Today

My Future Career!!

Since June 1995, I have always wanted to be a pilot and surprisingly, till now, it never changed.

Why I want to be a pilot? Well, mainly I like the idyllic sceneries you get when you fly at....
10000feet:

or 20000feet:

or 30000feetor even 80000feet: Yeah yeah, snap back to reality...
100feet would do:

Apart from that, the real reason is my first and only love is the sky... (Im not kidding).

So, whats a pilot?

Aviators (Pilots) are professionals who posses the ability of increased awareness of their surroundings, maintaining safety standards in an aircraft and commandeers the aircraft to the best of his ability. The aviator assumes the responsibility of all souls onboard as well as the structural integrity of the aircraft in flight. (NASA)

Pretty cheem eh? For better understanding, a pilot is very alert, safety conscious, and the "expert" when it comes to 'who can fly this thing??!!'. He is also responsible for everyone onboard and the aircraft.

What do I need to be one?

Minimum requirement to be a pilot:

Eyesight: less than 500deg

Academic: Degree, Diploma or a full GCE 'A' Level Certificate with passes in English, Maths and Physical Science at 'O' level.

Kinda strict right? And theres no chemistry involved! So what am I doing in ms Jee's class? I guess it might be fun to crawl in the fuel tanks once in a while, getting drenched in parrafin and doing a litmus test to identify impurities...

Overall, the job is perfect for me. Not only do I get to live my dream, I get to see the world and earn big bucks! Life is great huh?

However, the risks are high. Minor setbacks cannot be taken seriously.. For example, a tiny hole in an aircraft's structure.. a little duct tape here and there what could go wrong huh? -All can go wrong.

And Ironically, I like the risks, cus if you reach your destination safe and sound, the sense of achievement is amazing!

How's the job like?

I know all of you out there think that a pilot have to sit in a cockpit full of dials and switches and ask 'how do you manage all that??'. The answer, not all dials and switches are relevant to flying the plane. The ones right in front of you would do!

And on a long-haul flight like from Spore to London (13hrs), what are we doing? Flying the plane of course!! For 13hrs, we fight fatigue and boredom while you guys sleep comfortably! So a little appreciation would be good, or at least provide monopoly or sth for us...

Hence the average pilot would describe his job as long boring hours punctuated by split-second procedures and emergencies. Enjoy the boredom while you can cus when its time to land or an engine fails, you wont have time to ponder over what to do..