Why do many pilot seats have sheepskin covers?
Probably, most of you have seen sheepskin seat covers in almost every cockpit you have ever been to. If you are still a newbie in aviation world and haven’t tried any cockpit yet, you have surely seen those grey or white fluffy pilot seats in films. However, the reason of covering pilot seats with sheepskin is more practical than it might seem. The main function of genuine sheepskin cover is to keep pilots cool in the summer and warm in the winter – whatever the temperature in a cockpit is, sheepskin covers remain of almost the same temperature and keep a...
What are Sterile Flight Deck Procedures?
Every pilot follows a number of rules, procedures and regulations during their daily operations. One of the rules pilots follow several times during each flight is called the Sterile Flight Deck Procedures rule. Have you heard of this important rule? The term Sterile Flight Deck Procedure rule describes a period of time when the flight crew members must not be disturbed by non-flight related matters. Then pilots must entirely focus on their essential operational activities and avoid any unrelated disturbances. They are even barely allowed to talk to each other. Pilots follow this rule during the attention-requiring procedures of taking-off, landing,...
Type Rating – the Holy Grail of Professional Pilot
Every aspiring pilot needs to know about type rating. Simply put, you will need to get type rated on the aircraft you are going to operate for your future employer. Probably, you already know, that training and obtaining a licence by accumulating flying hours is necessary to become a pilot. After taking these steps you can operate a single engine aircraft. However, a type rating is a must in order to operate any aircraft over 5,700 kg. So, what is a type rating? Type Rating is just like a Driving Licence for a Very Specific Car Imagine getting a driving licence for...
Language of the sky
The language used in the cockpit sounds technical and only aviation professionals understand it. Pilots communicate with each other and air traffic control in English, regardless of their own native language or any other languages they speak. Aviation English is in some ways a separate language compared to the one spoken on the ground. Therefore, even native English speakers have to learn it. What makes it so special? English for flight safety Aviation English has been the de facto international language of civil aviation since the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommended English to be universally used for “international aeronautical radiotelephony communications”...
Pilot Shortage: While Ones Suffer Loses, Others Derive Benefits
Global aviation is booming, the demand for pilots is skyrocketing and a global shortage for pilots is looming. However, pilot shortage varies among different regions and this is not only because of the growing numbers of passengers and airlines’ fleet. Working and living conditions also play a very important role in different regions and their numbers of pilots. Lucrative Pay for Captains in Asia-Pacific Region Based on CAE’s Airline Pilot Demand Outlook, a significant need for pilots will be seen in the Asia Pacific region, where the traffic is surging and the airlines’ fleets are growing. Over 90 thousand of pilots will...
BAA Training Adopts Competency-based Pilot Training
BAA Training, one of the TOP 3 biggest independent aviation training centres in Europe, becomes one of the first training providers to add a new non-technical module into its training syllabus – NTS training. With this module pilot training moves away from factual knowledge training toward competency-based training. The academy prepared this program according to a new requirement from EASA to implement a new training course Area 100 KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes), which will be mandatory for every training provider from 2022. The need for non-technical training was born when a strong relationship between pilots and accidents was discovered. According to...
Flying Big: To Be a Wide-Body Aircraft Pilot or Not?
Enormous wide-body aircraft take everyone’s attention at the airport. Even pilots are impressed by their size. The majority of them have been dreaming of becoming captains of the wide-body aircraft since they started studying at aviation academy or even before that. The growing demand for passenger flights leads airlines to expand their fleet with the new wide-body aircraft. This means that the wide-body pilot demand is ascending too. Let’s look into the situation in the wide-body aircraft sector and what it means to be a pilot of the wide-body aircraft. Flight demand forecasts International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts 4.2% of annual passenger...
Why do pilots say roger that?
Pilots use the phrase “Roger that” when they are in the air. Have you ever thought who the Roger is and why his name appears in the conversations between pilots? The reason goes back to the very first flights. The first plane flight by Wright brothers dates back to 1903. Then they used flares, hand signals and coloured paddles to communicate while the plane was in the air as there was no such thing as radio communication. The aviation technologies developed and pilots started to use the Morse code to communicate in approximately 1915 when air-to-ground voice transmission became possible. Back then they...
Why Are You Not Allowed to Walk Under the Wings of an Aircraft?
Boarding a plane is a sequence of airport procedures. When you finally arrive at the plane and walk to get aboard you may notice that the area under aircraft wings is usually separated with orange cones signaling that walking under the aircraft wings is not allowed. Have you ever wondered why you are not allowed to walk under the aircraft wings when boarding? Like almost all things in aviation, this is a question of safety too. Everyone working around the aircraft receives safety training on when, where, and how to approach an aircraft. This restriction is related to several safety issues....
Did You Know What that Tiny Hole in the Airplane Window Does?
If you've ever had a window seat on a flight, you have probably noticed a tiny hole at the bottom of the window. Every single window of the plane has the same tiny hole and actually, it is a very important safety feature. Why is it so important? Air pressure drops as you get higher. Anyone who has climbed mountains knows, at high altitude the air is less pressurised and contains less oxygen. And that’s only the height of a mountain. The plane gets much higher, where the air pressure drops much lower. Airplanes are designed to maintain air pressure at a safe level...
