This week, Rose Cafe did a q&a based session. Mike Comella, a pilot for Delta Connection, was here and we got to ask him questions that you normally wouldn’t be able to ask a pilot. The most interesting thing I got from this experience, was how regulated pilots flying hours are. It gets so in depth that if a pilot is about to go over their allotted hours, even if on the runway, he/she needs to turn around to get a new pilot- the only way they can go over hours is if they take off before their time is up. This led straight into questions of fatigue such as sleep, health, and even if legs go numb. Mike explained how typically you will either always fly nights for a trip or fly during the day so you can create a natural sleep cycle for the duration of your trip. Also, how a pilot will have a few days on and then a few off. In addition, how a pilot has limits in the number of hours they can fly on any given day, week, month, or year.

One other aspect I enjoyed was how we got into the mechanics of the plane, and flight school. Mike was able to explain different key components of an aircraft what makes certain ones unique, and the mechanisms that are a necessity and those that are not. Also, learning about what is needed to become a commercial passenger pilot was quite neat. How you must start off with the basics, and seriously put in your hours and work your way up by gaining a multitude of certifications. He also shared with us how some schools such as Purdue have aviation as a major. Overall I enjoyed Mike and all he had to share with us, and how easy it was to engage with him.