Behind the cockpit door: How pilots spend their time on long hauls

As the landing gear is retracted, the seatbelt sign switched off and the long-haul airliner climbs gracefully into the sky, the cabin is a flurry of activity. Passengers are busy adjusting their neck pillows and selecting a movie while cabin crew begin preparing the first meal service. It’s a rhythm and flow of activities well understood by frequent travellers, but unseen behind the locked flight deck door is the routine of the long-haul pilot crew.

Theirs is a routine which begins well before boarding. The crew meets around 60-90 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure time to review the flight planning information. On flights which traverse the airspace of many different countries, there can often be plenty of Notices to Airmen (yes, it is an antiquated term) to review before the fuel order for the flight is then finalised.

Security and immigration need to be negotiated just like a passenger, before the pilots arrive at the aircraft amid a whirlwind of cleaners, caterers and engineers at work. In the relative serenity of the flight deck, the pre-flight work then begins, including loading the route to be flown into the flight management system, configuring aircraft systems for departure and preparing aircraft take-off performance.

Flights of more than about 14 hours require four pilots. There will always be a captain who is the designated pilot in command, but the group can be made up in different ways, such as one captain, one first officer and two second officers or two captains and two first officers. Ahead of take-off, two pilots occupy the primary control seats, while the other two undertake checks ranging from the external walk-around of the aircraft, to checking there are pillows and blankets in the crew rest area.

That rest area is important for long-haul flying, especially now Boeing and Airbus are producing aircraft that can stay in the air for nearly 24 hours. Ensuring the pilots who are operating the aircraft during the approach and landing phase are well rested is vital. Airlines select their own crew rest design from options offered by aircraft manufacturers, but typically the bunk space can be in the cargo hold area or the ceiling above business class. The crew of four will split into two teams, with two pilots taking first break once the aircraft is safely into the climb.

The length of rest breaks will vary depending on how the crew are feeling. If a crew member can’t sleep, they’ll often return to the flight deck to see if their colleague will have better success. However, if sleep is forthcoming, then the crew on the flight deck will try to let them sleep for as long as they can.

On a short-haul domestic sector the pilots are preparing after take-off for their next arrival, but the cadence of a long-haul flight is very different. The crew remaining on the flight deck settles into a routine of monitoring tasks during the flight. The autopilot is used to reduce fatigue, but the crew needs to track the flight path and performance of the aircraft and configure the fuel pumps as fuel is consumed, climbing as the aircraft becomes lighter to maintain the most efficient cruising altitude.

There is also the matter of staying in constant communication with the various air traffic control centres along the route. As an example, a flight from Australia to Dallas starts with voice-to-voice contact with Brisbane air traffic control, before transferring to satellite communications via the on-board computer.

The flight is then transferred to Fijian authorities, before reaching US airspace a few more hours later. Over mainland US, one of the pilots becomes very busy on the radio as the aircraft constantly changes regions which means talking to a different controller every few minutes. This is the same when flying over Europe where the country changes every 10-20 minutes.

In parts of the world more prone to thunderstorms, pilots need clearance to deviate from the flight path to reduce turbulence and keep the aircraft safe. In the Intertropical Convergence Zone near the equator, bands of storms can force a detour of up to 200 kilometres from the intended flight path. It can certainly make for a busy night.

Flights where nothing out of the ordinary happens and the weather is great are uncommon.

Pilots also adopt a pessimistic attitude, always planning for the worst. They will keep constant track of which is the nearest airport and what it would take to get there in an emergency. Sometimes that is straightforward, however on certain routes the nearest airport can be four hours away. There can be flights over countries such as Iran, Turkey, China and Afghanistan where the terrain is above ten thousand feet, so safe navigation in the event of a depressurisation or other emergency becomes complicated.

The large twin engine jets such as the Boeing 777 and 787 and the Airbus A350 are also subject to the rules of Extended Diversion Time Operations (EDTO). If these jets fly further than 60 minutes from an adequate airport - a common occurrence for long-haul flying – then the flight needs to comply with a list of rules regarding minimum operating equipment, weather forecasts and communication requirements. This is another issue pilots need to consider as part of their workflows.

Medical issues within the cabin are quite common and may involve the pilots speaking via satellite phone with doctors on the ground to determine the urgency of getting an affected passenger to proper medical help. And of course, there are certain parts of the world where, no matter what the emergency, it is not a suitable place to land.

Flights where nothing out of the ordinary happens and the weather is great are uncommon. There is always something to deal with to ensure the aircraft and its passengers are kept safe.

Approaching the top of descent point, all pilots are reunited on the flight deck, with sound decision-making needed to assess the remaining fuel and the weather conditions at the destination as the aircraft is prepared for landing. As airlines push aircraft further, these decisions about managing the amount of fuel on board become even more considered. But they are just the last among the myriad decisions the four pilots will make across the long hours of a long-haul flight, so that their passengers can safely relax and make important decisions of their own: comedy or drama? Chicken or beef?