What's It Like in the Cockpit?

Filed in archive Modern World on November 2, 2007

Frequent fliers are old friends with an airplane's passenger cabin. They know all the tricks of how to sleep, how to pass the time, and how react with nonchalance when the plane is tossed around by turbulence. I've often wondered what it's like in the cockpit of one of these planes. Probably not much different than from my window seat, right?



I've had conversations with several airline pilots. Aside from a cool demeanor that must come from landing multi million dollar aircraft, they offered little insight into what it's like to fly. There are a few websites, like this one that give a bit of insight, but, at least to me, the cockpit remains akin to the "cool kids' clubhouse."

In a way, riding the jet stream every day must be exhilarating. You get to see the world, and get paid for it. I'm sure there is more to the job than that, but as far as travel industry jobs go, pilots probably have the best of it.