While I applaud you for trying to get as much information as possible, if you think you're going to jump right into the line that says "Major Airline Only", that's not how it works. You have to go out and get a LOT of training and expend a LOT of effort before you ever start down a pathway toward a particular aspect of aviation. Think of it like deciding to be a brain surgeon. You don't go to "brain surgeon classes" right away, but you have to get a general college education first.

While that is true for most of us, it certainly wasn't true for a number of women who were hired by UAL in the late '80's and early '90's. Many went from general aviation piston aircraft to a B737 F.O. seat or F.E. seat on another plane. While I don't blame them for taking what was being offered to them, I cringe to think that I know of a couple that are, shall we say...less than stellar who are still employed there. One of them finally passed her initial checkride on the 6th try! Heck, I'd be worried about continued employment if I busted the first one.