My life as a long-haul pilot 👩‍✈️

Hello everyone :) I am back on the blog after a a very busy and challenging period !

As some of you might know at the beginning of the year I decided to take a huge step and started flying long-haul. I looked at this new chapter with a lot of excitement and curiosity and I can assure you I was not wrong 😑! I could keep talking an entire day about how different flying long-haul is compared to my previous short-haul experience but let’s summarize quickly the main differences :

1. Roster

My roster is published the same way as when I was flying short-haul - 14 days before the end of each month. However, I have less flights (up to 4 rotations a month). This limited amount of flights increased the overall stability of my roster so I can plan better my time off and be fully engaged when I am at home, with the loved ones.

2. Flying schedule

Long-haul flights usually depart Europe and USA 🇺🇸 in the late evening, so no more waking up at 4 am for me. What a blessing! However, flights ✈️ can be up to 12 hours long so I has to adjust my sleep schedule in order to be fully rested when I check-in and keep my energy level high all night long.

Luckily , long-haul pilots and cabin crew are required to take turns and have some rest during the flight in a dedicated area, where temperature and brightness can be adjusted . This is great as, while 2 pilots are fully focused on the safety of flight, a third one can relax or sleep 😴, in order to recover the energy level for landing.

3. Stand by’s

You might remember my previous post about rosters, where I explained the concept of stand by’s. A stand by is usually a 12 hours period where crew is required to stay at home (or in th Crewroom) and be fully available in case the airline needs a him or her to cover a flight, because of another crew is late or sick. Well, there are no more stand by’s for me ! (Or almost)

Since I started flying long-haul my roster is much more predictable so all roster changes are notified at least 48 hours in advance.

4. Layovers and hotels

I am not going to lie - this is my favorite 🤩 part of the job. The destinations are cool (especially in the USA) and the hotels simply amazing. Layovers are usually 48-72 hours (very rarely 24 hours, for instance NY) so there is enough time to visit the city 🏙️ and take amazing pictures. Hotels sometime propose some local activities with discounts for crew so no reasons to skip any of them !

5. Days off

Flying long-haul means being away for longer period of time (4-14 days in average). However, when returning to base, crew can benefit of extended recovery times (5-10 days off). This is great to catch up with friends and family or dedicate some time to hobbies . For me this means taking long walks and going to the gym every day.. to compensate a bit for the jet lag and sleepless nights.

6. Take off and landings

This is so different compared to the short-haul. I remember the times I was operating 10-20 sectors a week. Now I consider myself lucky if I get to operate twice a week. This requires more focus and extra sim sessions to keep the skills sharps and knowledge up to date. Theoretical aspects of the job are much more visible and a lot of my time has been dedicated to reviewing the operations manuals and ATPL concepts.

7. Food and lifestyle

As much as I like investing in my health and wellness I have to confess that is hard not to gain weight when flying long-haul. This is because of unlimited snacks and drinks on-board offered during the night flights. As a result, I always feel I must spend extra hours at the gym during the layovers to compensate and keep myself in good shape.

8. Conclusion

To conclude, long-haul is a brand new opportunity that is slowly opening up to me. It comes with great surprises and lots of responsibility but I am happy I will be able to share my experiences with you. If you wish to start flying long-haul, don’t hesitate to put your questions in the comments sections and we’ll try to create a community and find the answers together. Thank you 🙏 so much for sharing this journey with me. See you next time !