They periodically fly with each airline pilot and copilot to make sure that they are proficient. By law, airline pilots cannot fly more than 100 hours a month or more than 1,000 hours a year. Most airline pilots fly an average of 80 hours a month and work an additional 80 hours a month performing nonflying duties. The majority of flights involve layovers away from home. When pilots are away from home, the airlines provide hotel accommodations and an allowance for expenses.
Airlines operate flights at all hours of the day and night, so work schedules often are irregular.
Since these pilots frequently have many nonflying responsibilities, they have much less free time than airline pilots. Except for career pilots, most pilots employed outside the airlines do not remain away from home overnight. They may work odd hours, however. Instructors, for example, often give lessons at night or on weekends. The work of test pilots, who check the flight performance of new and experimental planes, may be dangerous.