Magnificent Men and Machines

Welcome to the world of a GA pilot where every day is a new day, every flight a new challenge. The aircraft is his temple, the passenger his deity, the world is his playground and flying is his game.

Away from the jostling crowds, far from prying eyes, alien to any form of glamour, completely removed from quintessential airline pilots, rests a fraternity called ‘General Aviation’ (GA) pilots. They appear to move almost in secrecy because of the nature of their job. Never heard and rarely visible publicly, they lead a life little known but envied. Theirs is a style unknown even to their counterparts in the airlines. Some love them, some hate them but they are an enigma.

This article aims to unravel the not-so-well publicised life of a GA pilot, what goes into the making of a GA pilot, his lifestyle, job description, his priorities, family life, the highs and the lows. Is it all slog or does he also have some fun? What keeps him ticking? What are the returns like and are these worth the effort?

The Men

To be or not to be a GA pilot will always remain a million-dollar question for all airline pilots. The ‘men’ is only a generic term for pilots and no offence intended as there are lady GA pilots too. The average GA pilot in India today is a recently retired military pilot as they come at the lowest cost. Or maybe a military pilot with some commercial experience, a tad costlier but are the most preferred breed. There are also some GA pilots with a purely commercial or instructional background. The job description calls for high level of discipline combined with ability to slog for long hours. Skill and competence are essential prerequisites and there is no scope for fresh learning on-the-job. Diplomacy is a quintessential quality of a good GA pilot. Above all, it is important that a GA pilot does not get intimidated by his passengers.

In an airline environment a pilot has very little communication with the farepaying passengers who are not his paymasters. The rules of the game are well-laid out for both sides by the regulator. There is a firewall built around the pilot and existence within its confines is guaranteed. Well, not so with a GA pilot. His passengers are fixed and so are his paymasters. And they are always right even when they are wrong. So survival and the next pay cheque depend on his ability to agree with his passenger. Disagreement is taboo and ‘silence’ is the key to longevity.

The Machines

A survey few years ago on the most discussed topics in the cockpit concluded that seniority, sex, salary and stewardess, not exactly in that order, were among the most popular. Safety and serviceability figured low on the list. Surprisingly, the workload is never an issue with a GA pilot. The aircraft he gets to fly and the salary that comes with it are certainly high on his agenda. Contrary to popular belief, GA aircraft of today fly higher, faster and longer than most airliners. The technology onboard is as ‘state-of-the-art’ with equipment like Enhanced Vision System (EVS), Head Up Display (HUD), Synthetic Vision Primary Flight Display (SVPFD) being standard fitments onboard most GA aircraft.

The total package a GA aircraft comes with is astounding. Just the sheer joy of flying a G550/G650 could tempt any pilot to forego all other pleasures of life. The technological marvels onboard a modern GA aircraft could put any airliner to shame. All Up Weight (AUW), fuel consumption and thrust-to-weight ratio may be issues when buying an airliner, but not so when a billionaire buys an aircraft for his personal use. Hence, be a GA pilot and get to fly the most magnificent machines aviation can offer.

And the Job

The men are interesting, the machines superb but the game-changer is the job content which for a GA pilot, could be challenging even in the best of times. A personal aircraft is not only an efficient mode of transportation for a corporate head, but also a place for rest and recreation. So when the boss works, the pilots sleep and when the boss sleeps, the pilots work. The trumps are of course always with the boss. This translates into pilots getting airborne past midnight after the boss finishes his work and landing normally on the other side of the world in the wee hours of the morning. Not as simple as it sounds particularly if one has to do this for a lifetime. A GA pilot ends up either trying to stay awake or striving to get some sleep. But then GA pilots are no ordinary mortals but ‘magnificent men in their magnificent machines’— the toast of aviation and the envy of all.

In India, GA consists of two starkly different streams. One is the Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit (NSOP) holders and the other under ‘Private’ category. As NSOP holders operate charters that are revenue flights, they are regulated as an airline but without the associated resources and infrastructure. This translates into immensely high workload for the few that man the organisation. The goal is always revenue generation and profits. Flying tasks are unscheduled and unpredictable with departures frequently at short notice. Personal life for the pilots is the first casualty.

Pilots constantly battle with the management over issues such as Flight Duty Time Limitations, leave, maintenance, Minimum Equipment List (MEL), accommodation and delayed departures. Managements are inclined to coerce pilots to operate on the other side of law leading to high stress aggravated by conflict with the management, not a happy state to be in. There are numerous occasions when pilots have been pulled out of movie halls and asked to operate flights. Understandable since the name of the game is profit. So it goes with the job, a point worth keeping in mind when making a choice in favour of GA.

Then there are the private operators whose flight schedules are less regulated and more flexible. The pilots are more answerable to and responsible for the requirements of their passengers who also happen to be the employers and paymasters. Justifiably so. In this line of work, short notice trips are rare. The environment could be relaxed or stressful depending on the personality of the owner. A good relationship between the pilot and the passenger is mandatory for a safe flight and stable relationship.

But then, foundations for good relationships are laid over strong personal bonds and equations. These could be doubleedged swords. As familiarity could breed contempt, pilots need to exercise extreme caution while building a relationship with their rich and famous employers who have their own sensitivities of which a pilot may not be aware. One wrong word uttered and a relationship can end, a career terminated. Hence, silence is the key to success. An enigmatic relationship shall ensure a prolonged career. It is best for pilots to maintain a distant relationship with the passengers.

There is always an inclination in the GA pilot to go that extra mile to please his passengers as more cordial the relationship, greater is this inclination. It is the pilot’s responsibility that passengers are transported without compromise to safety, rules are strictly adhered to, passengers are correctly briefed and pilots do not sacrifice professionalism for the sake of popularity.

There is always skepticism regarding the operational infrastructure for GA. This may have been true about a decade ago. However, GA now boasts of an infrastructure as good as or better than most airlines. Efficient handling agencies, speedy communications and responsive regulators have ensured that delays and bottlenecks in GA operations are problems of the past. GA, however, is not the place for ab initio pilots or those who would like to develop skills. The environment is not tolerant to mistakes, both professional and personal. This is no learning ground. The trick is to hone skills in an airline or in military aviation and then enter GA. It is good to remember that an affluent employer buys an aircraft for his pleasure and to take his family on holidays. This means a pilot never gets to spend a festive occasion with his family. GA is no place for pilots with emotional baggage.

Happiness and satisfaction in a GA environment depends on one’s transactional analysis (TA) skills. In large airlines there is a very small possibility a pilot flies with another pilot twice in the same week. Generally pilots barely recognise each other outside the cockpit. However, in GA, the two pilots are thrown together for life. So there is little choice but to get along and be happy. Hence good TA skills are a must along with high emotional quotient. Ability to get along and teamwork count for a lot.

Passenger handling is another tripwire a GA pilot needs to be cautious about. All passengers are demanding and deserve to be by virtue of where they are and the distance they have travelled to reach there. Pilots need to be punctual and airports need to be strict about take-off slots. But that does not mean passengers need to arrive on time. So GA pilots need to get used to passengers coming late. Any ensuing stress is not to be inflicted on the passengers. This is tougher than it sounds particularly if it happens frequently. But then it goes with the job. And then this is certainly not your ordinary pilot.

Conclusion

The compensation, of course, is there and it is handsome. But then one doesn’t join this elite band for compensation. Unlike an airline pilot, a GA pilot does not have to fly on the same route day after day. Welcome to the world of a GA pilot where every day is a new day, every flight a new challenge. The aircraft is his temple, the passenger his deity, the world is his playground and flying his game.