What do pilots do.........?

Question

when pilots are flying on long flights and the plane is up to the correct hight, speed ect. what do they do? can they talk or sleep or go to the bathroom (16 hours is a long time)? do they get food or do they have to take a lunch box? do they have like a room where they can like strech there legs? or do they just sit there and listen to their iPods? do they have to wear a uniform?? can girls be pilots?

Answer 1

We do all of the above.   Also sudokus, crosswords, mad libs, anything to pass the time.  The autopilots fly and do a dran good job of it, so as long as here';s nothing going wrong, its kind of a tedious stretch.

On those 16 hour flights, there is a second crew that comes into the cockpit called a relief crew.  They will take over for a certain time so the takeoff and landing crew can get some sleep.  This keeps them sharp and also keeps them from flying over the maximum number of duty hours allowed in any 1 day.

Answer 2

They can not sleep, but the aircraft is on auto pilot and they usually visit and if they need to, they can visit the bathroom.  They usually have relief pilots on flights this long and they must wear uniforms.  There are many female pilots in the airlines.  Hope this answers your questions.

Answer 3

Pilots only really FLY the plane during takeoffs and landings.Once at altitude,they engage the Autopilot and can then ,if needed ,get up to go to the bathroom,stretch,or whatever they need to do. They get meals through the airline that they're flying for,although they cannot have the same meal.(Possibility of food poisoning that could sicken the entire flight crew...NOT a good thing!)  Girls can absolutely be pilots!Pilots do wear uniforms while flying..

Answer 4

they can do every thing,but they pay attention to every thing,and  the girls became the Best pilot

Answer 5

Yes women can be pilots. The planes nowadays practically fly themselves. There is always a co-pilot so if the pilot needs to use the restroom the cp is there to watch.

Answer 6

pilots fly the plane on takeoffs and landings.. during flight the auto pilot is turned on.. pilots in the meantime are preparing the schedule for the next flight and are aware of anny changes or any technical problem during flight.. and they are constantly communicating with the ATC's.

If they need to go to the bathroom they can go.. if they are tired and need to rest there's always a second crew for this type of flight (16 hrs).. they change every 4 to 8 hours.

they get special 1st class meals.. each pilot gets a different type of meals due to food poisoning. In some aircrafts there are special cabins with beds and bathrooms where pilots can rest and get some sleep.

Answer 7

In some airlines, during long trips they have one extra pilot that starts out in first class sleeping or resting/ eating... Until one the pilots flying the plane needs a break and they trade places.. there's a row(usually 2 seats) in first class that's reserved for them. So, they do take breaks in first class. But, there's always at least 2 pilots flying the plane at all times!

After Flight Attendants finish serving meals to passengers they serve the cockpit. Pilots get meals on every flights, is part of their contract in most airlines.

Answer 8

There are still things for pilots and engineers to do when the automatic pilot is flying.    

They can "talk or sleep or go to the bathroom."  

16-hour flights are usually double-crewed.

Most operators provide food.  Some catered food is really good.  Some don't provide food, and the pilots bring their own (sometimes very good) food.

Some planes have bunks for sleeping pilots and flight attendants.

They don't often listen to iPods.

They usually wear a uniform.  At some cargo operations with long flights the guys change out of their uniforms once the plane is cruising, and change back before the descent.

There are plenty of girl pilots.  Listen on an Air Traffic Control radio frequency and you'll hear them.

Answer 9

Um...er...I'm SURE Bob didn't mean this the way it seems to have turned out:  "There is always a co-pilot so if the pilot needs to use the restroom the cp is there to watch."  <blush>

First, women certainly are permitted to be pilots at every level from private to Airline Transport Pilot.  There are even women fighter, bomber, cargo and attack helicopter pilots in the U.S. armed forces.  Women have been flying for the major airlines for years.  One of the women who frequently contributes to this topic is a retired Boeing 747 captain.

Usually, airline companies require the aircrew to be in full company uniform whenever they may come in contact with the flying public.  Otherwise, they are usually permitted to remove their coats and caps for comfort in the cockpit.

Many modern airliners are capable of taking off, cruising and landing without any human input except the initial entering of the codes for the standard departure/takeoff procedures,routes, waypoints, and approach/landing procedures.  As a practical matter and company policy, that is seldom if ever done from "brakes off to brakes on".  Even if the "pilot flying" employs the autopilot during the cruise phase, one of the pilots is always monitoring the system to make sure the aircraft is following the intended course.

Interestingly, there are "rules of the road" for aircraft in general and airliners in particular.  For example, in airliners, pilots are required to observe the "sterile cockpit rule" at and below the altitude of 10,000 feet.  No conversation or actions not directly related to the safe flight of the aircraft is permitted -- no discussion of last night's hot date, the great deal they got on a used Mercedes or even which meal they want to order from the aircraft's galley.  And, speaking of the magic altitude of 10,000 feet, there is a speed limit of 288 miles per hour at and below that altitude for everybody except the military in certain airspace and landing lights are turned on even in broad daylight to be easily seen by other pilots in congested airspace.

Rules?  LOTS of them in the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR's) and company policy and procedures manuals.

Answer 10

i don know about the bathroom thing but i think every Airliner has to have two pilots cuz they take turns and the "auto pilot" makes the plane fly by it self while maintaning altitude.