ELI5: How much work does a pilot really do and how much is controlled by autopilot ?

I don't disagree that being a pilot is a field that most don't understand. But, that could be said for most fields that require specialized training and skill.

For instance, in some states it takes about 1500 hours of instruction, and to pass an exam, to get a license...

To do hair.

It takes, on average, 65ish hours to get a license to fly a Cessna 152.

Let that sink it. The government, tasked with protecting the health and welfare of its citizens, believes it's about 25x more difficult to cut hair than to fly a single engine Cessna.

To be eligible to fly commercial airliners, generally speaking, you only need to be able to speak English, be over 21, pass a flight medical, and have 1500 hours of flight time. Or, roughly equal to the amount of time required to prove efficiency in using scissors on a part of a human that will grow back if you screw it up.

Let's not overstate things here. The barrier to becoming a commercial pilot is money, not intelligence, not skill. It's a matter of being able to afford the training, and then getting the requisite connections on a resume to get a job in a relatively saturated market.

It's not like many pilots retire and get a license to practice law or medicine. But, lawyers and doctors often retire and get a license to fly aircraft.

/r/explainlikeimfive Thread Parent