First airline job
Pilot|November 2020
... won and lost after just eighteen months in the right-hand seat. Reflections on the rewards of the hardest work in a lifetime
Lauren Wilson
First airline job

When I embarked on the long and expensive mission to gain my CPL I had never really wanted to be an airline pilot. The idea of being a ‘button pusher’ filled me with a snobbish dread− after all airliners were just big computers, requiring systems operators and not aviators to move around the skies, weren’t they? You often hear general aviation pilots scoff about airline jockeys with many thousands of hours, pilots they’ve been flying with who ‘can’t land a PA-28 for toffee’, as if somehow this makes the professional less worthy than the amateur. I admit now that I may at times have fallen into the trap of believing that perhaps this could be the case, after all the love of my aviation life is a bullish handful of a little Pitts Special, a machine that bears so little resemblance to your typical airliner it’s hard to believe they both fundamentally share the same blood.

That shared bloodline became rather more obvious to me after I joined the now sadly defunct flybe and learned to fly the Dash 8. This was an aircraft that I can honestly say now holds a chunk of my heart equal in size to that of my little Pitts, for reasons both remarkably similar and wildly different. My feelings aren’t purely about the machine itself; as the truth−as I’m sure every Dash pilot will attest−is that she is a cantankerous handful, requiring a heap of patience and understanding to get the best from−some would say not unlike me, really!

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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Pilot.

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FLERE HISTORIER FRA PILOTSe alt
Hybrid-Electric ‘Hawaii Bird' Makes First Flight
Pilot

Hybrid-Electric ‘Hawaii Bird' Makes First Flight

Electric aviation company Ampaire flew its second technology demonstrator on 10 September. The aircraft is a refined version of its Cessna 337 ‘Electric EEL’ hybrid-electric power conversion.

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3 mins  |
November 2020
Rare Rearwin
Pilot

Rare Rearwin

Made in tiny numbers by Piper and Aeronca standards, the beautifully-engineered Rearwin Skyranger proves to be a delight waiting to be discovered

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2020
Dr Hill's new helicopter
Pilot

Dr Hill's new helicopter

You’ve seen pictures of concept helicopters before, and most of them never rose from the paper… but this one has a better chance than most of flying in the real world. It’s the Hill HX50, and the designer describes it as a ‘disruptive’ entry into the small helicopter market, offering a step-change for the better in safety, performance, comfort and elegance.

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2 mins  |
November 2020
Make mine a turbine!
Pilot

Make mine a turbine!

To say aviation and turbines is a happy marriage is true−albeit mainly in the airline, business aircraft and helicopter world. Light aviation, especially the ultralight segment, remains essentially a turbine free field−apart from noble exceptions, in the form of single-engine jets and ‘experimentals’.

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10+ mins  |
November 2020
Industry experts say...
Pilot

Industry experts say...

Representatives from a selection of Approved Training Organisations look forward to the future of Commercial Air Travel and prospects for professional pilots after the pandemic

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10 mins  |
November 2020
Flight training
Pilot

Flight training

News from the clubs, schools & ATOs

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3 mins  |
November 2020
First airline job
Pilot

First airline job

... won and lost after just eighteen months in the right-hand seat. Reflections on the rewards of the hardest work in a lifetime

time-read
9 mins  |
November 2020
Safety Matters
Pilot

Safety Matters

Safety Matters and Safety Briefs are based on the AAIB Bulletin and UK Airprox Board reports, with additional material from the US National Transportation Safety Board.

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10+ mins  |
November 2020
Donegal wins ‘most beautiful airport' - again!
Pilot

Donegal wins ‘most beautiful airport' - again!

Donegal in Ireland has been named as the ‘world’s most beautiful airport 2020’ – for the third successive year – in a major vote by more than six thousand ‘flying fans’. The award is given as part of the annual Scenic Airports poll conducted by private jet booking service PrivateFly.

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1 min  |
November 2020
Come to Sweden!
Pilot

Come to Sweden!

A French pilot retires to Sweden, where he enjoys great weather, blissful flights and barbecues – and invites British flyers visit this GA-friendly country

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10+ mins  |
November 2020