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Life in the Cockpit<br />
Chris Jones is a pilot with<br />
British Airways. James<br />
Norris asked him about his<br />
work...<br />
When did you know you wanted to be<br />
a pilot?<br />
I think I’ve always wanted to fl y. I<br />
considered many different career<br />
options, but I always wanted to do<br />
something with aeroplanes.<br />
How long do you have to train<br />
to become a pilot and what<br />
qualifications do you need?<br />
There are various routes to becoming<br />
an airline pilot. The fastest, and probably<br />
most popular, option is the integrated<br />
Air Transport Pilots Licence course<br />
where you get all the licences required<br />
to fl y a commercial jet aircraft. It can<br />
take only 18 months, requires no formal<br />
qualifi cations to start, but is very tough<br />
work.<br />
So how does it work… do you fly<br />
somewhere, and then fly back after a<br />
few hours?<br />
It varies. Depending on the lengths of<br />
sectors (fl ights), I fl y between one and<br />
four sectors in a day. I report for work at<br />
the airport an hour before departure time<br />
and meet with the captain (to discuss<br />
the aircraft, weather, notices for airspace<br />
and airports). We then proceed to the<br />
aircraft and set it up for departure. Most<br />
destinations I fl y to are one-and-a-half<br />
to three-and-a-half hours away, but<br />
between fl ights we are normally on the<br />
ground for about 45 minutes before the<br />
return fl ight. This allows for refuelling,<br />
cleaning and for me to disembark the<br />
aircraft, but not for sightseeing!<br />
What do you like about your job?<br />
There are so many great things about<br />
fl ying! No two days are ever the same:<br />
I fl y with different crews, to different<br />
destinations with different weather. I’m<br />
hugely privileged to get some of the<br />
greatest views in the world, whether<br />
it be crossing the Alps on a crisp<br />
winter’s morning, seeing amazing cloud<br />
formations or spotting constellations<br />
and shooting stars when fl ying at night.<br />
Getting a landing just right is also pretty<br />
satisfying!<br />
What is your favourite view from the<br />
cockpit?<br />
There are lots to choose from, but the<br />
approach in to Heathrow over the centre<br />
of London is hard to beat!<br />
Do you have a favourite airport?<br />
I love fl ying to lots of different airports<br />
for lots of different reasons. The view of<br />
Venice on fi nal approach is great and<br />
Funchal airport with its runway built on<br />
stilts always takes my breath away!<br />
St Chad’s Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats<br />
Church Office: Linden Avenue, Sheffi eld S8 0GA<br />
Tel: (0114) 274 5086<br />
Page 8<br />
email: office@stchads.org<br />
website: www.stchads.org
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