At this Rose Cafe, Mr. Mike Comella, a pilot for Delta Airlines, came to share his experiences about his job as a pilot. I frequently use Delta Airlines to travel and it was very interesting to hear about the work that goes into flights and flying a plane, which offered a new perspective on flying.

Mr. Comella first discussed his training in order to fly a commercial airplane, which requires more training than flying for private parties or personal jets. In addition, he talked about the lifestyle of a pilot and how their schedules are managed for safety reasons. For example, a pilot typically works in three to four day trips, and can only fly a certain number of hours per day to make sure that fatigued pilots are not piloting. This is a result of a newer policy that reduces the number of hours pilots can work to increase safety of passengers. There have been other policies that have been implemented for increased safety as a result of previous accidents. This was reassuring information to hear as a frequent passenger.

Furthermore, the flight process was also explained in more detail. Mr. Comella talked about how the altitude of a plane is adjusted throughout the flight to reduce turbulence, and how there can be shortcuts to reduce travel time as much as possible. Although flights can be uncomfortable experiences at times, it was nice to know that they take passengers’ comfort and time into account. Overall, I learned a lot more the process of flying and more of the nuances behind commercial flights.