Pilot Duties & Responsibilities

The role and function of a Pilot includes the following duties and responsibilities:

  • Briefing the cabin crew before the flight and maintaining regular contact throughout the flight;
  • Pilots communicate with passengers using the public address system;
  • Reacting quickly and appropriately to environmental changes and emergencies;
  • Ensuring the fuel levels balance safety with economy and supervising the loading and fuelling of the aircraft;
  • Pilots ensure noise regulations are followed during take off and landing;
  • Understanding and interpreting data from instruments and controls;
  • Pilots make regular checks on the aircraft’s technical performance and position, on weather conditions and air traffic during flight;
  • Ensuring all safety systems are working properly;
  • Pilots carry out pre-flight checks on the navigation and operating systems;
  • Ensuring all information on the route, weather, passengers and aircraft is received;
  • Updating the aircraft logbook and writing a report at the end of the flight noting any incidents or problems with the aircraft.
  • Using that information to create a flight plan which details the altitude for the flight, route to be taken and amount of fuel required;
  • Communicating with air traffic control before take-off and during flight and landing;

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Pilot duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Pilot roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.