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Ever wondered what a pilot does on a long-haul flight? Luckily, one has just shared exactly what happens on an 18 hour flight.<\/p>\n
Gary Baumgardner (@garybpilot) took to TikTok to debunk some myths about what pilots do on long-haul flights. He replied to one person who questioned whether pilots are just there to take off and land.<\/p>\n
Gary said: \u201cFirst off when you say we do nothing but take off and land, that\u2019s not entirely accurate. Remember, everybody thinks we\u2019re like Homer Simpson up there, there\u2019s just like a big button, we push one button called the autopilot and we do nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust remember, the autopilot is a tool the way a bat is a tool for a Major League Baseball player when he wants to hit a home run.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re flying along and a thunderstorm shows up, the autopilot cannot just automatically direct you out of that.<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> \u2018Beautiful\u2019 country is the ideal destination for retired British expats<\/strong><\/p>\n @garybpilot #stitch with @Idris Ali Hope this helps lol #pilotlife #pilotsoftiktok #aviationlovers #crewlife \u266c original sound – Gary\u2002Baumgardner<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cIf air traffic control (ATC) tells you to climb or descend or turn, that just doesn\u2019t happen with the autopilot, we have to do that.<\/p>\n \u201cNot to mention there\u2019s logs, ATC calls, system checks, all kinds of other things that we have to do and that\u2019s just if we have nothing going on like an emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n Although passengers might think pilots can let the autopilot run the plane, that isn\u2019t the case. Pilots will have to manage the plane during a thunderstorm.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Gary added: \u201cWe can sleep. I know for a fact if you have a flight that\u2019s 18 hours long, you have four pilots and we actually have our own bunk beds up there and we sleep and we eat.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t have bunks on the plane, they\u2019ll reserve a first class seat you can sit down and lay in but most of those long international flights have their own crew rest bunks for us.\u201d<\/p>\n A long-haul flight will usually have bunkbeds for the pilots and cabin crew to get some sleep as the team will work on shifts. In rare cases, first class seats might be used.<\/p>\n One TikTok user said: \u201cImagine just chilling in first class and you see your pilot chilling next to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Recently, a flight attendant shared the food she always avoids before a long-haul flight.<\/p>\n Worried about reclining a plane seat? An etiquette expert has offered advice on when it\u2019s acceptable to recline.<\/p>\n
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