Pilot reveals what actually happens inside the cockpit during a long-haul flight
When you’re on a long-haul journey, there's a number of things that you can do - either sleep or see what movies your plane has to offer - but what do the pilots do the whole time?
Piloting isn’t something we’re able to see outside of the cockpit - and most of us who've never flown a plane probably think it's similar to driving it like you would a car or a train.
However, flying a plane is so much more complex - given all of its navigation tools, buttons and flight territories.
But who could do that on a 12-hour flight without needing to escape the tiny cabin?
Advert
Well thankfully, you don’t have to wonder anymore as a US-based pilot has the answers.
You couldn’t blame them for maybe kicking their feet up when they have thousands of miles in front of them and no form of entertainment - unless they have Netflix up in there?
However, Pascal explained that it’s a lot different than you'd think.
In his YouTube video from 2023, he went through his day flying to Fort Myers, Florida on a six-day rotation.
When initially climbing up to that height, it takes around two hours, and at that time, the pilots will be checking their readings, contacting Air Traffic Control to verify everything is okay as well as checking the weather for their route.
After receiving clearance, he and a team of pilots had to ‘cross check the fuel’ and create an alternate plan for ‘if something would happen’ as well as check what runway they’ll land on if they have to divert.
But when that’s all said and done, it’s time for autopilot to kick in.
Following that, they mostly have to check the flight path, weather conditions and preparing for an emergency.
According to Pascal, every pilot in the cockpit has to create an alternative route or flight path in case something goes wrong up in the air - and according to the pilot, they’re responsible for planning four different alternative routes for the entire flight.
He also talked about reaching cruise altitude, which he says happens 'half an hour after we get up in the air’.
“So after we lift off and reach cruise attitude, obviously there's not that much to do as during a climb out, but we still have to circumnavigate weather pretty often over the Atlantic." he continued.
And depending on which area they are flying, there's also a lot of constant communication with ATC or other pilots regarding flight planning.
Of course, there's often more than one pilot on the plane, so Pascal says pilots are allowed to sleep on night flights, however, it's more of a power nap or a 'control rest'.
"I do it often for half an hour." he says, adding that he will 'put his chair back' or maybe 'put a sleeping mask on'.
In some cases, they are afforded a 'real break' to go to bed as Pascal was allowed to do on his flight to Fort Myers, which he had a 'three-party cockpit'.
And dependent on how long the break is, Pascal says he can sneak in some Netflix 'from time to time' after an hour's kip - but only when he's not in the cockpit as the main priority is making sure the flight goes smoothly.
So in short, they don’t have time to sit and watch their favorite binge-worthy show.
Britt Jones