Chris P.
About me
| Chris P. | |
| Computer Science | |
| IT, Business Management & Language | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Wentworth | |
| 2000 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Senior First Officer & Technical Knowledge Instructor | |
| BA CityFlyer | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Transport and logistics | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2016 |
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A day in the life of a Senior First Officer & Technical Knowledge Instructor in the United Kingdom
Get in touch if you're interested in learning to fly - whether for fun or as a career. If I can't answer the question, I'll try and help find someone who could...
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
Short-haul airline flying across Europe.
What do you do?
Senior First Officer (Pilot) and Technical Knowledge Instructor.
Primarily being able to fly safely and efficiently a jet aircraft carrying passengers coupled with effective team working, communication, customer service, problem solving and decision making. In my Instructor role, I create and deliver training courses covering the technical aspects of the aeroplane and its systems, and the standard operating procedures for both existing flight crew and new pilots joining the organisation.
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
Graduated and went to work in IT as a Systems Analyst / Project Manager working in Telecoms and then Utilities Industry. Had always loved flying - from my childhood experiences - but never found time/opportunity to learn to fly. Finally took plunge for 30th Birthday and gained my Private Licence 18 months later. Subsequently, completed Airline Transport Pilots Licence theoretical knowledge examinations and, having been made redundant, decided to focus on completing Commercial Pilots Licence training with a local training provider. Subsequently used my previous experiences in IT, to take on the role of Compliance & Safety Monitoring Manager for the flight school and trained as a Theoretical Knowledge Instructor to deliver Airline Pilots Licence theoretical knowledge courses. Finally obtained First Officer role with my current airline in 2016.
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
Very - originally left to join IT in the Telecoms industry but left that when the dot-com bubble burst in 2002. Moved into IT in the Utilities Industry where moved from being a programmer to Project Manager/Programme Office Manager by time made redundant.
Describe your most memorable day at work
Sitting at the end of the runway ready to take off with the first set of passengers on board having finished my training. Couldn't quite believe that, after all the work over many years, I had got to the point where I was going to be allowed to take an aeroplane full of people to Faro.
Are there any challenges associated with your job?
The alarm going off to wake me up for the really early-in-the-morning flights remains the biggest challenge. The other main challenge is having to work to a roster defined by the airline which means that, sometimes, you can't always be there for family and friends when you want to be.
What’s your work environment and culture like?
All work is rostered a month in advance and consists of both day trips (2-4 flights in a day) and longer multi-day trips where you stay in hotels and fly anywhere between 1 and 3 flights a day. Obviously, when working, am required to wear a uniform to the required standard (provided) which can have quite an interesting change to how people interact with you.
Because we are a relatively small airline, get to work with the same people on a regular basis and firm friendships are built as a result. It also can make being away from home for 2-3 days much more bearable!
We're required to keep our knowledge of airplane systems, policies, and procedures up to date - through both a combination of company-delivered training courses and self-study - and we're checked every 6 months in a simulator to ensure we can meet the airline's standard necessary to safely operate the airplane.
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
Had great fun being involved with student media while at uni (mainly YSTV, but also URY) and was involved in purchasing of first digital editing system. Got to apply some of the business management and IT theory learning on my degree - including managing projects, writing business cases, managing budgets, etc. - but mainly had fun and built lifetime friendships.
What would you like to do next with your career?
Next step is to gain my command / become a Captain. This then hopefully will lead onto becoming a Training Captain and Type Rating Instructor/Examiner in the longer-term.
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
Have the right Knowledge, Skills AND Attitude. There's a lot of focus placed on Knowledge and Skills but equally (if not more) important is your attitude to your career, life and others. I've been surprised how little was asked about my skills as a pilot when applying for my current role compared to the many questions I got about working with others, decision making, customer service, making difficult decisions, etc.
What topics from students are you happy to answer questions on?
Get in touch if you're interested in learning to fly - whether for fun or as a career. If I can't answer the question, I'll try and help find someone who could...
Next steps...
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