Role: Captain
Company: Flybe
Track Record: From the age of five Judith Watt knew her dream was to fly planes for a living.
HOW I BECAME A CAPTAIN
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I completed a BSc Honours degree in Management Studies at Brunel University in London. After that I managed a Starbucks outlet in Heathrow airport for a year but my real desire was to fly so in 2003 I enrolled on the AeroMadrid Flight Training Academy to become a pilot. I joined Flybe three years later as a First Officer and in 2010 became a Captain.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I always had a leaning towards science based subjects with real practical application. Maths, Design and Technology were my favourites. I suppose my mum being a maths teacher had some influence!
Did you go on to further/higher education; if so, what did you study and where?
When I left Foyle College I really didn’t know what I wanted to study except flying. I thought that the four year degree in Management at Brunel would be a good basis for a range of job options and as it happens much of what I learnt has come in handy on the flight deck.
How did you get into your area of work?
After completing my commercial pilots licence I began looking for jobs. The Flybe job was advertised in Belfast Telegraph’s Niobfinder and I began the application process in January 2005. After a series of interviews and simulator exercises I eventually was appointed First Officer in December that year. While I was waiting I worked in a number of temporary posts from filing in Belfast City Hospital to admin in Laganside Courts.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
Absolutely. I was totally obsessed with flying. My parents tell the story that when I was five and on a flight to Majorca the crew allowed me to stay in the cockpit for landing as I had asked so many intelligent questions. After that I was hooked. At school I had a part-time job in Dunnes which helped me to pay for private flying lessons. After University I went to Florida and did a six week course to complete my private pilot’s licence. I was never happier than when flying.
Are there any alternative routes into the job?
Yes. There are now university degrees which include pilot skills. There are also flight schools which feed directly into airlines. These courses can either be done on a fulltime basis over 18 months or in a modular format to allow for trainees working on another job. Flybe partners with several Approved Training Organisations and can offer Multi Crew Pilot License training through both CTC Aviation and Flight Training Europe, Jerez, an airline pilot scheme in the south of Spain.
The downside to becoming a career pilot is that the training can cost up to £100k and is completely self-funded.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
Typically before embarking on pilot training a candidate needs to have two A Level passes, five GCSEs including maths, English and Science and be aged 18 or over. There are several stages to complete when achieving an Airline Transport Pilots licence, there are 14 ground school subjects, with final exams and several flight exercises that must be completed, at this stage the holder will have a Commercial Pilots Licence, with a multi-engine instrument rating. At this point you can apply for airline jobs to work in a two crew environment. Once you achieve 1500 hours multi-crew flying and a simulator assessment, you can apply for a full Airline Transport Pilots Licence.
Within Flybe, achieving your ATPL, then allows you to start working towards completing the necessary steps to becoming a Captain. Flybe crew are tested in the classroom every year and in a full motion flight simulator every six months.
What are the main personal skills you job requires?
Incredible determination and patience as the training is intense and the amount of book learning significant. You need to be unflappable and calm in all situations as flying circumstances can change in an instant. It’s also essential to have an analytical mind and be disciplined and organised. Decisiveness is also a good trait to have. On the physical side you need to be medically fit and have eyesight which can be corrected to 20/20 vision.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
I’m so lucky because my hobby is actually my job and I will never tire of watching fabulous sunrises and sunsets from the cockpit. I find random external issues to be challenging such as baggage or even passengers being lost at the last minute thus delaying take-off.
What does a typical day entail?
An alarm call at 4.30am with the aim of checking in to the crew room at 6am. There is a lengthy check list to go through before boarding the aircraft including weather detail, the operational flight plan, fuelling programme, security drills etc. Once on board another full list of safety checks must be completed. On a standard shift I will complete four flights, sometimes six.
Why is what you do important?
Living as I do in Northern Ireland I know how important air connectivity is. Flybe connects local people to 14 UK destinations from Aberdeen to Southampton and that is vital both from a leisure and business perspective.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
I was very fortunate because my parents supported me throughout my training. It is expensive to achieve a pilot’s licence so anyone wishing to do it must be very committed. Even after achieving the licence the route to getting employment can also be extremely challenging so don’t be disheartened.
If you could go back, what is the one piece of advice you would give yourself on your first day?
Pay attention to everything and ask questions endlessly. There is so much to learn on the job.
Describe your ideal day off.
I work five days on and five days off so my ideal leisure time is flying off to my parents’ house in the south of Spain with my five year old daughter Zoe. During term time I love being a typical school mum and glorified taxi driver!