But during the takeoff roll between 80 knots and V1 (V1 is the go/no go speed beyond which we will go flying even if an engine explodes) you have essentially zero time if things go wrong to analyze it and react to it. In an airliner if something goes wrong the general rule is to sit on your hands first. You know if anything goes wrong your margins are tighter than normal so your laser focused on doing your job. The reaction is always swift the muted roar being swiftly replaced with a full-throated bellow as the engines go to maximum thrust and begin pushing the airplane down the runway.
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So now the airplane is sitting there the engines spooled but not yet roaring out their full song and you swiftly release the brakes and shove the thrust levers to the stops. We take the runway and when cleared for takeoff hold the brakes as we spool the engines up. The fence at the end of the runway always seems to come up fast even when you’ve done everything right which keeps you on your toes. The moment the gear hits the ground your pulling the engines into full reverse and your feet are poised on the brakes in case the automatic system (which will be set on the higher of the two settings) doesn’t immediately engage. You don’t milk the airplane into Burbank you get it down safely and quickly. Burbank (BUR) is more like a carrier landing. At a major hub airport like New York (JFK) I may gently milk the airplane onto the ground going for that ultra-smooth touch down. Landing there presents very little margin for error and you can never let your guard down. Burbank is a great example with its short runways and terrain all around it. I love airports that demand I bring my A game every time I operate from them. I derive pleasure from having faced a complex and difficult situation and managing that situation to a successful conclusion. Navigating weather and the need to always be mentally ahead of the airplane. I love the challenges that my job presents. And what pilot doesn’t love it when they truly grease on a landing the big bird alighting back on the concrete with barely a whimper. I love feeling how the airplane comes alive in my hands as we get the gear and flaps cleaned up and she enters her element. I love the feeling of easing the stick back and feeling the big bird break ground. Hearing the urgent growl as the two big turbofans come up to power and the shove back in my seat as the takeoff roll begins. I love the feeling of taking the runway and pushing the thrust levers forward. So, you want me to take 200,000 pounds of aluminum, fuel, people, and cargo with two big jet motors strapped to it pushing out 50,000 pounds of thrust and hurl it down a runway at over 160 mph and into the air? Sign me up please! We fly some very cool airplanes and getting to do that is just an enormous hoot.
Then there is the overgrown kid side of the equation. I feel like what I do matters and it helps motivate me to do it well. Knowing that gives what I do a real sense of purpose. Those are kids, moms, dads, grandparents, friends and mentors back there and the worst possible outcome would be to lose one of my passengers on my watch. And I never for one moment forget that I’ve been given a sacred trust to ensure that my customers reach their destination safely.
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Flying presents a series of challenges that are constantly changing even on days that are routine. It’s an awesome responsibility and one I take very seriously. When I come to work, I’m in command of an Airbus 320/321 and the crew. It might help to talk first about how awesome my job is. And yet as wonderful a job as this is it’s also a lousy career. I truly love my job and if I won a billion dollars in a lottery tomorrow I might fly less but I would not quit my job. For those of us who sit in the left seat at a major airline it’s often the culmination of years of hard work and more than a few boyhood dreams. There is truly no job in the world like being a commercial airline pilot. Part I: The Ups And Downs Of Being A Commercial Pilot: A Wonderful Job, But Lousy Career CONCLUSION: A Lousy Career, But A Great Job.Part I: The Ups And Downs Of Being A Commercial Pilot: A Wonderful Job, But Lousy Career.
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