Are you confident that you understand well about the pilot besides the high salary, the opportunity to fly around the world and an office with “beautiful sky view”? Those are just “pink” stories covering the occupation that everyone admires. Behind the glamour are there always drawbacks that only insiders can understand.

Working at Bamboo Airways, I met my colleagues who had worked their whole lives with the cockpit. There is always a saying between them: “It’s not difficult to be a good pilot, it’s much harder to be an ‘old’ pilot.” “Old” here cannot be calculated by age, but the time you have been spending and living with your career.

To become a pilot, you not only need to have the extensive knowledge about aviation industry but also a good health to be ready to go through 3-4 stressful flights per day. No matter how excellent & experienced you are, if you have health limitations, you will be banned from flying indefinitely.

On every flight, my close colleagues must also follow very strict safety regulations. The captain and first officer never eat the same portions, or use the meals at the same time. This regulation is set out to prevent the case that if one of the two pilots is accidentally poisoned, the other can still complete the flight safely, bringing peace of mind for passengers.

You often hear about autopilot mode and think, it will help the pilot totally relaxed during the flight. It is a completely misconception. Autopilot mode only supports the pilot somewhat. However, there are many problems they have to handle manually such as changing flight levels, information exchange, navigation, fuel control… They are even not allowed to rest during the entire flight. Only in the long distance ones, they one-by-one are allowed to take a nap for 5-10 minutes.

Nevertheless, there is nothing as difficult as homesick, living away from home, facing the constant loneliness in the cockpit. The only thing that help them stay close to their loved ones are small photos hidden in their pockets, or videos stored on their personal phones.

That’s how you know, being a pilot is not just a happy story. However, it chooses them and they have the deep love for the career they have chosen. They are immensely passionate about the soaring into the sky or landing “softly” on the ground to take passengers to new lands far away or return to reunited with their loved ones. And if you love being a pilot, keep your passion and constantly making efforts to fulfill your dreams.