David Tussey a Retired US Navy pilot has shared how he feels as a pilot whenever he's traveling as a passenger ,read below:
I’m a retired military pilot and when I travel as a passenger there are a few things I try to do:
- I try to obtain a seat just forward of the wing, as that is typically where the center of lift is on an aircraft, and will be subject to less turbulence.
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2.Once seated, I always make sure I know where the exit doors are and how many rows they are from me. I actually read the seat-back instructions on cockpit egress, especially how to open the cockpit doors. (To my surprise, usually the middle doors have to be opened, pulled into the inside of the airplane, twisted, and then thrown out the window.)
3.I remind myself that the crew on this flight are professionals and fully trained to operate the aircraft safely under all conditions. There is zero role for me to play in any capacity. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.
4.On flights with internet service, I frequently will monitor weather conditions and flight routing. It is amazing what you can see about the US airspace on sites such as FlightRadar24, and weather radar on MyRadar. As a former pilot, I can usually quickly determine how weather might affect our flight. I’m constantly monitoring our flight progress.
5.If the inflight entertainment system allows it, I usually listen to the ATC broadcast. Something about the radio transmissions I find calming and yet informative. I recall once, flying into JFK, I was listening to approach control, and it was pretty clear there was a backup in traffic due to weather. Approach kept asking the pilot of our aircraft to reduce approach speed. At one point the controller said “American 234 reduce speed to 150 knots”, and the pilot answered “Unable”. I told my wife then, “we’re going around. The approach pattern is too crowded and they’re going to have to space out the aircraft”. Sure enough, a few seconds later I heard Approach say “American 234 climb and maintain 2500′ turn right to 120”…listening to that conversation and understanding it was kind of fun.
Otherwise, I’m just another passenger doing what passengers do. Reading a book, watching the inflight entertainment system, or taking a nap.
I will say that occasionally my seatmate will speak with me and find out that I used to be a Navy pilot, and I’m always asked “Could you land this plane in an emergency?” <sigh> I always try to reassure that person that the flight crew is very professional and such a scenario will never occur.
