There’s nothing quite like stepping onto a plane knowing that when you exit you will be in paradise on holiday.
You’ll spend some hours relaxing, watching a film or enjoying snacks, all while the pilot is controlling the plane. But have you ever wondered what their day looks like?
A pilot has now revealed exactly what it is like flying a plane every day – and there’s a lot we don’t see as passengers. Emily, who works for Emirates, moved to Dubai in 2019 after landing a job and was soon promoted to A380 Captain. The mum-of-three, from Sydney, was the first Australian woman to achieve this.
A video clip from Emirates, shared by @thetravlish on Instagram, shows Emily flying from Dubai to Sydney. She starts her day by getting ready and putting her uniform on.
She then gets on with her pre-flight preparations at home before giving her daughters a hug and kiss goodbye and heading to Emirates Group headquarters.
After being picked up by a driver, she heads to meet with the crew and goes over the flight plan. “We cover things like weather conditions, airspace rules and regulations, and any other relevant information that will ensure an efficient flight,” she said.
The crew then head to Dubai International Airport and board the aircraft. Emily added: “Once we arrive at the aircraft, we conduct our pre-flight checks before passengers board.” The flight from Dubai to Sydney takes 13 hours and 40 minutes.
Once the crew receive confirmation that all checks have been conducted, they set off. She says she gets “the best office view in the world” at 40,000ft in the sky.
Emily gets to have a break after six hours – and on the flight shown in the video, she handed over her plane seat to Captain Lewis. She spent some time in the crew rest compartment where there are bunk beds. Emily said she finds it “quiet and comfortable”. There are also TVs that have the same in-flight entertainment as the passengers’.
After her break, Emily takes back over and is in charge of landing the plane. While she admits she “might be biased”, she insists that “Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities to land in”.
The behind-the-scenes footage left people stunned – and admitting they didn’t realise a lot about what a pilot’s work day really looks like. “It’s nice to see the daily lives of others that normally you never see,” one individual said. Another said: “This is so nice to see. Sometimes as a passenger you don’t even realise the prep that goes into flying for pilots and crew cabin. Too busy hoping our kilos of clothes are not over the limit. We are grateful to you all. God bless you.”
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