In the cold, dark dome of a cockpit, pilots take their seats and review checklist procedures as they begin the complicated process of starting an aircraft.
For many, their only experience with the cockpit is a brief glance as a flight attendant leads them to their seat. For some, this glance can spark a desire for the sky — for being a pilot.
In August of 2012, Jose Silva wanted to learn to fly helicopters.
“It took me about 3 months to complete my private training,” Silva said. “Then I got accepted into the U.S. Army Flight School Program, which is more extensive and lengthy in nature [the total training time] from start to finish was about 15 months.”
Silva believes the most difficult part of his job is learning new material and remembering it.
“Memorizing the responses for emergency procedures, learning how all the aircraft systems work and how to diagnose if a malfunction occurs was very hard, and figuring [out] how to start up the helicopter was very tough,” Silva said.
The difficulty can be worth it, however. Benefits of being a pilot include paid-for hotels, meals and other arrangements needed for traveling.
“If we go to France for a week, my hotel, my meals, everything’s paid for while we’re there. And so for that week, I get to hang out and go do what I want to do depending on where we’re at, that can be a lot of fun, whether it’s in the Caribbean, or like in New Zealand, or Japan,” said David Boyd, chief pilot.
The role of a chief pilot is regulatory, ensuring that pilots and aircrafts are safe and legal. Chief pilots also supervise other captains and co-pilots to ensure they are respecting the rules of being a pilot.
“So, my role as a chief pilot is more administrative than anything. It’s just making sure that our pilots are safe and legal, and so are our [aircrafts],” said David Boyd, chief pilot. “Typically, a chief pilot is somebody who’s been doing this for a while; in my case, over 20 years. And, I’ve got other captains that I overlook, you know, oversee. And then, as well as co-pilots.”
When seeing an airplane flying in the sky, Silva becomes filled with excitement and enthusiasm, Boyd said.
