Ask Captain Dan: How long before a flight do pilots come to work? Our Resident Pilot Answers Flight Questions.

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Toronto ON – Pilot Dan Baz is answering your flying questions here on the Cornwall Free News.

 

If you have a question about flying you can email Captain Dan or post below.

 

Question

 

How long before the flight departure do the pilots come to work ?
Question from Suzanne.

Answer

 

Most pilots come to work one to two hours before their flight departure time.  Short domestic flights require less time for preparation, long international flights require more time.
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The pilots first report to a flight planning office.  There are a number of tasks that the flight crew must accomplish before a flight.  There may be some small administrative duties that must be completed, then the pre-flight briefing process begins.
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There is a flight plan for each flight  The flight plans are prepared by a Flight Dispatch department, where a flight dispatcher can work on a flight plan using computers, data bases and sophisticated software,  long before the pilots come to work.  The pilots then check every part of the flight plan to ensure that it is correct and no mistakes have been made.   They check the route of the flight, weather conditions,  double check the calculations to determine the amount of fuel required for flight, as well as many other items.
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The ultimate decisions and responsibility rest with the Captain of the flight.  Once the pilots accept the flight plan, then they proceed to the airplane.  They will be in the flight deck 30 minutes to 1 hour before departure time.  In the flight deck they check the position of every switch, ensure that all instruments and warning light are working correctly and program the flight management computers.  This all must be completed before the flight departure.

 

A bit more about Captain Dan:

 

Captain Dan Baz enrolled in Flight School at the age of 16.

He has completed studies in Aircraft Engineering and Master of Business Administration. He has been at the controls of many different types of aircraft, from single engine Cessnas to large intercontinental jets on global routes.

Over the last four decades he has flown thousands of hours up in the blue sky.

 

Have a question for the Captain ?  Send it to Captain Dan Baz    captaindanbaz@yahoo.com Every week a question from the readers will be selected and answer posted in this column.

 

Best Western

 

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