People think pilots just turn on autopilot and sit doing nothing, but this rumor started some years ago that airplanes fly themselves, and this isn’t even remotely true. Pilots fly a highly automated airplane and, yes, they fly on autopilot most of the time, but this doesn’t mean they sit around doing nothing. Flying manually or under autopilot is the same.
Pilots are constantly planning what to do if things go wrong. Conditions change, forecasts sometimes are wrong, weather gets nasty, aircraft systems fail, passengers get sick, babies are born on board, airports get closed, and they cannot stop for troubleshooting. Pilots fly, navigate and communicate regardless of what’s happening, and they have to react calmly under extreme situations.
Pilots are responsible for the safety of their passengers. If something goes wrong with a car, bus or train, you can stop and wait for assistance. This is not possible when you are high up in the sky. The majority of the time pilots are basically in stand‑by mode, but the real value lies in the times outside stand‑by mode—takeoffs, landings, unruly passengers, or when fecal matter hits the rotating metal object. You may recall that a certain pilot Sully faced that very scenario and brought 155 people from imminent disaster to safety. In that moment he earned all of that pay and more.
Pilots are not paid well compared to what they have invested in their licenses and ratings. Many start their career with more than 100,000 dollars in debt, and salaries have been pushed down while work hours have been pushed up. Pilots have to work when most others are sleeping or celebrating holidays. My job carries high levels of stress and responsibility, and I cannot afford to screw up too much. Making the wrong decision can cost me my job or my license, or even worse. Making a good but inefficient decision can cost the company more money than they have paid me in 14 years.
In the old days, transport aircraft had five crew members on the flight deck—captain, co‑pilot, navigator, engineer and radio operator. Better radio equipment removed the radio operator, better navigation equipment removed the navigator, and automated systems removed the engineer. The airline companies saved money, but the pilots got more responsibilities. The autopilot reduces the workload, allowing us to communicate, navigate and manage the systems, especially as the sky becomes more crowded.
While there are indeed some slow times cruising on autopilot, the approach, landing, takeoff and departure can be extremely busy. Add bad weather, crowded skies, overworked controllers and it’s a recipe for hazards. Pilots get paid, most of all, for the ‘what ifs’: an engine comes apart, rapid depressurization, wind shear, another plane on the runway, an impending mid‑air, or countless mechanical issues. We train for all of that and more, including compound emergencies not written down for which we may have to make up a procedure.
What’s harder is how not only to keep calm during emergencies but also do the correct procedures so you don’t make the problem worse and crash the airplane. Physics and math say there’s no way to make an airplane that works perfectly every time. For that 0.001% we need good pilots and they’re not cheap to train or retain. Pilots are paid not for sitting in the seat but for being ready for those moments when equipment fails, mother nature gets nasty, people get unruly, or whatever else can go wrong on a plane—and having the skill and nerves to handle it.