Negotiated Task

Work Being an Airline Pilot

1. What do you understand about the Work capability? The work capability is mostly about the professional side of things. It includes employability skills, gaining experience from paid and unpaid work, adapting yourself to a particular position or role and being confident in the direction you are heading. Having interview skills is also an important part of the work capability because that is what gets you work. Learning and understanding this capability is crucial in achieving any career goal in the future. A part time job in your adolescence years is an excellent way to develop your understanding of this capability. 2. What is an Airline Pilot? Airline pilots fly passengers and/or cargo planes on long or short-haul flights for commercial purposes. Two pilots typically operate the aircraft; one will be the captain who is the pilot in command, while the other will be the supporting first officer. The pilots will usually take turns to fly the plane to avoid fatigue, with one operating the controls while the other speaks to air traffic control and completes the paperwork. The captain has the overall responsibility for the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft including crew and passengers.

3. What are the entry requirements into the aviation industry? The training to become a pilot requires a good level of understanding of maths and physics and so anything that demonstrates this will usually be an advantage. In order to work as an airline pilot you must hold an Airline Transport Pilots License (ATPL). This qualification is known as a 'frozen ATPL' and becomes 'unfrozen' when a certain number of hours and experience have been achieved. It is a requirement that all airline pilots pass a Class One Medical and if you do not, you will not be able to complete the training to achieve the ATPL. The usual path to becoming a pilot is through university (doing a minimum 18-month course) unless you have received an airline sponsorship (working and studying at the same time) or have a background working in the Air Force. These are some of the skills and Airline Pilot requires: An understanding of maths and physics An ability to understand technical information, as pilots need to know how their aircraft works Excellent spatial awareness and coordination Good communication skills The ability to think quickly and respond appropriately in difficult situations Discipline, self-confidence and commitment Leadership skills, with the ability to give clear commands to cabin crew and passengers.

4. What does a day in the life of an Airline Pilot look like? Before Flight: The crew checks the departure, destination, alternate and diversion airports, weather, orders sufficient fuel, taking into account all the possible outcomes. For example, for a 12 hours flight, about 100 tons of fuel would be carried. This would include the trip, diversion, holding reserve and instrument approach fuel. At the Aircraft: The co-pilot will usually carry out a visual inspection of the aircraft to ensure that there is no fuel leaking or dripping from unseen pipelines under the aircraft body or undercarriage areas, tires not worn out, engine turbine blades are in good condition, etc. Push Back and Taxi Out: Approval is required from the Control Tower to start the engines. After all the doors are closed and the Control tower has given clearance, a motorized vehicle called the tow truck is used to push the aircraft back from its gate. The aircraft then moves under its own power along the taxiways. Take Off: During take off, the pilot releases the brakes and applies power to accelerate down the runway. This is the most critical stage of the flight as the engines are at maximum power to lift the aircraft at a maximum weight of about 287 tons off the ground. The plane lifts off the ground at around 270 kph. The wheels are then retracted into a cavity in the belly of the aircraft after it is airborne. Climb: The aircraft climbs at about 570 kph, at an average rate of 1500 feet per minute to its cruising altitude. You should reach your cruising altitude of about 35,000 feet in about 25 to 30 minutes.

Cruise: There is no standard altitude for cruising but it is generally between 30,000 to 43,000 feet. The aircraft cruises around 880 kph. The aircraft is constantly in contact with the ground on the radios. The aircraft is normally under the control of the autopilot. At this point, the role of the pilot is to manage the systems, keeping an eye on all the engines instruments to ensure that they are within limits and to take over the aircraft immediately should any of the control systems operated by the autopilot fail. Descent: The pilot will commence descent at a point determined by the aircraft's computer but clearance must first be obtained from the control tower. The control tower must sequence the aircraft to land, carefully separating it from all other aircraft headed for, or leaving the same airport. The aircraft descends initially at around 540 kph and gradually reduces to about 130 knots 230 kph at touch down. The landing gears are lowered on the final. Landing: The landing phase is also the other most critical phase of the flight besides the take off. The control tower normally directs the aircraft to land into the wind to reduce the speed. Once the aircraft has landed, the flight crew start to slow down with several quick actions, pulling back on the throttles, raising another set of controls known as the 'spoilers' to disrupt airflow over the wings, reversing the thrust of the engines and at the same time, applying the brakes. In this situation, the pilot is executing a manual landing. On an auto landing, all the landing actions are automatic except for selecting the reverse thrust. He will take over manually on the brakes so that he does not block the runway and then taxis back to the parking bay.

5. What is the annual salary of an Airline Pilot? Salaries vary according to the airline that you are employed with, the type of aircraft you are flying and your experience. The starting salary for a newly qualified first officer working for a small operation may be around 30000 dollars. Starting salaries for those in larger companies are higher at around 40,000 dollars. The starting salary for a captain with a medium-sized airline may range from 85,000 to 115,000 dollars, while those with the major operators could earn from 150,000 to over 200,000 dollars. A pilot's salary is rising with each year of service with the airlines. Benefits usually include various allowances and discounted travel. 6. Why I want to be an Airline Pilot? Ever since I was a child I had dreamed of being an Airline Pilot, it wasnt something that had developed recently it was a childhood dream that I intend to follow through. To me being an Airline Pilot is not just flying its a way of life, it gives me that drive and thrill I need in my life. I love the whole idea of being in command, the responsibility and clearly my favorite part travelling around the world. I feel that I have more than the skills required to command a passenger jet and will successfully achieve my longterm goal of becoming an Airline Pilot.

Evaluation: I believe I have explored a lot of examples of the work capability. Currently I have 3 part time jobs, which just by itself shows my experience in the work capability. I went through the interviewing process and have successfully showed my employability skills. I have written an impressive resume that shows my skills on paper. I have explored a wide variety of work from agriculture to retail to hospitality. The work capability is relevant to my future goals because being an Airline Pilot is nothing little, you have the responsibility of over a 100 lives in your hands. You have to know how to stay calm in extreme conditions, retain your knowledge and acquire it to its best use. Understanding this capability is very handy when it comes to being an Airline Pilot. Time management, leadership and good communication skills are just some of the skills you gain with this capability that come in handy in the aviation industry. I have successfully managed 3 part time jobs with schoolwork at the same time, which is an important skill in this capability. I have made a resume from scratch and adapted it to different roles and positions it has been applied for. I have stayed punctual in all 3 jobs and have experienced so much for my age. I believe I have a much more deeper understanding for this capability than many others of my age. I am still developing new skills in dayto-day life, which furthers my understanding of the work capability.

By Takhat Gill