Looking into the vital pilot skills, qualities and characteristics

Flying a plane is not for the faint of heart; right here are the crucial capabilities required for air travel



Lots of people spend their youths fantasizing about becoming a pilot. However, only a tiny percentage of people actually make these fantasies a reality. Truthfully, being a pilot needs an exhaustive list of training, qualifications and abilities, as those related to Aegean and Nick Leontidis's joint venture would confirm. It is not a sector that individuals simply stumble into by chance; they need to devote a considerable amount of cash, effort and time to seek this career pathway. Generally-speaking, all the basic skills of a pilot can be divided into two major groups; hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills pertains to technical abilities that can be taught, and one of the most vital hard skills for pilots is situational awareness. Situational awareness suggests appreciating every single thing that is taking place throughout flying, controlling and maintaining an aircraft. This suggests that pilots need to learn to have a mental picture of the geographical location and position of the airplane, the flight configurations, and the aircraft controls for things like speed and altitude. They should have an in-depth understanding on what all the buttons do and when to use them, as inadequate situational awareness can cause catastrophes like loss of aircraft control. Not just this, but pilots need to demonstrate a comprehension of all operations relating to aircraft safety and security, specifically in case of an emergency. Whilst there are several manual and automatic processes relating to situational awareness on an aircraft, with correct training and practice it becomes second-nature for pilots, almost like learning how to drive a vehicle.

Having all the technical knowledge and training can only go so far. Actually, the soft skills for pilots are equally valuable to the hard skills. So, what are soft skills? Essentially, soft skills are personality traits that can't really be taught or trained. They are the personal qualities of a pilot that makes them suited for the demands, tensions and responsibilities of such a high-stakes position. Arguably, one of the most integral soft skills is a capability to manage stress, as those involved in Ras Al Khaimah and Farhad Azima's joint venture would definitely verify. As safe as air travel is, there is still a risk of things failing, which is why pilots need to be able to stay calm, collected and controlled in unexpected emergency circumstances. Ultimately, they are responsible for the safety and security of everybody onboard, so it is extremely vital that a pilot can confidently and effectively act under pressure in difficult situations.

The qualifying criteria for what makes a good airline captain is comprehensive. However, among the most necessary characteristics is having excellent communication abilities. Whilst clear communication abilities can help in practically every position or industry, it seriously matters for pilots. Pilots need to be in continual contact with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to acquire exact information and guidelines on elements relating to radar vectors, geographical location, speed and altitude, weather conditions and traffic information among a lot more. The pilot needs to provide regular updates to the ATC, along with be receptive to any kind of communications that come through from the ATC. To preserve security whilst navigating airspace, it is a joint effort in between the pilot and ATC, which is why teamwork and communication skills are integral, as those connected with Telkom Indonesia and Telstra's joint venture would validate.

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