I would suggest trying to get to know some pilots around your local airport and ask for a ride along. If there are some corporate pilots around in something like King Airs, a lot of the time they are flying single pilot so you can sit up front. That's what I've done in the past, and still do to get more experience in different aircraft. If you have experience they'll put you to work, and often times enjoy having you there to take some of the work load off. Not to mention they get to share the job they love to somebody enthusiastic about aviation. Don't worry, not all pilots hate their life. ;)

Movement and signs of life
 

Occasionally there is some movement from the other pilot and the occasional sign of life over the radio, but mostly on a redeye you just sit there.

MS flight sim is a good simulation of what a cross country night flight is like. Another thing a person could do is to place a char towards the wall and sit there for six hours.

Skyhigh

Yeah, he's right about redeyes. Depends on who you work for though.

So you're saying that a cross country red-eye is what aviation is most of the time? That is an accurate picture to portray of the piloting profession?
Well...if so...like I said - play the Air Combat video games then because I've had missions similar.

USMCFLYR

Unfortunately not.
 

Caleb, I understand your question but the reality, as Lori says, is that it isn't possible in an actual aircraft.

You might consider talking to corporate or airline pilots to gauge what their schedules are like and there is one other possibility. If you get to know someone who is a flight simulator instructor at an air carrier or even Flight Safety, they might be able to let you observe a flight simulator session.

It varies from company to company but I have had "approved visitors" sit in a B-757 or 767 simulator on a non-checking training session. It 's an outside shot but it would give you an excellent overview of what a flight crew does on a flight.

Just my two cents.

G'Luck Mate:)

I didn't say that.

No - you didn't - Sky was portraying all of aviation in that manner.
I was making a point that I doubt that his view was an accurate picture of aviation. You agreed that RED-EYES were like that - which is accurate I assume - but it played into Sky's overexaggeration IMO.

USMCFLYR

Here is an idea.
 

Perhaps you could find an airline pilot buddy and in a nonchalant manner ask him/her what it is like up front at 3:00AM during a cross continental flight?

Tons of fun.... :)

Skyhigh

I'm sure they are; and I'm also sure that they aren't ALL like that ;)

USMCFLYR

PS - No reason to be nonchalant about it.....straight forward would be much preferred around my airline buddies!

Why they call it "work"
 

All-night legs go with the territory if you want to fly International or enjoy a long west-coast layover. With proper rest, they aren't bad at all, but peaceful and relaxing. Lots of senior pilots bid these rotations, even when they pay no more than domestic/daylight trips, and many "freight dawgs" are quite content doing this all the time. Personally, I preferred to do some of each. It's a mistake to think that every intelligent person must want the same kind of work and schedule that you do. It's also a mistake to think that, in any profession, you can have the lifestyle you want by doing whatever you want whenever you want to do it. ;)