It’s completely possible to be an airline pilot and still have a normal family life. However, you might have to change your definition of normal. If normal means working from 9-5 and coming home to dinner or maybe working during weekdays and staying home for weekends, then it might be unattainable. Even though it might be hard to achieve a standard normal family life, yours doesn’t necessarily have to be so different. You can still have time to watch your kids grow even if you’ll be away for long periods at times. Although your general schedule and routine will still vary depending on your rank and the type of flights that you’ll be taking, the situation is pretty much the same for all pilots. The main factor is seniority. During the first few years of your career, you won’t have the freedom to choose your days off, flights, and your general schedule. You’ll be having off days during weekdays while you might be working during the weekend which is when precious family time usually happens. You might also miss a lot of birthdays, holidays, and special family events. That can change once you climb up the ranks and become a senior pilot. You’ll have some freedom to choose when you want to work, what days or weeks to take time off from work, and even which flights to take. It might be hard to balance work and family life at first, but it will definitely get better as time passes. Note that there are instances when you’ll be unable to fly back home after completing a flight somewhere far away, most probably due to bad weather or mechanical issues with the plane. For this reason, you should always have an overnight bag with you containing your everyday essentials like clothes, toiletries, charger, extra battery or power bank, as well as some cash.