Originally Posted by
mikearuba
I'm considering a career as an airline pilot but I can't help but wonder how bad the fatigue really is.
After flying as a passenger on a commercial flight I'm usually feeling exhausted and really worn out. Yesterday for e.g. we took off from Aruba at 5:40 pm, stopped in CLT at around 9 and flew on to DCA and landed at 12:00am. I couldn't wait to get to sleep after that.
Am I just not cut out for this? Or is flying as a pilot somehow less tiresome?
It's more tiresome because after that flight you'll get about 8 hours of rest before you have to fly again which doesn't take into account traveling to and from the airport or showering or eating. My caffeine tolerance is so high that five or six coffees in a row doesn't even have an effect on me anymore