Pilots and Aeronautical

Engineers

What Is a PilotA pilot is an aviator who actively

and directly operates the directional flight controls of an aircraft while in flight

Overview Pilots fly airplanes, helicopters,

and other aircraft to complete tasks. A primary job of most pilots is to fly people and cargo, but 20% of pilots have specialized jobs, like dropping fire retardant, seeds, or pesticides from the air.

Requirements At least a Bachelor’s Degree

Good physical and mental condition

Organization

Alert

Logical

Meticulous

Communication skills

A love of travel and adventure

Subjects To Study In School

Physics

Computer science

Algebra

Geometry

Algebra 2

English

Applied technology

Foreign language

Pilot

US Mean Annual Wage

Minimum Wage

0 50,000 100,000

Median Salary (In $)

Median Salary (In $)

Interview With a Pilot- Interviewing Dan Kelly1. What type of training did you have to go through to become a

pilot?

I initially earned my private pilot license as a hobby. I did my training at a small flight school at the Flying W Airport in Lumberton, NJ, near where I was living at the time. Once I decided I wanted to fly professionally, I enrolled in a school in Atlanta called Air Transport Professionals. There, in the summer of 1998, I earned all of the ratings I would need to start flying career, including my instrument, multiengine, commercial, and flight instructor ratings.

After that, I spent about a year giving flight instruction part-time. This allowed me to build up my flying experience until I had enough time under my belt to get hired as a first officer, or co-pilot, for a commuter airline flying Beech 1900D turboprop aircraft.

About a year later, I was able to upgrade to captain, at which time I earned my Air Transport Pilot(ATP) rating. I then trained to become a check airman, so I could train and evaluate other pilots.

As I moved to other airlines and advanced to larger aircraft, I had to earn a “type rating” in each new type of aircraft. Each type rating course lasted around three months and consisted of training in the classroom, simulators, and the actual aircraft.

2. What responsibilities did you have?

As a captain, I , along with the dispatcher assigned for the flight, was responsible for the safety of the passengers and crews. The flight crew reported to me, which included both the first officer and the flight attendants.

As a check airman, I was responsible for making sure the pilots I was evaluating met the standards mandated by both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the airline. I had the authority to pull a pilot “off line” if I felt they didn’t meet these standards.

3. Was flight training hard?

Flight training was hard work, especially for the type ratings I earned. But since I really enjoyed what I was doing I didn’t mind the hard work. I found that as long as I studied every day, asked lots of questions, and practiced my skills consistently I was always ready for the examination, which consisted of both an oral exam and a “check ride” in either the aircraft or a simulator.

Interview With a Pilot- Interviewing Dan Kelly

4. Was being an airline pilot your childhood dream job?

No. While I was always fascinated with flying, I never seriously

considered doing it as a career until I was an adult.

5. Why did you choose to be an airline pilot?

I really enjoyed flying, and I realized I could never become as good a pilot as I wanted to be unless I was able to do it every day. I also wanted to travel the country and meet people and see places I would never have otherwise.

Interview With a Pilot- Interviewing Dan Kelly

6. What type of planes did you fly?

At my first job, I flew a Beech 1900D Turboprop. This aircraft carried only 19 passengers and didn’t have a flight attendant. I flew this aircraft into a lot of small airports in fairly remote locations in all types of weather conditions. I always enjoyed the challenge of flying this aircraft.

After that, I flew a Canadair Regional Jet. There were three versions of this jet, which held 50, 70 and 90 passengers. This aircraft flew significantly faster and higher than the Beech 1900D.

In my last job I flew a Boeing 717. This was a significantly larger jet holding 117 passengers. This aircraft was also highly automated with a sophisticated autopilot that could land the plane itself. We didn’t use the autoland feature often, as it was usually more fun to land the plane by ourselves. However, when the visibility was very low, such as when there was a lot of ground fog, we had no choice but to autoland.

Interview With a Pilot- Interviewing Dan Kelly