British Airways Captain Rob de Martino takes time between flights to answer your questions, including how accurate BA’s flight simulators are and what happens in a pre-flight briefing 

What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen from the cockpit?
At night it has to be the Aurora Borealis dancing around as we fly over northern Canada on our way home from the west coast. By day it’s the sun rising above the mountains of the Hindu Kush as we fly over the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. I also enjoy watching the glaciers creep down the grey slopes of Greenland as we cross the coastline during the warmer late summer months. 

What happens in a pre-flight briefing?
Taking place around 75 minutes before our scheduled flight, this is where we meet the crew and receive information about the weather, the aircraft and the number of passengers. By the end, we have enough information to calculate the amount of fuel needed for the journey, which we send to our loading team. It can take over an hour to pump an Airbus A380 with 200 tonnes of fuel, so we want this information to reach them as early as possible.

How accurate are flight simulators?
British Airways has a flight simulation facility in our Global Learning Academy at Heathrow. There are 16 simulators, all at the highest level (Level D). This means they can replicate any BA aircraft in full, to the extent that we can train pilots to fly using just the simulator. It mimics the movement of real aircraft and has a visual system showing what a pilot would see from the front and side windows. Of course, the simulator has limitations – it’s bolted to the floor, so we can’t turn upside down or do G-force aerobatics.

When flying as a passenger, where do you like to sit?
By the window, in a row ahead of the wing. I can look out without the wing obstructing my view, and at night I can control the light coming in. Sitting here can be quieter (unless you’re travelling on an A380, which is quiet everywhere). Plus, the closer you sit to the front means you can get out to immigration control more quickly.

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This article has been tagged BA, Travel Tips