If a professional pilot flies airplanes for a living, and flies long distances each and every day, when does he recite Birkat Ha’gomel?
Rabbi Moshe Halevi (Israel, 1961-2001), in his work Birkat Hashem (6:29; listen to audio recording for precise citation), writes that one who works as a pilot must recite Birkat Ha’gomel every day. Meaning, each morning after Shaharit, before he goes to the airport for work, he should recite Birkat Ha’gomel in the presence of a Minyan for his traveling the previous day.
Rabbi Shemuel Pinhasi (contemporary), however, in his work Ve’chol Ha’haim (p. 32; listen to audio recording for precise citation), disputes this ruling, and writes that a pilot should recite Birkat Ha’gomel only when he has time off from his work – meaning, on Shabbat. He applies this ruling to air force pilots and sailors, as well. Citing Rav Yizhak Zilberstein, Rav Pinhasi explains that if a pilot flies every day, all the routes he flies during the week are considered one extended period of travel, which concludes once he is given a recess for the weekend. Therefore, he should not recite Birkat Ha’gomel until the weekend, on Shabbat. This is also the ruling of several other contemporary Poskim, including Rav Shemuel Wosner, in his Shebet Halevi, and Hacham Ovadia Yosef, in his Hazon Ovadia – Hilchot Berachot (p. 363).
Summary: A pilot who flies airplanes every day for a living recites Birkat Ha’gomel only on the weekend, when he has time off from flying. He does not recite the Beracha in between flights during the workweek.
