An Interview With an Airline Captain

Taylor: Captain Fred how did you become an airline pilot? 

Capt Fred: I went through the 2 year Air Force ROTC program while attending the University of Michigan. After graduating with a BA degree in Economics I went to Willams AFB in Phoenix, AZ. There I trained in the T-37 and T-38 jet trainers for about 1 year. 

Taylor: What type of flying did you do while going through the Air Force training? 

Capt Fred: Great question Taylor. The T-37 was a fun airplane to fly. The takeoff and landing speed was from 80-100 knots. After takeoff we would fly out to airspace that was specifically reserved for military aircraft. There we would do stall training, loops, aileron rolls, barrell rolls, cuban eights, split s, intrument training and formation training. Our acrobatic training was done about 250 knots to enable us to complete the manuever. As I advanced to the T-38 all the speeds doubled and everything happened much faster. All this was excellent training for decision making and planning your mission. 

Taylor: What did you do after pilot training? 

Capt Fred: Through out pilot training all the instructors are evaluating you in a number of areas. Flying skills, leadership, team work, officer skills and many others. At the end of pilot training you are assigned a category. TTB which stands for tanker, transport, bomber. FAR which stands for fighter attack, reconissance. FAR/IP which is FAR and instructor pilot. I was one of the few chosen to become an instructor pilot and went to additional training to learn how instruct new students in the T-37. I went to Randolph AFB in San Antonio TX where we learned to fly and instruct, look for common errors, and many other grading items. 

Taylor: Did you enjoy being a T-37 instructor? 

Capt Fred: Yes, it was a fantastic experience. Not only did I become a better pilot but I was able to meet many great new students and got to know my fellow instructors better. I went on to be a Check Pilot which is the instructor that gave checkrides to the students. I then went on to be in standardization where I gave instructor pilots their checkrides. When it was time for me to put in for a new assignment I chose the C-5 Galaxy as it was the largest transport aircraft in the free world at the time. 

Taylor: Wow, that is fantastic! That is like going from the smallest to the largest aircraft! 

Capt Fred: That's right Taylor it is. I had to go to 4 months of training in Altus, OK. I was then assigned to Travis AFB, CA. Flying the C-5 was an awesome experience. Commanding up to 22 crew members ages 19-50 and flying an aircraft over 700,000 pounds all over the world. It was a dream come true and the perfect lead in for my airline career! I became an instructor, aerial refueling specialist and instructor other pilots in low level navigation taking the plane down to only 500 feet above the ground! 

Taylor: So what made you go to the airlines? 

Capt Fred: My dream since high school had always been to be an airline captain. During my junior year I read a national geographic article about flying. In the article it talked about a pilot that owned his own business, had an airplane, flew it to work, and flew for the airlines half of the month! It sounded like a wonderful job to me. So after 3 1/2 years as a C-5 pilot I was ready to become an airline pilot. 

Taylor: How did you choose your airline? 

Capt Fred: I sent out my applications to all the major airlines at the time. I had 3 interviews and 2 job offers. I talked with as many pilots as I could from each airline and also did research on the financials and history of each airline. In the interviews I asked them questions about long term growth, company culture, and what the management goals were. It was quite a process and I was excited when it was over. We moved back to Michigan where I grew up with our 4 1/2 kids and I was based out of Detroit. 

Taylor: What airplanes have you flown since you have been with the airline? 

Capt Fred: I started out as a B-727 second officer for 5 years and then moved to the DC-10 as a second officer for 8 years. I gained seniorty there and become an instructor. That was a great job and it gave me a lot of flexibility with my schedule. I then became a first officer on the A-330. After 3 years I decided I had had enough of international flying and put in to become a captain on the A-320. In July of 2007 I completed training and became an airline captain. It took much longer than I had anticipated but it was well worth the wait. 

Taylor: So how days a month does the average pilot fly? 

Capt Fred: Well, there are many different types of schedules. If you bid for low hours you may flew as few as 11 or 12 days a months. If you bid for high hours or you are in a reserve status you could fly or be gone 19 days per month. 

Taylor: What is the best way to travel with kids? 

Capt Fred: Plan ahead. Bring their favorite "treats" for those crucial times on the plane when they get hungry or bored. Many people bring a DVD player or laptop to play a movie. Make sure to bring extra head sets and buy a splitter so more than one can listen from the same player. Most pilots love talking to kids. So take them up to the flight deck as you are boarding the plane. I carry a blackberry so if you do not have a camera with you I can take your picture and email it to you right there on the spot! Make sure you drink lots of water through out the flight. This is very important for all travelers. The cabin altitude will dehydrate you rapidly and occationally give you a headache so this is VERY IMPORTANT! For smaller children make sure they are drinking or sucking or chewing something during the descent. This is when your ears "pop". This chewing motions helps to clear your eyes. There is another way to clear your ears but you must be very careful so they you do not hurt your ear drums. Ask a pilot and he will tell you how to do this. 

Taylor: How to you beat jet lag? 

Capt Fred: I have found that everyone is different and have heard and tried many techniques. Here is what I have found works best for me. First, drink lots of water. You may have to use the restroom more but it is well worth the effort. I am not a doctor so I will not say how much to drink for you, but for me, I drink at least 10 ounces per hour of flight. If I have been working out and sweated a lot I may drink more. Everyone's body is different, but the bottom line is drink as much as you can within your own limits. Try not to drink any soda pop. This has been a hard one for me but everytime I just drink water I always feel better. No caffeine and limited alcohol. All these things will take away from your hydration which is critical to feeling your best at your destination. If you are tired on the plane, take a nap. Of course this is not possible as a pilot on the flight deck however on long international flights we normal have a relief pilot and ususally get a 1-2 nap and or break. When you get to your destination it makes a big difference what time it is. Going to Europe we always got there in the morning, noon at the latest. Early in my career I would stay up, tough it out and go to bed about 8pm. Later, I would sleep for 4-6 hours, and then stay up until 1 or 2 am. The second way allow me to be a lot more productive and feel better sooner. While I was up I would work out so that when I went to bed I would sleep well through the night. 

Taylor: Well Capt Fred it was great talking with you and I look forward to our next conversation 

Capt Fred: Thank you Taylor and if anyone has anymore questions I would be happy to answer them at my website www.askmycaptain.com 

Always Fly High, 

Capt Fred 

www.AskMyCaptain.com