Pilots walk around the aircraft to ensure that the aircraft's exterior is safe and secure. Pilots are looking for various problems such as: Loose parts. Fluid Leaks, such as hydraulic or fuel.
Before each flight, in addition to the checks the engineers complete, one of the pilots will always conduct an exterior "walk-around" of the aircraft to ensure that they are happy with its condition.
ALL pilots (at least smart ones) do walk-around inspections of aircraft before take-off. You are about to trust your life and the lives of everyone aboard to this machine. A visual inspection can reveal all kinds of problems, from damaged control surfaces to leaking hydraulic fluid.
In aviation, a go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach or has already touched down. A go-around can either be initiated by the pilot flying or requested by air traffic control for various reasons, such as an unstabilized approach or an obstruction on the runway.
The pilot primarily inspects outside parts of the aircraft they will steer, e.g. control surfaces, tires and possible leaks from fuel or oil.
Answer: Yes, pilots know what every button and switch does. The school to learn the specifics of an airplane is very intense, requiring great concentration for several weeks. Following the ground school, simulator sessions train pilots in the procedures necessary to fly the airplane.
When clouds surround an airport, pilots have been able to find the path to the runway for decades by using an Instrument Landing System, or ILS.
I've known pilots who are scared of flying. In the industry, they are known as seagulls because you have to throw rocks at them to get them to fly and, even then, they squawk the entire time. One mate of mine who wasn't keen on flying said he coped by always taking a taxi to the airport.
Easier Navigation
Navigating at night can actually be much easier than during the day. Large conurbations and their associated street lights can be seen from miles away. Making it easy to pinpoint them and fly towards them. Roads are also much easier to pick out against the surrounding terrain.
Be ready for loneliness. Not trying to dissuade you, but dating a pilot can be hard since they are often away and can't be contacted easily. You have to be ready to deal with being alone much of the time. If you want to have a weekend getaway, it may not always be possible.
The simple answer is yes, pilots do, and are allowed to sleep during flight but there are strict rules controlling this practice. Pilots would only normally sleep on long haul flights, although sleep on short haul flights is permitted to avoid the effects of fatigue.
It is possible that a pilot may be nervous, but they will act in accordance with their training. My experience is that professional pilots are people who deal with abnormal or emergency situations effectively.
Pilots are trained to handle all sorts of nerve-racking situations, but that doesn't mean that they don't get scared—especially in these real instances, told by the pilots who experienced them, of serious in-flight fear.
The pilot can sleep for no more than 40 minutes, and must wake up at least half an hour before the descent for landing. They get the first 15 minutes after the nap to fully awaken, during which they can't resume actually flying the plane, unless they need to help deal with an emergency.
Fatigue is particularly prevalent among pilots because of "unpredictable work hours, long duty periods, circadian disruption, and insufficient sleep". These factors can occur together to produce a combination of sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm effects, and 'time-on task' fatigue.
Flight plans need to account for the curvature of the earth when they are created. Since the earth is three-dimensional, it would be impossible not to fly in an arc. Another reason that planes would choose to fly in a trajectory that resembles an arc is to account for the amount of traffic that will be in the air.
They are Highly Experienced
Well, first of all, they are highly trained professionals. They have years of experience and know exactly what to do in any given situation. This experience helps them to remain calm under pressure.
One important issue was how to ensure that the co-pilot didn't also accidentally fall asleep. This has been a real concern for many years in aviation, with some studies reporting that as much as 50% of pilots accidentally fall asleep during flights.
While it all comes down to your preferences, daytime flying has the upper hand when it comes to visibility. Because of the sunlight, any possible obstructions, such as rocks or mountains, are far easier to spot, making the likelihood of accidents much less and daytime flying the safer option by far.
Takeoff and landing are widely considered the most dangerous parts of a flight.
The biggest fear that pilots have is probably the fear of crashing or having a mechanical failure while in flight.
The reason to dump fuel is simple: to drop weight. Any given aircraft has a Maximum Landing Weight (MLW) at which it can land, and in most cases that weight is lower than its Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW).
Within the aircraft's cockpit is an instrument known as the ADF or the automatic direction finder. The ADF shows where the aircraft is located in relation to the beacon. Using this information, the pilot directs the airplane to the source of the signal.
Answer: Pilots traditionally used radios to navigate. The FAA ground stations known as Very High Frequency Omni Directional Range (VOR) provided the enroute guidance. Lining up with the runway used the Instrument Landing System (ILS) which provided lateral (left – right) and vertical (up – down) guidance.