Typical cockpit dynamic during long transits

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Sean7432

Well-Known Member
Hey all,

I'm wondering what the typical day-to-day cockpit interaction is like for airline pilots? Is small talk routine? Or does it feel so much like Groundhog Day that pilots don't even bother getting into personal details with eachother?

I understand that reading/games are supposedly "discouraged" by some carriers, but how do pilots kill the time during long monotonous transits? I ask because I'm sort of an introvert and long bouts of small talk burn me out and I'd rather go for a book than 2 hours shooting the breeze with a stranger. Are there so many cockpit tasks that it's possible to do a 2 hr transit without having to awkwardly spark conversation?

Bizarre question I know, but I've always been curious and would like to know what it's like before investing in an airline career. Thanks all!
 
Heck, two hours is barely enough time to tell the other pilot about my time in the womb before I was born. It usually takes a few sequences before the other pilot sufficiently briefed on my life!

:)
 
It can get boring. Small talk is a part of aviation life you'll just have to get used to. Some airlines allow reading and other ways to pass the time. Others do not. A lot will depend on your captain. Part of the interview process is to see how well you'll fit with others in the airline. Its important to having someone in the flight deck who will not be an issue for the crew. You need to be personable and easy going to survive this industry.

Point is you will be stuck in an area smaller than most walk in closets with another employee for hours on end. You'll need to be able to get along with that other employee. Some like silence, some don't and just want to talk to pass the time. Otherwise you are just staring out the window.

If this is a big concern for you then this might not be the best job for you. Flying is hours and hours of boredom with a bit of excitement on both ends (that would be the takeoff and landing). Pretty much every flight is like that.
 
AAPalmTree said:
I honestly heard that 9-11 is a hoax and that the earth is flat on a recent trip. I kid you not.
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Wait, wait, wait.....you head the earth was flat from a pilot? Or a passenger? Did you explain to them the term empirical evidence while in cruise?
 
L-16B said:
I get lectured on how date of hire is the only fair way to integrate. Or politics. Or how 30 years can't get them a single weekend or Holliday off.
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Hol.... Hollandaise? Isn't that a sauce?


I've yet to have to fly with a real d-nozzle, but generally if the conversation is going somewhere I don't care for I just take the Hank Hill approach and go "Yep. Yep. Mmhmm" and nod. No reason to bust a tit unless it's really over the line and sometimes the goofy stuff is pretty entertaining.
 
JordanD said:
Hol.... Hollandaise? Isn't that a sauce?


I've yet to have to fly with a real d-nozzle, but generally if the conversation is going somewhere I don't care for I just take the Hank Hill approach and go "Yep. Yep. Mmhmm" and nod. No reason to bust a unless it's really over the line and sometimes the goofy stuff is pretty entertaining.
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If it stays that way within the first year that just means that YOURE the D-nozzle :-p
 
av8tr1 said:
Wait, wait, wait.....you head the earth was flat from a pilot? Or a passenger? Did you explain to them the term empirical evidence while in cruise?
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A pilot. Asked him about the pictures from the moon or the space station. The space station and the moon landing were shot on a film set. The scariest part.. He was not yanking my chain.
 
AAPalmTree said:
A pilot. Asked him about the pictures from the moon or the space station. The space station and the moon landing were shot on a film set. The scariest part.. He was not yanking my chain.
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Next time just tell him to STFU and watch the chemical tank pressure for the contrail sprayers.

You've got more important stuff to be doing than debating if the world is flat.
 
AAPalmTree said:
A pilot. Asked him about the pictures from the moon or the space station. The space station and the moon landing were shot on a film set. The scariest part.. He was not yanking my chain.
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Well there goes the idea that Pilots are highly intelligent factually based thinkers......
 
Dexter said:
Or he was and he's an even bigger troll than you thought he was
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I'm still pretty convinced that the flat earth society, save a few nut job believers, are really just massive trolls or simply trying to make a philosophical point. I mean, just look at some of the mental gymnastics required to dismiss certain round earth claims and, well, not many people are that flexible.

What do we do? Well, there is a standard set of questions for the first leg. Where you from? Married? What does your wife do? Does she like being a nurse/teacher? Kids? App in at delta? These should get you through the first couple of legs. Sometimes you fly with someone you really get along with and the hot mic stays on the whole trip. Other times you two just don't have anything to talk about. When that happens I absolutely do NOT read books on my phone or look at pictures of my kid. Follow?
 
Although I wish it weren't so, the "few nut job believers" may be more than you imagine.

While their numbers aren't large as a percentage of total population, there are astoundingly more of them than I would ever have imagined, passionate in their conviction and steadfast in their belief.

As the father of a "convinced believer," I find their logic, "science" and reasons for belief amazingly terrifying, yet firmly held. It is beyond belief ...
 
AAPalmTree said:
A pilot. Asked him about the pictures from the moon or the space station. The space station and the moon landing were shot on a film set. The scariest part.. He was not yanking my chain.
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I think I've flown with that guy...
Told me about the "fake" moon landings.
 
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