Pilot

So, you want to be a Pilot?

An interview with Pilot Erik

Erik is a 28 year old pilot who works as a First Officer. He was born in Italy; specifically in a small city next to Trieste on the border between Italy and Slovenia. He loves sports, animals and traveling, however it’s not always easy for him to combine these hobbies together. He has a dog, that unfortunately cannot follow him on his journeys, however his Mum is great at looking after him. Erik went to high school, and then to University where he studied Agriculture. He graduated and then later started his aviation career.

I got the opportunity to interview Erik, asking him questions on matters that many aspiring models  were curious to know. I would like to thank Erik for giving up his time to answer these questions and I would also like to thank anyone who asked a question themselves. I hope you find this interview beneficial. 

You can find out more about Erik on his instagram:  https://instagram.com/pilot.erik?igshid=er35un35gxor

When and how did you know you wanted to be a pilot?

I always wanted to be a pilot. From a very young age I dreamt about those huge flying machines and asking my parents to bring me to the airport, just to watch them taking off and landing. It was for me a dream job, and I am lucky enough because I made out of my dream a reality. For me, it was a dream job, and I am lucky because I made my dream a reality.

I don’t have anyone in my family involved in the aviation business and every time I asked my parents how to become a pilot, there was always the same reply: it’s not easy, you need to have this, do that, only a few people can do it, it costs money, it is dangerous etc etc... It seemed impossible, it seemed like I was not good enough or that it was, as I said, just a dream, like any other child would have.

For this reason I went the classic way. High school, university in a field where I would work without many “uffs or bahs” and MSc, but as we all know, when you study something that you don’t fully love, especially at a Master degree level, problems start to arise.

My exams went very fine, but it was Spring when I had the opportunity to be invited for a UK “round-trip” and with some personal savings I flew out of Bergamo to Manchester, and ended up in London. I flew back to Italy with one of the most famous LCC in Europe on a blue and yellow aircraft and had the opportunity to use an empty row (yes! An empty row all for me) and took my window seat and relaxed. Just moments before departure a First Officer came and sat on my same row but on the aisle. If think about that day, I still feel sorry for the guy, who was unable to relax for the whole flight! This is something that very few people know. It was on that day, on that flight while admiring an amazing sunset and after my conversation with that “pilot” that I’d come to a conclusion. If this is your dream, and you always think about it, go for it. The morning after I searched for a flight school. A few weeks later went for my medical examinations and YES, I was (and I am) able to get a First Class Aviation Medical. My career in aviaMon took off. 14 months later I was holding my Commercial Pilot license.

How did you work your way up to where you are now?

As soon I got my CPL license (commercial pilot), I started to look for a job. It was not easy to get into that right hand cockpit seat. I applied to all the airlines with an open position and where I would meet the requirements. After about 8 months and a few selection processes I got a job offer from the company where I am still happily employed as First Officer. The job offer and contract were followed Line Training in order to be fully qualified in flying the aircraft type that I fly. The whole training with my airline lasted about 5 months. Did I finish to study? Of course not. That was just the start!

What is a common misconception about pilots?

I think the most common misconception about flight crew members it about lifestyle. Even if I can say we kind of have a more privileged life when it comes to travel, being a pilot is hard work, long days and sometimes boring ones. It is a big misconception (especially nowadays) that pilots travel for work. All companies try to shrink to the layover as much as possible (time spent abroad) in order to keep costs low. Even if you might think that it is amazing to be in New York “for free” for 24/36 hours, you have to take into consideration that we are not there as tourists. We arrive to destination after a “long duty” and we have to be ready for the return duty as well. Fresh, ready and fully updated on what the flight will be. To all the people that want to approach this career, I personally would like to say that it is an urban myth when you hear about stories involving pilots and cabin crew down route or at home base. It might happen (as in all businesses) that you fall in love with someone from your same industry, but that doesn’t mean that ALL pilots are married with flight attendants, and NO, being a pilot won't bring you romance.

Do you think that there is discrimination within your industry?

Luckily aviation is an equal opportunities industry. There is no discrimination arising from being a man or a woman. However, you must be fit to fly, fit to pass all aviation medical examinations and all aviation exams (theory) and skill tests. As long as you do that, then you are a fully qualified pilot. It is true that the industry has a huge representation of male pilots BUT there are many companies around the globe sponsoring women in aviation and helping women to pursue their dreams to become pilots. Talking in numbers, I do believe that as per 2020 fewer than 10% of global pilots are women. This trend is improving, but nothing is stopping you from perusing your dream.

What do you enjoy most about being a pilot?

I love my job. When people ask me about my job, I always think I do not have a job. I turned my job into my biggest dream and passion. I love everything about it. I love the amount of study behind it, the strong cooperation between people, the respect, timetables, efficiency and the magic of flying itself. I honestly think of myself as a morning person, but wake up calls at 03:00 AM are very difficult for me too, but the energy you get from your crew, the smiles and the views we get every day, is something I wish every person on earth could “taste” once in a lifetime. I love the uniform and our passengers, but if you ask me to give you my favourite thing, first place without a doubt would be the view of amazing sunrises and sunsets from 10km above us.

What is the most challenging aspect of being a pilot?

This is a difficult question to answer. I could say everything and anything. I do believe it is an amazing job, that bring you responsibility. Is responsibility challenging? Maybe. I prefer to say is that you always have to be 110% of yourself. In everything you do.

What qualities do you think a person needs to be a pilot?

I personally do not believe someone needs particular qualities to become a pilot. If you google about it, most probably you can find a huge list of grades, mathematics and physics etc. I do not believe in all that. Honestly I have always been an average student and my math is not excellent. That didn’t stop me from achieving my dreams and become a pilot. I do believe you need to be meticulous, you need to have attention to details and self discipline. You need to crave information and like to study. Our profession will require us to study for the rest of our life and most of the time information is not easily available. We need to research, reflect, and mix all up with our experience. I receive a lot of messages on Instagram about piloting. Many people ask if you can be a pilot if you wear glasses. If you can be a pilot if you are shorter than a certain height. I never reply to those things. I do believe that if you are that unable to find out the answer to those questions on the web, then piloting is definitely NOT your profession.

Was there any other career path you considered or have you always wanted to be a pilot?

We all, always, need a plan B. I did graduate as agronomist and if I were not a pilot, I would have been happy to continue my studies and a career in management would have been something of big interest to me.

Is there something you know now you wish you'd known at the start of your career?

Job is not paid as good as you would expect and the investment to become a pilot is really huge. Apart from this, the profession is great and mostly all information is available online, so I was ready for this profession and lifestyle even before commencing flight school. I do believe there is no need to say we work on a not fixed schedule and many Sundays or Saturdays are spent at work, as many birthdays, Christmases and New Year Eves.

What advice would you give to those wantingto become pilots?

As per now I would say wait. Gather all informaron you can and lets see how aviation industry evolves. Always get yourself a plan B and IF aviaMon is really your big dream then go for it.

Thank you for reading!