A pilot has offered a rare glimpse into the cockpit, revealing what it’s like to be at the helm of an aircraft and how it differs from driving. While most holidaymakers don’t give much thought to the flight itself, enjoying in-flight service before arriving at their travel destination, pilots face immense responsibility with every trip.
Training to become a pilot involves years of commitment, excellent spatial awareness, and the ability to manage stressful situations. A former US army veteran who became a commercial pilot is now sharing his experiences on TikTok, responding to curious passengers’ queries.
In a recent post, a follower asked whether planes have gas pedals similar to cars. The pilot, known as @PerchPoint on TikTok, responded: “We do have pedals on both the captain and officer side. We have two pedals – right and left foot. But they control the rudder which is for directional control.”
He continued: “And they [the pedals] also kind of pivot forward a little bit so we can control the brakes. We can step on the left pedal for left brakes or the right pedal for right brakes. That’s for like directional control or using both pedals to slow down when we land.”
He concluded by saying: “There’s lots of switches and buttons but no gas pedals,” clearing up any misconceptions about aircraft controls, reports the Mirror.
The pilot explained the mechanics of aircraft propulsion, noting that: “We take them both and push them forward – one for the left engine and one for the right,” to operate the two or four thrust levers manually. For planes with three or four engines, there are an equal number of levers.
He also highlighted differences between airplane and car windshields, stating that plane windscreens are split in half, allowing each pilot to control their own wipers independently. The captain, he pointed out, has the final decision-making power, but both captain and first officer pilot the aircraft together.
In a separate video, the pilot discussed how passengers often ask him for flight information at the airport, even when he’s not flying their plane.
He admitted to using Google to assist them, saying: “The general population overestimates what pilots and aircrew actually know. If anyone stops and asks me for directions to their gate or maybe just information about their flight, I am more than happy to help because obviously we are more familiar with the system.”
He added: “But, in the grand scheme of it all, we don’t have special access or necessarily more information about someone else’s flight other than our own than anyone else would have about their flight.”