For a transatlantic flight, how many pilots are needed?

• For safety reasons, transatlantic flights must have at least two pilots; Longer trips may require more, depending on the length of the journey.
• On long-haul flights, multiple pilots must divide their time in the cockpit evenly because regulations allow pilots to fly for eight hours at a time.
• In determining the number of pilots required for transatlantic flights, airlines must consider union limits, regulations and other specific circumstances.

Although passengers often interact with cabin crew during a flight, they often don’t know who the plane’s pilots are or how many of them there are. With the number of pilots required, airline operators must plan carefully for long-haul transatlantic flights.

Since the early twentieth century, transatlantic flights have been in operation. Nevertheless, on  the first regularly serviced transatlantic flight by jet was conducted by the British Overseas Aircraft Cooperation (BOAC)operated the first jet serviced transatlantic trip connecting New York and London. A typical transatlantic trip can last anywhere from six to fourteen hours, depending on the route and direction of travel. Airlines use strict rules to determine how many pilots to assign to each trip to accommodate extended flight hours.

While long-haul pilots are well paid (at least by industry standards), the cost of manning the cockpit on a transatlantic flight can prove prohibitively expensive. Thus, airlines must invest significant amounts of time and money to create cockpit crew schedules that comply with relevant requirements.while optimizing the carrier’s costs. In this article, we will look at how airlines decide how many pilots to put in their transatlantic cockpits.

Pilot requirements

Regardless of the type of travel, every major commercial flight, whether short or long-haul, requires at least two pilots. It consists of a co-pilot, also known as the first officer, and a captain, who acts as the commander of the aircraft. Two pilots are the primary requirement for safety as piloting is a very responsible job.

Older aircraft required larger crews to operate, so this was not always the case. According to Modern Airliners, the flight engineer, co-pilot and pilot were the three people on board when the Boeing 707 first took to the air. Many other aircraft of the era also required a fourth person, the navigator, in the cockpit.

According to reports, the most experienced individuals can earn more than $400,000 annually.

Responsibilities for flying the aircraft, monitoring flight characteristics, making critical selections and coordinating with air traffic controllers are divided among pilots. Furthermore, a backup pilot can take over and safely operate and land the aircraft in the event of a medical emergency involving one of the pilots while in flight.

More than two pilots

Depending on how long the trip is, more than two pilots may be needed. In general, if the trip is longer than eight hours, a third pilot, or second officer, must be on board. Pilot Mall says that depending on the operator, this requirement can vary somewhat. For flights longer than seven hours, some airlines require a third pilot; Others may allow the journey to last up to ten hours.

A fourth pilot or second officer is required if the trip is to last more than twelve hours. Likewise, different airlines may have slightly different requirements for the 12-hour requirement for a fourth pilot. On long-haul transatlantic flights, two additional pilots, referred to as relief pilots, alternate with the captain and co-pilot while in flight. It is noteworthy that special flights, such as first or training flights, may have additional pilots and flight engineers regardless of the flight length.

Because most regulatory bodies around the world prohibit pilots from flying aircraft for more than eight hours in a twelve- to fourteen-hour work shift, pilot requirements are often specified. When a pilot “burns out” (reaches maximum flight time), they are required to take a certain number of hours off. These variables are measured by the pilots over the duration of the flight.

Airlines also face union constraints when determining the number of pilots to plan transatlantic flights. The number of flying hours a pilot is allowed to work at any given time is often regulated by pilot unions, which may require airlines to maintain an additional member of the cockpit crew.

Transatlantic flight

The average block time for a transatlantic flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to London Heathrow (LHR) is ten hours and thirty minutes. An airline will send three pilots on this trip, each of whom will work a 13-hour shift. According to Thrust Flight, the length of a work shift involves additional responsibilities for pilots, such as pre-flight checks and other paperwork required at the start and end of a flight.

In this example, the minimum requirement for two pilots on duty in block time is 21 hours total. The three pilots split a total of eight hours of active flight time between them as a pilot is only allowed to fly for eight hours.of seven hours each. Similar arrangements can be made for longer flights with four pilots.

Increased automation

Many are beginning to ask why airlines haven’t reduced the minimum number of pilots required in the cockpit as economic concerns continue to plague the airline sector. Controversy is growing to limit the number of active duty pilots to just one operator. This will significantly reduce the cost of manning the cockpit, especially for long-haul transatlantic trips. Hillsborough Aero Academy claims that as a serious safety measure, many people—including industry regulators—have discouraged it.

Since airline cockpits are already highly automated, installing more autopilot equipment can be difficult. By now, aircraft navigation systems are already machine-controlled, and the pilot’s primary responsibility is often troubleshooting.

Other factors

Differentiating pilot qualifications is necessary for airlines and the routes they operate due to many other characteristics. These restrictions are driven by a variety of factors, including the laws of the countries in which the airlines operate, the availability of rest areas on board, and the limitations of the crew’s normal work shift. Deciding how to recruit large numbers of pilots can be difficult, and airlines need to strike a balance between competing interests.

Although the operations of many airlines operating within a given geographic area vary slightly, they all must adhere to basic standards established by the aviation regulatory bodies of their respective operating regions. Finally, different flight routes require specific certifications, so airlines need to ensure that they have the right number of pilots on staff with these credentials.

READ | Russia’s supersonic bomber, the XB-70 Valkyrie, was rendered obsolete before its flight.

---