Ing. Branislav Čop has more than 26 years of professional experience as an airline pilot. During his career, he has flown for Fischer Air, Czech Airlines, Travel Service, and Ryanair. He has accumulated over 17,000 flight hours on various aircraft types, including 14,000 as Captain of the Boeing 737. As a Type Rating Instructor on the Boeing 737, he has logged more than 1,000 hours delivering type qualifications and training. He is currently working as a Boeing 737 Captain at Ryanair.

Total flight hours: 17,000

Qualifications: TRI B737, IRI (A)

How did your journey in aviation begin?

In high school, I was deciding what path I wanted to pursue next, and becoming an airline pilot seemed like an exciting prospect. In my time, there was only one comprehensive route of study at university level, and that was the University of Žilina. There, I graduated in Economics and at the same time completed the training to become a commercial pilot. The admission process required a strict selection procedure, including psychological tests, medical examination and a mathematics average of up to 1.5%.

What is it like to operate a Boeing 737 airliner?

The B737 was originally designed roughly 30 years ago and has undergone many improvements up to the current latest model, the B737 MAX. I have been flying this aircraft since 1996 and have accumulated around 15,000 hours on it. The B737 is a modern and powerful aircraft for 200 passengers and 6 crew members. It is incredibly reliable and excellently controllable both in the air and on the ground.

What are your greatest experiences as an airline pilot?

The best feeling is when you break through the first cloud layer in the morning and there is blue sky and sunshine above it—something many people on the ground never see due to cloud cover. It is a feeling that never gets old :-)).
Being an airline pilot takes you to many beautiful places that you will remember for life. With many layovers, there is time to explore cities and meet people living in far-off parts of the world.

There are days when you depart from Prague where it is –25°C and land in Thailand where it is +35°C. Early in your career, you soak up every new experience—sunrise from 14 km altitude or sunset—these are fascinating moments where the sky creates a palette of colours and extraordinary scenes. Overflying the Alps, Pyrenees, Himalayas, Atlas Mountains and more—it is captivating how beautiful the Earth’s surface is.

Memorable moments include flying the Hungarian Prime Minister somewhere under a classified diplomatic clearance and being welcomed on a red carpet—these are moments one never forgets.

What are the advantages of working as an airline pilot?

The advantage is the work itself, which becomes your passion—and you must truly love it. It is a constant process of learning and acquiring new knowledge, due to the ongoing development of technology, aircraft materials, design and equipment. We must constantly adapt. It is a dynamic profession where everyday routine has no place. Another undeniable advantage is the financial reward for this demanding job.

What must a person fulfil to become an airline pilot?

You must make the decision early and then follow your dream step by step. Today, besides good health, you must also have the financial resources needed for the training. Even at a young age you need to make difficult decisions such as taking a loan and paying it back each month. These factors shape valuable qualities—responsibility, punctuality and precision in performing assigned tasks—which are essential for this demanding profession.

What advice would you give to those interested in a career as a professional pilot?

I would advise young aspiring pilots to continually believe in themselves and to go confidently after their dream, just as generations of pilots before them did. So that they, too, can experience what only few people ever will—the chance to fly in the sky like birds.

How does the quality of flight training affect a pilot’s future career?

Quality training is the foundation for succeeding in advanced airline pilot training. The first steps must be taken under the guidance of skilled instructors who build a solid base for further development, and on modern aircraft that ensure smooth training without technical problems. There is a huge difference between individual flight schools, in the quality of instructors and also in the aircraft fleet.

At our school, AeroJOB, we have excellent and experienced instructors with many years of training experience. Ideally, a school should have instructors who are active airline pilots—they possess invaluable knowledge that they can pass on to their students. Aircraft equipment evolves rapidly, and it is necessary to have airplanes fitted with modern avionics so that the training is efficient and the transition to more complex aircraft is smooth.

What are the trends and the future of airline pilot careers in Europe and worldwide?

There is a massive boom in aviation globally, and the need for pilots for modern aircraft is enormous. Many airlines are keeping newly delivered aircraft on the ground due to a shortage of pilots. This trend is expected to continue for several years, which is great news for aspiring pilots, who today can find work anywhere in the world.I wish them that their dream of flying comes true, and that they are happy every morning when they wake up and look forward to going to “the best office in the world.”