Last week I went to a cafe where we got the opportunity to speak with a pilot. It was really interesting. One thing that really struck me was when we were talking about safety and how traveling by plane is safer than traveling by car. I was reminded of the time when the plane that I was on had make an “emergency landing”. I was in high school, and I was traveling with my parents to go on college visits. We had just taken off when the pilot came on and told us that one of the engines wasn’t working and we had to go back to the airport. Those 15 minutes until we landed were some of the most terrifying moments of my life. Thankfully, we landed safely at the airport and everyone was fine. I noticed as we were landing that there were firetrucks and ambulances waiting in case the landing did not go as planned. Even though this was a scary experience, this really reinforced how safe air travel is. The plane was fine and able to land even though one of its engines wasn’t working. There are redundancies to make sure that such a malfunction isn’t catastrophic.

At last week’s Rose Cafe with pilot Mike Comella I got to hear a new perspective on flying. I’m really close with my grandpa and he talks about flight a lot. He was in the Air Force in WWII and he flew recreationally until quite recently (he’s in his 90’s). I’ve heard a lot of complaints from him (basically for as long as I’ve been alive) about how flight became less fun after regulations were increased in response to 911 and his fears that the newest group of pilots rely too heavily on technology.

Hearing Mr. Comella’s thoughts and opinions on flight were especially interesting to me because this was my first time hearing someone other than my grandpa discuss flight. Despite the large age gap, Mr. Comella seemed to agree with the majority of grandpa’s opinions. He stated that there were more regulations in response to accidents / acts of terrorism but as a commercial pilot he seemed to view these regulations in a more positive light. He also acknowledged that pilots rely on technology but that this should make flying safer overall. However, in the event that all of the tech / automated components of a flight were to malfunction he presented some qualms as to how effectively the situation would be handled. I plan on calling my grandpa up some time this week to let him know what I learned because I’ll finally be able to bring some knowledge on this subject to the table.

This Cafe talk also gave me insight into the day-to-day life of a pilot. I love airports and being in planes so part of me feels that I should give flying a try (especially since women are a minority in this field) but another huge part of me is pretty terrified of being in charge of an aircraft. Based on our discussion, however, I’m pretty certain that flying becomes second nature to pilots and that their main hassles are staying awake during flights and awkward lengths of time between flights. It’s funny to me that a job as glamorous and exciting as being a pilot (or at least glamorous in my mind) might actually feel like a pretty regular job to those who have it.

Last week I attended the Rose Cafe where we spoke with a pilot about flying. As a person who travels quite a lot, often by plane, it was interesting to hear from the person in the cockpit. The conversation was very diverse, as we discussed everything from getting a pilot’s license, to a typical day as a commercial airline pilot, to airline regulation and trade unionization.
I was most struck by the pilot’s comment about airline regulation being “written in blood”, as many of the regulations have been implemented in the wake of a crash. Specifically, he spoke about the new regulations regarding work hours for flight crews. I had never thought very much about this process, but it seems to mirror the way a lot of regulation is created, not just in aviation.
Additionally, I was interested to learn about the schedule of a pilot. I had no idea the way that days were scheduled, so it was interesting to hear him talk about how he flies for “blocks” of 4 days at a time, and then has 7 or 8 days off. This definitely strays away from my understanding of a typical work day!
Overall, I enjoyed last week’s cafe. Flying has become kind of mundane for me, so it was really cool to get a behind the scenes understanding of commercial aviation!

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!

Last Wednesday, we had a informational and meaningful talk with Mr. Mike Comella who is currently a First Officer for Delta’s Endeavor Air.  It’s really not a common thing to talk with a pilot who has been in the aviation industry for 32 years.

Taking a flight is a really serious thing, where passengers follow the rules strictly and quietly, people while  really curious about aviation, don’t have chance to ask questions. It’s even a rare thing to see the pilot. I haven’t. Mr. Comella is a really nice guy. While our questions are quite ‘creative’, not that professional, he answered professionally. For example, how a pilot not fall asleep, his favorite airports and one of the most memorable flights. It’s quite interesting to hear those answers from him, from a pilot’s perspective. These seemingly random questions actually demonstrate the job and industry more vividly. Quite fascinating occupation I think.

Also, he brought up some hidden issues that we passengers do not know. For instance, the small number of female pilots in the industry. It’s quite surprising that there are only a few female pilots. As Mr. Comella said when he was in the pilot class, there were only about two or three females in two classes about sixty people. In fact, I can’t see any direct reasons about this phenomenon and during the talk, we didn’t reach any conclusion either.

One of the explanations I could give is probably ‘mothers’ tend to stay home and look after the family. Even when they are not stay-home mothers, they prefer to have a stable 9-5 job close to where the family lives. Then, since it’s not that easy to get a pilot license, there might not be many single ladies in the industry. Or similar reasoning, they want to be close to their female friends or boyfriends while males can hang out with their male colleagues. its interesting that the fact that there are few female pilots might discourage female from pursuing the career from a sociological perspective.

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.

On Wednesday, I attended the Rose Cafe where Mike Comella led a discussion about what it takes to be a pilot and the insights he has learned from his thirty-two years of aviation experience.  He first explained all the steps needed to fly for a major airline like Delta.  There are various certifications, such as a commercial license and instrument rating, each with different amounts of training hours required.  Comella said that it takes at least two years of training to meet the minimum requirements to fly for a major airline.  

Comella asked us if we have ever had bad flying experiences.  Nearly everyone has had to deal with turbulence and/or sick passengers sitting next to them.  I learned that pilots strive to minimize turbulence by carefully checking weather forecasts beforehand and adjusting the current altitude when necessary.  

I also learned how today’s airplanes have so many redundant systems in the event that one malfunctions.  I was surprised to hear that some newer planes do not have manual controls as a backup for certain systems, like the hydraulics.  However, these systems often have two other backups, and the probability of all three systems failing is quite low.  In addition, for planes with multiple engines, a pilot can perform an emergency landing with just one working engine.  

Comella also discussed how airline regulations have changed in the past decade to ensure pilots are not overworked and in need of more sleep.  These regulations limit how many hours a pilot can fly in a day, week, or month.  In some cases, pilots may have to turn around after leaving the gate if there is too long of a delay in taking off (the crew would need to be swapped out).  

Overall, I enjoyed this talk, since it enlightened me on what happens behind the cockpit door for every flight I have ever been on.  The talk also gave me a greater appreciation for all the hard work that pilots put in to ensure safety on each flight.

At the Pilot Rose Cafe this past Wednesday, a series of questions were posed to Mike Comella, an experienced commercial pilot. He described his experience flying privately and commercially. It seems that while flying privately may be more fun, as he was able to fly famous athletes, musicians, and celebrities, the schedule is much less regular than a commercial pilot. I found it very interesting that he has four day work cycles, where he starts and ends at La Guardia airport, but usually doesn’t spend the night at home during that cycle. He also mentioned that pilots usually fly either day or night shifts, which made me feel more comfortable knowing that my pilot hasn’t been awake for a ridiculous amount of time. He also explained that if your flight is every delayed or canceled due to flight crew issues, it is usually because the crew has been working for too long and it would be unsafe for the crew to continue working. While I am rarely happy my flight is canceled or delayed, knowing that the delay helps guarantee my safety makes me much more understanding of the problem.

When I first saw the poster for an airline pilot coming for the Rose Cafe, I was plunged into the past when my dream was to become a pilot. There was a good three or four years where I was convinced that I wanted to be a pilot. Although I no longer aspire to being a pilot, I still found the cafe very interesting. He addressed a couple of questions that really interested me back then- what was it like flying with a co-pilot? how do you start the process of becoming a pilot? what is it like staying in different hotels most nights?

A life of travel and unpredictability seemed very appealing to me back then. I didn’t anticipate wanting to settle down anywhere, and couldn’t imagine anything better than traveling from one place to the next every day. After hearing his account of a pilot’s work schedule, I wonder if perhaps the idea I had of a pilot’s lifestyle was entirely wrong. There doesn’t seem to be quite as much freedom as I had once thought, what with there being restrictions on how many hours you can put in every week and the short overnight rests at hotels. Not to mention, it can get cramped in the cockpit for long international flights.

As much as I appreciate the service that pilots provide travelers like me, I have to say that I’m glad I abandoned that career path. As wide and open as the sky is, it must feel pretty uncomfortable when you’re stuffed into a cockpit for upwards of ten hours.

Mike Cornella, a licensed pilot for more than 32 years and a First Officer for Delta’s Endeavor Air, is the first pilot I’ve had the chance to hear from. What was most interesting to me about his discussion was how he got into the industry as a college sophomore: one day while riding his bike on campus, he found a flying advertisement and followed it all the way to the airport. The lesson I took away from his story is that it is never too late to start something if we are always open-minded. Another interesting thing I learned is where pilots go after landing their flights, which is something I’ve always wondered. Flying 2-3 legs a day, Mike sometimes has to stay overnight at hotels, which are paid for by the airline. Finally, I was surprised to learn that pilots often meet for the first time when the flight begins; a positive experience can lead to requesting to fly with each other again, while a negative experience can lead to never doing it again. Luckily, Mike has only experienced the latter once.

While it was fascinating to learn about airport operations and pilot licenses, the part of the Rose Cafe that I found most interesting was learning about pilots’ lifestyles. Instead of working nine to five, like most Americans, they have shifts of several days with multi-day breaks in between. There are strict restrictions on when they can work so that they do not become fatigued, as an impaired pilot could pose a huge safety risk. However, even with these restrictions it seems that pilots are still really pushed to their limits. Getting ten hours for a hotel stay really doesn’t seem like much. Assuming that a pilot needs eight hours of sleep to be operating at 100%, that only leaves 2 hours for changing, eating, showering, exercising, or relaxing. From how Mr. Comella describes his lifestyle, a pilot’s obligations can also leak into their time off the clock, as he has to work out and eat healthy in order to ensure that he is in peak physical condition and can handle the long, sedentary hours better.

The social conditions also seem less than ideal. Flight crews are randomized, so a pilot generally flies with a different crew every trip. Mr. Comella mentioned that talking to one’s coworkers can feel like Harold Ramis’s Groundhog Day. He finds himself asking every coworker the same questions as he gets to know a new person each flight.

Personally, I don’t think I would be able to handle a pilot’s lifestyle. I would enjoy being able to visit new places, and I do like the technical aspect of the job. However, going on multiple-day shifts with strangers and spending so many nights in hotels would break me. In addition, the stress of being responsible for passengers’ lives and and the time-sensitivity of the job would be too much.