Hi,the big work is at flight prep, takeoff 'till cruise level and approach prep, approach and final approach/landing 'till at the gate.But what do Pilots do when there is not much to do then to check the instruments, work the radio and checking the weather on route for little route changes? What do they do on a flight from EDDF to KBOS or EDDF to KLAX? So many hours without anything happening?

Take turns to sleep especially eastbound.regards Jim

Whoever "has control" will be constantly monitoring the instruments, reporting mandatory waypoints and maintaining a listening watch on the radio. That's what they get paid for.They are "not" passengers!!!vololiberista

well, flying or driving a car - for both "pilots", wether it's a car or a plane to be piloted, has it's routine while cruising. Especialy a plane got two pilots for monitoring the gauges and screens.I have to concentrate at driving on a crowded highway, but can have a chat with my "copilot". I know it is not the best comparison car versus plane. So, do pilots chat with each other?Can the pilot not flying read his magazine or newspaper?

I promise you,on long flights aspecially, pilots read magazines,newspapers,check stocks,do crosswords,sleep ,eat,chat,joke,discuss bids,discuss unpoular management decisions etc etc just like everyone else at work.regards Jim

On long haul routes there is a relief crew. The off duty crew sleep or however they rest themselves. The pilots flying are at their station giving all due attention to their tasks, but that doesn't mean they sit there like robots. They are well trained and competent human beings at work, just like in any other profession.

Good question! With today's high level of automation "aircraft fly themselves" during cruise and pilots struggle to keep their heads in the cockpit while combating boredom. Not so long a go the crew of NWA 188 got so into checking their flight schedules on their laptops they went "nordo" for over an hour and not only forgot to descend, they even overshot their destination while still cruising at altitude! Their pilot certificates were revoked.Cheers,- jahman.

Along with a number of misspellings in my post :( I also neglected to mention that all pilots that I worked with were very professional at all times,and many had a great sense of humour and took part in the usual banter with us (cabin crew) whilst keeping a close eye on the safe operation of the aircraft. regards Jim

Nowadays Call of Duty, Gran Turismo and Medal of Honor on PS are among my favorite IFEs.Movies are good too.

Onur, what has that to do with the topic?

Onur, what has that to do with the topic?

IFE = In Flight EntertainmentFigure it out from there... :(

So, you say Pilots not flying are enjoy IFEs sitting in the cockpit? Using their notebook and headphone connected to it? or can one of the cockpit monitors be switched to the a/c IFE?next step would be to establish a gaming LAN server on board, provising the pax to play a/c online games. And next someone finds out the username or avatar of the pilots and chatting with them... I would bomb them with technicial questions! ;-)

IFE = In Flight EntertainmentFigure it out from there... :(

So, you say Pilots not flying are enjoy IFEs sitting in the cockpit? Using their notebook and headphone connected to it? or can one of the cockpit monitors be switched to the a/c IFE?next step would be to establish a gaming LAN server on board, provising the pax to play a/c online games. And next someone finds out the username or avatar of the pilots and chatting with them... I would bomb them with technicial questions! ;-)

I think after the NW incident, the FAA banned the use of laptops in the cockpit during the flight, for anything other than what's related to the flight.

So, you say Pilots not flying are enjoy IFEs sitting in the cockpit? Using their notebook and headphone connected to it? or can one of the cockpit monitors be switched to the a/c IFE?next step would be to establish a gaming LAN server on board, provising the pax to play a/c online games. And next someone finds out the username or avatar of the pilots and chatting with them... I would bomb them with technicial questions! ;-)

With the 777 fly-by-wire what I'd really like for MS Flight is an enhanced version of SimConnect that will allow me to Wi-Fi into the aircraft LAN an into the MCP/FMC/etc. so I can fly the 777 from my laptop for that "real-world flight experience" we simmers can only dream about! :-)Cheers,- jahman.

jahman, that's a real good one!!! ROFL