Last week, I went to a talk given by aircraft pilot Mike Comella. I thought it was very cool that he works for Delta Airlines, the company I have often used for flights between campus and home. When you fly on a large commercial plane from one place to another, you may not think too much about what’s going on in the cockpit. But it’s interesting to consider how much responsibility pilots have for keeping passengers safe. This point was emphasized by the discussion on strict schedule guidelines enforced by airline companies to help ensure that pilots are well rested when they are flying. I was also struck by the life style of a commercial airline pilot. They tend to work in about three to four day spurts, often spending time in hotels near different terminals between flights. There are very few other jobs with this sort of schedule. I could definitely see how you wouldn’t mind not being able to settle down at home every night in your home city if you love flying. But even then, I could see why some pilots may not be interested in working for a commercial airline. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why there is a shortage of pilots, and the pay for a starting pilot has practically doubled in the last couple years. One final point I would like to mention is that for some pilots, such as Mr. Comella, flying actually feels safer than driving a car. Statistics even agree with this, so maybe that’s something to consider if you happen to have a fear of flying!