Let’s start with the usual question – can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Mehmet Kalafat and I fly as a first officer on the Airbus A320 aircraft. My hometown is Gelibolu (Gallipoli), in Çanakkale. I went to university in Istanbul, and now I work for Turkish Airlines. My first job with the airline was as cabin crew, then I applied to the academy — and now I’m in the cockpit!
How did you start working in the cabin?
I was an engineer. I’d missed the employment applications for cockpit roles, but part-time cabin positions were being advertised around the same time. My then-girlfriend, who is now my wife, suggested that I apply for one of those roles. Of course, the two jobs are not the same, but I applied for the cabin role, hoping to get a feel for the aviation space before moving on to the cockpit.
How does one become a pilot? What are the requirements?
Some universities operate Flight Training Departments, which you can enter and learn how to become a pilot while taking regular courses as well. You can also become a pilot by attending courses at private schools for a fee. In my case, I applied to Turkish Airlines when it announced its first officer recruitment. I was accepted and, in 2016, trained at the Turkish Airlines Flight Academy in Aydın. I also had additional training at the Turkish Airlines training center in Istanbul and I’ve been working as a pilot since 2018.
So, you completed all your training with Turkish Airlines?
Yes, I received all my pilot training with Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines operates its own flying academy in Aydın, which is where my first pilot and flight training took place, followed by aircraft-type training. As you may know, Turkish Airlines operates a variety of aircraft types, with Airbus and Boeing being the two major suppliers. Our fleet includes the wide-body Airbus A330 and Airbus A350 aircraft, the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 aircraft, and the narrow body the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. I fly and serve as a first officer on the Airbus A320.
What was the most challenging aspect of the training?
The instruction was superb, although the theoretical aspects were less appealing — those courses were not any more difficult for me, but it wasn’t as engaging to be on the ground studying. But of course, the theoretical aspects are fundamental to the actual flying!
Does every student graduate?
In every flight school, there’s the possibility that students might not graduate. When you undertake flight training with Turkish Airlines, you go through several stages, including psychomotor tests, written examinations, and on-site interviews. However, not everyone who starts flight school will end up becoming a pilot; students can drop out of the training or be dismissed for a variety of reasons.
You said that you studied in Aydın. Was the Turkish Airlines facility a boarding school?
Yes, more or less. We didn’t have dormitory facilities within the school, but Turkish Airlines pays for students to stay in contracted hotels. Of course, there is a more established order there and there’s always a hotel booked; we always stayed at the same hotel. So, in some ways, it was similar to a boarding school.
What do you remember about your first flight?
When you’re taking your first flight, there’s an instructor pilot next to you, giving you instructions. So, you’re excited about piloting an actual aircraft for the first time, but — at least in my case — you’re also concentrating on following the procedures correctly. So, there I was, extremely and intently focused on the procedures and operations, and doing the various countdowns. I honestly can’t remember that much about it but I do remember that at a certain point in the process, the Commander turned to me and said, “Hold on a minute and look out the window. You’re flying, do you realize that?”. That was pretty incredible.
In your opinion, what are the obstacles, drawbacks, and benefits of being a pilot?
For me, the benefits of being a pilot include the opportunity to travel to different countries in different time zones and see different places. We can meet all types of people, experience various cultures. An obstacle or drawback is that time zone differences can affect sleep patterns, and you must plan accordingly. Your schedule is going to vary from that of your family and friends and you have to adjust to that. As pilots, we generally have monthly schedules, but these can change: We have to be adaptable, but at the same time we have to be extremely organized.
When and where was your longest flight?
Wide-body aircraft tend to be deployed for transoceanic journeys, but I fly on narrower body aircraft, so our flight networks have shorter ranges. Our aircraft types typically fly to places that are a maximum of six hours away. The farthest locations served by the Airbus A320 aircraft include Bishkek and Astana in Central Asia, Lisbon and Porto in the west.
Have you experienced any extraordinary events — positive or negative — in the air?
Honestly — and fortunately — nothing particularly significant or surprising has occurred in the air while I’ve been flying. I don’t want anything unusual to happen when I’m flying, and I hope it doesn’t. There are competent pilots and lucky pilots: We all strive to be competent pilots, and we all hope to be lucky pilots!
We have a question about the Commander’s onboard announcements: Are pilots provided with special vocal training? Because they all sound so charismatic and commanding!
Haha! The sound of the pilot’s voice has nothing to do with special training — the microphone in the cockpit is close to your mouth and there’s a sponge at the end to prevent the sound from exploding, and also for hygiene reasons. So probably anyone would sound charismatic! As far as sounding “commanding”, we’re not making up stuff as we go: There’s a script that contains announcements covering all phases and facets of the flight. Unless something extraordinary happens, we’re usually following that script. The script also ensures that every passenger on every Turkish Airlines flight receives the same information in the same way.
It is said that Formula 1 drivers lose four to five kilos in every race. Does flying have this effect on you? Are there any other notable physical/mental impacts?
Flying a passenger aircraft is not the same as driving in the F1. Of course, flying has a physiological effect, because of the high altitude — we’re usually 5,000 or 6,000 feet up and, as a pilot, you might ascend and descend up to four times per day. This can certainly impact the body; for instance, we might experience edema, mostly due to the constant pressure change. But, unlike racing car drivers, we’re in climate-controlled conditions. We’re cool in the summer and warm in the winter. On the other hand, we do fly small, single-engine aircraft when we’re in the flight training phase; those planes don’t usually have air conditioners and Aydın can get really hot, especially in the summer. I remember sweating a lot in the cockpit when I trained in Aydın. I didn’t lose five or six kilos, but I probably shed one or two.
OK, so flying a passenger aircraft is more about mental discipline and endurance than physical exertion. How do you manage that aspect?
As I said earlier, I try to stay organized. I plan my days but I’m also able to shift these plans when necessary. I try to bring this mindset to the cockpit: in other words, to be thoroughly prepared but also prepared for the unexpected.
If you wake up on Sunday and you don’t have a flight, what do you do? Have you already planned activities for that day?
So, I usually have a monthly schedule; if I don’t have flights or any other type of official duties, I have plans with my family. So, whether it’s Sunday or any other day that I have free, I’m with my wife and my son, who is three and a half years old. I try to spend as much time as possible with him and, since he’s not yet in school, we’re able to spend quite a lot of time together. Being with my son is great, and it gives me a really nice counterbalance to job- and life-related stress.
Does your son know you’re a pilot? I mean, does he understand what you do?
Yes, he understands. When he started talking, he would make comments when airplanes passed overhead, saying “Dad, the airplane.” At this point, he does understand that I’m a pilot, although I’m not sure he knows exactly what that entails, other than that I “drive” the plane and that I wear a uniform! Sometimes he’ll say, “I’m going to be a pilot too”, maybe because he likes my uniform and likes the idea of flying. I think he misses me when I go to work though; I know I miss him and it’s tough to leave him, especially because he’s so young. In any case, I hope that when he grows up, he’ll be whatever he decides he wants to be.
Can you tell us a bit about life in the cockpit? For example, if you’re on a six-hour flight, do you read or listen to music? What about meals? How does this work?
When we’re in the cockpit, we are responsible for ensuring that the flight goes smoothly and safely. We’re on duty; we’re constantly monitoring the flight instruments, the flight course, and the weather. So, even on longer flights, we’re not reading books or newspapers, we’re not listening to music, watching movies, or anything like that. On wide-body aircraft — which undertake flights exceeding six hours — there’s an opportunity to rest since there are extra crew on board. But on narrow-body flights, we generally don’t have a chance to leave the cockpit except to use the restroom.
Let’s move on to another topic – one that’s the subject of urban legends: the autopilot!
Well, if we asked passengers if they’d like to fly in an airplane with no pilot on board, they’d probably say no. And in fact, though the autopilot is a technology that does reduce the effort required by the pilot, the pilot’s main task is to observe the behavior of the autopilot. Because weather, flight conditions, and fuel conditions can change, the pilot is constantly observing these elements, along with engine hours and flight parameters, while ensuring that the autopilot is functioning correctly. During take-offs and landings, pilots conduct all operations.
Speaking of landing and take-off, do you find that one is more stressful than the other?
I can’t say that there’s any difference in the stress level between the landing or the take-off but the difficulty of the operation changes according to the weather conditions. Landing requires a little more concentration when there’s wind. For example, if we’re flying from Istanbul to Oslo and it’s stormy and rainy in Istanbul, and sunny in Oslo, then the take-off will be more stressful than the landing. The important factor is the weather at the destination or departure airport. But in general, I find that landing the aircraft is more enjoyable than the take-off.
Do you prefer daytime or nighttime flights? Long or short flights?
I think I’m more of a “night owl” and that’s why I like night flights a little better. As for long versus short flights, I prefer flights that are in between two and a half and three hours.
How many flights do you operate in a month?
On average, the monthly program is between 70 and 90 hours, depending on the intensity of the month and season. Our flying schedule is more relaxed in the winter months; in the summer months, our schedule is more intensive. There are already certain annual limits, and civil aviation rules such as a maximum of 900 hours in 12 months. Apart from this, we can sometimes open four legs per month. When I say four legs, we can perform four landings and take-offs. Or for instance, we can go to a single location and perform a layover mission there. So, it wouldn’t be accurate to say that there’s an average, frankly.
As passengers, we’re supposed to be at the airport an hour before domestic flights and two hours before international flights. How many hours before the flight do you need to be at the airport?
Our preparation for the flight doesn’t start at the airport: We begin preparing at least eight to 10 hours in advance, by going to bed and getting our sleep. But we generally arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes to two hours prior to the flight departure; the last sign-in time for Istanbul Airport is an hour and 15 minutes before take-off. However, because we need to examine the flight plan and situation, observe the weather, and perform the pre-flight briefing, we come to the airport at least 90 minutes to two hours before the flight.
How do you spend your layovers? For instance, if you land at a destination early in the morning, do you sleep and then walk around the city? Or do you prioritize rest?
Rest is definitely a priority for us. Because of the work we do, we have to be energetic, alert and rested. There simply isn’t enough time to do everything — to rest, to see things, etc. So the most important thing is to be able to rest. If we do that, and there’s time left over, maybe, as you said, we can take a walk around the hotel or take the subway to the city center and see the sights there.
Can you describe the cooperation between cabin and cockpit crew during the flight?
As cabin and cockpit, our primary task is to ensure that the flight operation proceeds smoothly and safely. Our cabin crew works in the cabin, with the passengers, and we work for the same purpose in the cockpit. Cabin and cockpit crew act as a team, in any case, during the flight, whether it’s smooth or whether there’s any disruption or emergency. I see us as a team of professionals.
Speaking of flying and traveling, how many countries have you been to?
To be honest, I’ve never counted, because landing and taking off and landing in a country also counts. But we fly to between 10 and 15 different countries per month, so there are flights if we look at them that way. As for the places I have visited and had the chance to see, I haven’t counted them, but I’ve probably been to most of the places in Europe where Turkish Airlines flies.
Do you follow a fitness or sports regime to stay fit? And are there physical conditions that you have to meet?
We don’t have such conditions, but in order to have a pilot’s license and to fly for Turkish Airlines, you need to have a certain health certificate, and this health certificate is checked annually; we undergo a detailed health check every year that includes blood values, heart rhythm, etc. Since we’re constantly in the air, we pay a little more attention to what we eat and drink; today I’ll be landing at noon and I’ll eat my meals on the plane. Fortunately, airplane food is very tasty. Other than that, unfortunately, I don’t have any special routines. After my son was born, my sports activities revolved around playing and running with him. So I’m not involved with a particular sport but I do love walking. Maybe that helps my fitness!
It’s necessary to meet certain health conditions during the pilot application phase. Are there any pilots who had certain conditions (meniscus, hernia, psoriasis) who were still able to fly after they stepped into the profession?
Of course. If a pilot’s condition is such that it doesn’t hinder their movement or if they have received certain treatments for that condition, they can fly. Pilots who have meniscus, herniated discs or any other health problems, who then receive treatment, will be directed by the company to a flight readiness/airworthiness examination. In hospitals authorized by civil aviation, medical examinations are conducted to observe whether pilots have any conditions that would preclude them from flying.
Do you have contact with pilots from other airlines when you’re in the field or in a hotel?
Most of the time we’re on duty — and we’re also trying to fulfill our operational tasks quickly and efficiently — so we don’t actually come across each other that often. Also, since we have our own terminal in Istanbul, there’s not an environment where pilots from different companies come together. But generally, when we’re boarding flights or when we see each other in the airport, we’ll greet each other and say, “Have a good flight”.
Our last question is about pilot retirement. What is the pilot retirement process at Turkish Airlines?
For us, the retirement age is 65: a pilot who has turned 65 cannot continue flying. However, we don’t have to completely disconnect from aviation after the age of 65 — we can work as flight instructors in simulators. We have many pilots who do this.
