Introducing Anders
We spoke to Anders Tabima, a pilot who kindly shared why he chose to pursue a career in the aviation industry, what a day in the life of a pilot looks like, and 3 key tips for aspiring aviation professionals.
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Why did you pursue a career in the aviation industry?
From a young age, I was fascinated by the industry. I would come up with excuses to go to the airport and see not only the planes take off, but to breathe that airport “atmosphere”. Also, there was a TV show on the BBC called “Airport” which I would love to watch.
From then on, I knew I wanted to be involved in the industry. After working for an airline in various roles in sales and marketing, I decided to take a step further and go for my commercial pilot’s license. The highlight of my career was being upgraded to Captain.
Have you faced any challenges throughout your career?
Many, the economic recession of 2007-2010. I was finishing my pilot studies with huge debt and no job prospects, and now Covid has left the industry in great uncertainty.
What do you do on an average day in your role?
There is no typical day in a pilots life, as we can start very early in the morning, midday, or at night; same with finishing times.
However, on a two-sector day (very unusual), the first thing we do is arrive at dispatch control. Here we check the basic paperwork, such as fuel calculation, check weather reports, weight and balance of the aircraft, and any notification of potential hazards in our airport of origin, destination, and en route.
We make amendments as necessary, after this, we have a crew briefing where we discuss all the relevant scenarios we could have during the flights, and revise emergency procedures.
All of this takes about 40 minutes. After this, we go to the aircraft and check that the aircraft is in working order, we carry out safety checks on all the systems, also the maintenance records to see if the airplane is in optimum condition and no maintenance issues have been logged.
Once all of this is done and all is in the right order, the passengers start embarking, and it's almost departure time.
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What’s the best thing about working in aviation?
The life of a pilot is very dynamic, no day is the same, you meet people from all over the world, and if you are lucky enough your airline gives you perks to travel at discounted rates. - I hope to see continued growth globally for the industry and hopefully covid days will be over soon.
What are your goals for the future?
I plan to have a pilots life and continue flying for as long as I can but also share this with a managerial role.
What is one thing you would like to have known?
That it requires a lot of sacrifice and flexibility. If you don’t have a supporting family, the pilot lifestyle can be tough.
What kind of skills/characteristics do you need to have?
Pilot jobs require a lot of discipline, resilience, and flexibility, and I don’t think these 3 elements will change.
3 Tips for someone who wants to join the aviation industry:
- Do not get disheartened by the current covid situation. I have seen the worst but also the best in this industry and things will get better, without a doubt.
- Resilience is a key factor, it will take an extra effort to succeed, but the rewards are second to none.
- A day in a pilot's life is not your typical 9-5 Monday to Friday, so flexibility is a must.
