The ability to contact a pilot has made it easier for people who have a fear of flying to relax.
A broader concept was formed as a result of a group of pilots who began providing worried friends — and friends of friends — with 15-minute calls to explain everything that transpires on a flight from takeoff to landing.
This year saw the advent of the Dial A Pilot service, which allows nervous passengers to speak with a pilot in-person to get all the information they need about their flight. Kyle, a pilot with more than ten years of experience at a significant U.S. airline, revealed to Travel + Leisure that the inspiration for the idea came from a chat he had with his sister-in-law.
“She would always call me before her flights,” he told T+L. “And we would talk about the turbulence. We talked about airplanes and the best times of day to fly. We talked about what the noises were.” Then, after chatting with a fellow pilot, he came to realize he wasn’t alone in explaining the ins and outs of air travel.
“It hit me that, there’s a lot of people that are, one, afraid of flying, and [they] just don’t quite understand it,” Kyle said. “And there’s a lot of people on the other side of that. The pilots that understand it well, love talking to the passengers, and would be happy to make themselves available.”
Simple service is provided. Simply visit their website, dialapilot.com, and schedule a 15-minute call for a time that works for you. You may connect with a pilot who flies anything from 747s to commuter jets for $50. According to Kyle, the most often asked questions concern turbulence and what would happen to an airplane if an engine failed.
“Turbulence is certainly the number one, and it comes down to a lack of understanding of why the turbulence is happening and what’s causing it,” he says. As for if an engine fails, Kyle explained, there are several systems in place to ensure the plane can safely continue on its journey.