BBC documentary about British Airways long-haul pilots.
Thanks for posting those…very cool! A little nostalgia about how things used to be. I loved the segment showing the breakfast service. Corn Flakes on the flight deck…great stuff!
Ditto what Killbuckner…uh Bucky said, and this addresses the sleeping pilot in today’s fully automated cockpit (with few exceptions) issue. Not sure how old this is, but they refer to the 747-400 as the latest technology in jumbos, so it must be pretty old. A good find for RR, and well worth the time spent watching it. Thanks Rob.
“Flying a commercial airliner is hours and hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror!”
WHAT? 
If there’s any stark terror going on at any point of the flight you’ve screwed the pooch my lad!
JC, that wanker makes it sound like he’s off to bomb the Ploesti oil fields in his Lancaster.
I’m surprised you haven’t heard that cliche. It’s been around the industry for decades. And, yes, it does describe flying an airliner to the “T”.
Based on what, your opinion? Or your vast experience? for a minute there I thought my name was… 
As I mentioned in another posting, I’m no longer going to defend myself. Take what I just wrote or not, I don’t care. I know what I said was correct . If it was my opinion, I would have said so. So, if you want to see if I’m correct or not, try doing some reading.
Yes it is an old cliche that I never quite understood other than the obvious. What…? You’re cruising along at 33k for the last 2 and a half hours and the bells and whistles start going off. And YOU, the PIC is in shear terror? Booooollllsheeeeet!!! what on earth are you doing up there to begin with, if you are all of a sudden in that state of mind? just my opinion.
I suppose you call firefighters heroes too? Another great media punchline. Its what commercial pilots do and get trained and paid to do.
Notice my one little liner…my freakin opinion. i couldve have used a more colorful word…but I wouldve probably been chastised by my wife. Or banned…that wouldve been worse. 
Of course I’ve heard that cliche before, I’ve even been guilty of using it, albeit in a more proper context of discussing ground combat. I was simply questioning its use in this instance and by that individual.
Using it to describe flying a commercial airliner is about as applicable as it being used by a nursery school teacher to define her working day.
Anyone who would attempt to apply the cliche to commercial air travel has never experienced real terror in any form, let alone “stark”, that apparently includes you David.
I’ve never really looked at this cliche as the pilot being terrified. I look at it as the pilots being nearly bored to death during 99% of the time they are flying. Then, when that 1% happens and everything goes bad, training takes over and the situation is rectified.
Thank you for clarifying. Was a little confused.