Cranleigh Prep Form 3 were joined by British Airways SFO Pete Nataraj to conclude their Humanities Unit on Global Location. It was a great way for them to see how geography is used daily by a pilot in their job. They also learnt several interesting facts about aviation and flying aeroplanes.
Pupils from Form 3 write about their experience.
We have been studying Global Location as part of our Geography unit this half term in Humanities. On Thursday we had a visit from someone who uses geography every day in their job: a British Airways pilot, Pete Nataraj.
Pilots fly all over the world! So, we were tested on our geography when we were shown photos of SFO Nataraj’s destinations and asked to identify the city and continent.
Weather also plays a huge part in a pilot’s job; they do their best to avoid thunder and lightning, but hailstones are the worst for a plane.
We learnt lots of interesting things about his job, like how he prepares for a flight and what checks are needed before take-off. He brought a cardboard model of the inside of a cockpit, which several pupils tried flying whilst wearing a pilot’s hat! We all realised that you need good hand-eye coordination to be a pilot, as well as many other skills. Sophie P-H gave the pilot’s announcement to the passengers and was brilliant – she sounded just like a real pilot.
We were shocked (and relieved!) to find out that pilots’ licenses are not renewed if they fail their bi-annual test in the simulator. It was exciting to hear about a genuine emergency when SFO Nataraj had to do an emergency landing because of bread rolls on fire in the galley.
We all received a British Airways sticker and postcard at the end of the talk, which was great! I now know what the tiny hole in each aeroplane window is for… do you?
