What does it take to be a pilot?

Airline captains talk about the demands of the job and how they like to unwind

The life of an airline pilot is exacting. The irregular hours, rigid health and fitness requirements and multiple steps involved to get the job, render it one of the most challenging careers to take up. So it follows that when pilots have some downtime, relaxing and unwinding are top priority. Metrolife spoke to some captains to learn about the demands of the job and how they de-stress.

Health focus

Ajesh D’Souza’s work has taken him to multiple locations in India and around Asia. The Spicejet pilot shares that he has flown to Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the UAE. “You get to stay at the best hotels and try different cuisines, but it is important to be conscious of how much you are eating or drinking, and work out regularly,” says D’Souza, explaining that they are required to have a normal body mass index.

While each airline has a different schedule, D’Souza currently flies four days a week, but technically has just one weekly off. “The other days I’m required to be on stand-by should they require backup,” he says. There’s a mandatory 14-hour gap between flights, but the schedule is taxing on the body, he shares. “Sometimes you’re sleeping through the day, then the next day you have a flight. There’s no time for your body to adjust to a fixed schedule,” he explains, adding that they go through regular medical tests. “If there are anomalies in your blood, if you have abnormal blood pressure, diabetes or cholesterol, a deviated septum etc, you will not be able to fly, because the lives of hundreds of people are in your hands,” he tells Metrolife.

Gender limitations

Are things more complicated for female pilots? Roopa Virupakshaiah does not think so. “I can only speak for myself. I’m unmarried and do not have kids, so it hasn’t been particularly challenging for me. But yes, I do think having to manage kids could present some problems,” says the pilot, who has been working with Air India for over two decades.

Rashmi Sharma, a new mother, explains that the aviation industry is a gender-neutral world. “It’s one of the few fields where there’s no salary disparity based on gender,” reveals the Spicejet employee, whose husband is also a pilot.

However, she says that in some ways, it is more complicated for women. For instance, when she learnt that she was pregnant, she had to go on maternity leave immediately. “Women in other industries begin their six-month maternity leave mostly a month before the baby is due. But for us, it’s too risky so we are required to go on leave as soon as we find out we are pregnant,” she says. This does not cover the entire maternity period so they extend it voluntarily until after the delivery and when they are ready to go back. “Then you have to take an eight-session training again before you can operate an aircraft,” she shares.

Unruly travellers

Talking about the increasing number of unruly passengers making headlines, Ankur Suri, an Indigo pilot, explains that one could put it down to the high volume of flights in recent months. “There have always been badly behaved passengers, but we are noticing them more often now because the number of flights have increased and consequently so have these incidents,” says Suri. When asked what he does when he is between flights, he says getting enough rest and dedicating time to fitness are important to him. “I enjoy running. I also relax by reading and writing,” he explains, adding that the job requires one to make huge sacrifices. Rashmi echoes his thoughts. “It is demanding. If you do not have the passion to do this day in and day out, you’re simply not cut out for it,” she says.