Pilots are often thought of as having a glamorous and exciting jobs. But the reality is that flying a plane can be stressful. There are many things that pilots have to worry about, from weather conditions to mechanical problems. And, of course, there is always the risk of crashing.
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An airline pilot can be an extremely stressful job due to the workload, responsibilities and safety of the thousands of passengers they transport around the world. Chronic levels of stress can negatively impact one's health, job performance and cognitive functioning.
Being a pilot is considered a unique job that requires managing high workloads and good psychological and physical health. Unlike the other professional jobs, pilots are considered to be highly affected by stress levels.
On average, pilots rate the meaningfulness of their work a 3.6/5. Unlike many careers, pilots have little difficulty finding meaning in their work, and it likely constitutes one of the main reasons people become pilots.
How hard is a pilots life? Airline operations are nearly 24/7, 365-day-per-year operations. This means many weekends, holidays, early morning starts, and late-night finishes. Pilots lack control over these schedules, too, and we – at least at most airlines – operate on a schedule one month at a time.
The average pilot spends 225 hours per month between flight time and ground duties, however, they are afforded anywhere from 12 to 20 days off per month depending on seniority.
An airline pilot can be an extremely stressful job due to the workload, responsibilities and safety of the thousands of passengers they transport around the world. Chronic levels of stress can negatively impact one's health, job performance and cognitive functioning.
During the last several years, the FAA has invested resources to eliminate the stigma around mental health in the aviation community so pilots seek treatment. This includes: Increased mental health training for medical examiners.
There is a lot of energy in the systems we operate. So, yeah, it can be a bit stressful, even before we add scheduling pressures, time away from family and constant changes due to weather and customer demands. Almost every “most stressful jobs” list has “commercial pilot” listed in the top 10.
And finally, pilots use certain techniques to reduce stress levels. They might listen to calming music or meditate in their private areas. Or they might just take the time to relax with friends and family after a busy flight. In short, although being a pilot is a stressful job, there are ways to deal with the stress.
Many pilots find the job to be very exciting, dynamic, and rewarding. There are numerous careers in the aviation industry that you can pursue following your schooling.
They can be “workaholics” and goal-oriented. Everyone knows someone fitting such a description, and it may be that pilots predominately are Type A people. The Type B personality, meanwhile, usually exists at a lower stress level.
As a rough guide, you can expect to make between £40,000 – £60,000 in your first year as a pilot in the UK. For example, a 'second officer' at Easyjet will receive roughly £47,000 yearly, not including flight pay. You can expect to fly between 700-900 hours per year.
In the United States, the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) limit pilots to 36 flight hours in a week, 100 hours in 672 hours (28 days), and 1,000 hours in a 365-day calendar period.