Kyle Vincent Lirios
Ms. Vance
English 12
November 16, 2018
Capstone Rough Draft (11/8)
From the Greek mythos of Icarus and his father's great winged escape from their prison to the gliders of the Renaissance Era of the great inventor Leonardo Da Vinci. Man's innate goal to conquer the skies have been prominent since the dawn of thought and the era of creation. Man would come to conquer the skies as the man had conquered the grounds he walks upon. Since the first flight of the Wright Brothers plane, aviation as a whole would come from simple gliders and single-engine planes to large multi-engine bombers and supersonic jets that would dictate the skies above. These machines would not be what they are without those who guide them into the skies, pilots, essential professionals of the highest caliber. I am inspired to become a pilot as it fulfills a lifelong dream of becoming a pilot, being which would give me a stride to achieve greatness.
Pilots are some of the most prepared professionals in the world, at full capability, a two-man crew would need to pre-perform up to hundreds of preflight variables and setup before even turning on the engine. As not all pilots are aces like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, all pilots start from the very bottom, but can only go up the ladder. From ATP Flight School, an FAA certified flight school list out the requirements to become a pilot, such as, “applying to a flight school, pass various test and certifications to fly and pass your finalization test to become a commercial pilot” (School, ATP Flight. “ATP Flight School.” – Steps, Cost, & Eligibility / ATP Flight School). As many beginning pilots look up into the profession, many have listened to wise words for their superiors, with many pilots in their final years of service reflecting on their experiences, like various pilots who’ve posted their experiences and recommendations to pilots, “Pilots fly aircraft like planes and helicopters. Professional pilots may work for airlines transporting people, for shipping companies transporting goods, or for police departments, fire departments, and other rescue organizations assisting with emergencies. To fly a plane or helicopter, pilots must know how to use the controls of the aircraft they are flying, read the instruments that reveal information about the state of the aircraft and react quickly and correctly to any weather or mechanical issues that may arise. Pilots typically work in teams, including the captain, co-pilot, and additional crew like flight attendants. They also communicate and work with passengers, baggage handlers, aircraft mechanics and technicians, and air traffic controllers” (How to Become a Pilot.
https://www.howtobecome.com/how-to-become-a-pilot). To fully become a pilot, pilots-in-training needs to think of their full career path in the world of aviation, as many commercial airlines recommend or even require bachelor degrees in various sciences to apply for positions in the airline. Study.com has a simplified chart that states, “recommended fields of study such as aviation, aeronautics, or a comparable discipline” (study.com, Become a Pilot). Study.com further simplifies the extensive list of requirements such as furthering yourself into the field by racking up flight hours, a very important aspect in a pilot's ability to retaining a majority of the required certificates to fly. Instrumentation certifications and airworthiness certifications barely scratch the surface of aviation fly passes. Pilots are also expected to be able to navigate themselves in the sky, using landmarks, astronomical locating, and using electronic flight charts to navigate usually in the dark, where reliance on instruments and intuition is key to safely flying. Once a trainee finishes basic ground school and racked out around 250+ hours, they’re eligible for their Frozen ATPL, or Frozen Airline Transport Pilot License, signifying that the trainee has passed the required classes and certifications to be able to become a commercial pilot. Advanced certification such as multi-engine ratings, and an average total of up to 4,000 total flight hours (study.com), are major qualifiers for many commercial pilots as well as qualifying for the top position, the PIC or Pilot In Command. PICs are the top of the top pilots who have racked up above 4,000+ hours, international, day/night, and various end of the line certifications. Pilots who have clocked up to 4,000+ hours are heavily certified and have close to all of their certifications, a true status as their median salary at this seniority can climb up to $350k a year. Though senior pilots have the consistent experience to fly an aircraft the FAA constantly regulates and test every pilot's ability to their full extent to fully sense out those who are physically or mentally unable to fly a craft with assurance. Becoming a PIC within an airline is a big responsibility, as PICs take upon themselves the full safety of the crew, passengers, and the aircraft, even when the SIC, Second In Command takes manual control from the PIC, the PIC still stands as the highest officer in the cabin and with the full responsibility of the safety and integrity of the flight itself.
A major aspect of becoming a pilot or becoming one of the many professions in the world is asking the essential question, why do I want to become a pilot? Pilots of today have very different reasons for becoming a pilot, from lifelong dreams to a very stable and profitable career choice. Many aspirations to become a pilot simply derive from just being a pilot and having the title of a pilot, the ability to pilot a craft high above the world. While many pilots are paid handsomely, a low of $100k and up to $350k, (glassdoor.com), many beginner pilots see the benefits as a mainstay in their workforce. Various benefits such as travel and the ability to fly out and see various sights around the world appeal to many, while in actuality, a pilot's schedule retains much of their work to constantly fly with minimal time to themselves once grounded and in wait time for a flight back. Another major drawback for pilots is starting commercial pilots have a very low flexible schedule, with that being seniority allows for esteemed, long-standing pilots within the airline the ability to change their schedule more frequently than the average pilot. Directly from a pilot, Ron Wagner, Mr. Wagner describes his life as a pilot, but to a more enduring and bleak outlook, many beginning pilots do not expect. “It’s a blast for about the first two years as you conquer the world and see things you’ve never seen before. But after that, your professional life devolves down to three small spaces: a jet cockpit, a hotel van that transports you between the airport and the hotel, and a hotel room. After a couple of years, my days at work felt like serving a sentence, rotating between those three moving prison cells. At least they all had windows.” (What Nobody Tells You About Becoming A Pilot.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine). Another major drawback for pilots is starting commercial pilots have a very low flexible schedule, with that being seniority allows for esteemed, long-standing pilots within the airline the ability to change their schedule more frequently than the average pilot. While pilots are portrayed in film and television as smooth and collected professionals without a care in the world, many actual pilots are at a very high risk of mental illness due to the confinement of their workplace. This is evident due to the infamous Germanwings Flight 9525, that resulted in a 100% fatality rate, killing all 150 crew and passengers onboard (dash.harvard.edu). Various studies have shown a very large correlation between crippling depression and the aviation profession as a whole. Due to the very confined and repetitive nature of their job, pilots are more likely to develop depression overtime at an extreme rate. A study compiled by reserchgate.net states, “Globally, 350 million people suffer from depression–a common mental disorder. This study provides further information on this important topic regarding mental health especially among female airline pilots” (researchgate.net) While mental health plays a big role in the operation of aircraft, many pilots and technicians have called this the four pressures, “Pilot, Environment, Aircraft, External Pressures” (FAA.com, Aeronautical Decision Making Handbook). The evaluation of these four “pressures,” quantifies a pilots ability to fly and perform their job. A toxicology report on the Germanwings flight showed correlations to other aviation accidents that also revealed that some pilots had antidepressant medication in their system. Of these 61 pilots, 88% had not disclosed their psychiatric condition and 95% had never reported the use of antidepressants” (dash.harvard.edu). These pressures brought by the Pilot and various External Pressures result in a very harsh work environment, whereas the pilot is easily susceptible to dangerous decisions that can result in catastrophic casualties. After this incident, many pilots began to hide their illness due to actions that can be taken by the company to limit their hours and or terminate them due to being a liability, whereas Harvard compiled another study that shows, “…many pilots conclude to manage their depression and mental illness under the radar due to the risk of negative impact on their career” (dash.harvard.edu) While many people look up to pilots as top-notch professionals, they are not without fault, whereas a pilot's mental state is just as important as the aircraft itself.
All in all, the aviation profession is extensive as it is a pleasure to be a part of, from the first day of ground school to the first take off, and to the last ceremonial touchdown, once you become a pilot you will always be a pilot. From the extensive certifications and test to fully quantify your ability to fly, to the final stretch into PIC seniority, all is right.