Are you an airline pilot who is constantly on the go and looking for some life hacks to make traveling easier? You might remember first officer Swayne Martin from the tips he shared recently about how to build your total flight time. Now he’s back with his top 10 tips to make your airline pilot life a little bit easier. Make sure to check out his video here to see these life hacks in action!
1. Get a good night’s sleep
Sleep is so important when you’re an airline pilot, but nothing ruins a good night of sleep like daylight shining through your hotel room curtain cracks. Luckily, the fix for this is right in your room! Simply grab a pants hanger from the closet, use the clips to hold both sides of the curtains together, and you’re set for sleep!
2. Make a packing checklist
If you are traveling often you likely know exactly what you need, but why not save the mental space and ensure you don’t forget anything by making a checklist? If you use an iPhone or iPad when you fly, you can create a handy checklist right in the Notes app and reference it before each trip!
3. Wear comfortable shoes
Even though you’ll be sitting when you’re in the flight deck, having a comfortable pair of shoes is a must for airline pilots. You don’t want your feet to hurt when you’re at the very last gate at the end of a multi-leg trip, or when there’s a long walk to the hotel shuttle. You can see the exact shoes Swayne wears and raves about in his video!
4. Get your coffee before security
If you have the pilot perk of not having to go through the security line with all the passengers, don’t wait in long lines with them for coffee either! Grab yours before security or in the baggage claim area to save some time.
5. Audit your logbook regularly
When you’re flying a lot, it is important to not only keep your logbook up to date but also to make sure there aren’t any little mistakes that could cause issues later on. Use LogTen Pro’s Flight Audit report to quickly check for common errors in your logbook like flights missing total time, duplicate flights, and more.
6. Reuse travel sized containers
Instead of the waste of buying lots of overpriced travel sized toiletries, refill the travel bottles you already have with your favorite products! You can use the same bottle over and over and leave that weird smelling shampoo in the hotel for someone else.
7. Don’t ruin your uniform with a bad hotel iron
When ironing your uniform in the hotel before your flight, make sure you test the iron out on a towel before putting it on your nice white shirt. Hotel irons are notoriously gross (yes we’ve all heard of people using them to make grilled cheese sandwiches) and you don’t want to ruin your clothes. If necessary iron things inside out, through a towel, or even hang your uniform in the bathroom with the shower on high for a little DIY steam!
8. Have a cozy hotel movie night with a bucket of popcorn
Life on the go all the time as an airline pilot can be tiring and stressful. Set up a little hotel movie night for yourself by putting microwave popcorn (usually available at most hotels) into the ice bucket so that you can sit in bed and eat popcorn out of a bucket just like you’re at the movie theater. Silly? Maybe. Fun? Definitely.
9. Bring a packable jacket
Sometimes planes are cold, or hotels are cold, or you start your day in sunny Los Angeles and spend the night in Toronto. It doesn’t usually make sense to carry a huge winter jacket, but having a packable jacket with you at all times is a great way to stay warm without using all the space in your suitcase. Many down jackets are highly packable and come with a small stuff sack to pack them in.
10. Use a luggage rack at home
You’re constantly packing and unpacking, so why not have a nice little luggage rack at home where you can set your suitcase while you pack and unpack between trips? Most fit nicely in a closet or unused corner!
We hope these hacks improve your life a little bit, and on’t forget to check Swayne’s YouTube channel for so many more useful tips for pilots!
