Shaun Wildey flies Airbus A340s for Etihad Airways and is enjoying life with his family in Abu Dhabi, after a career with the Royal Air Force and Empire Test Pilots' School.
You recently joined Etihad Airways. What do you fly, and on which routes?
I fly the Airbus A340-600 and -500, but should also become qualified on the A330 within a few months. I have been to Beirut, Islamabad, Lahore and Paris, and our line-checks are sometimes short hops to Muscat. However, I would generally be rostered to Chicago, London, Melbourne, New York or Sydney.
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© EtihadWildey: flown 67 aircraft types during the course of his career |
What is a typical day like?
Most of my flights are ultra-long-range, and I can meet the monthly hours in three trips. That number will increase when I also fly the A330. If I'm the first officer on crew A of a four-man crew, I'll check-in 1h 45min before push-back, grab the flight folder and find the captain and crew B. We spend 20min reviewing the paperwork and then make a fuel decision. After, we meet the cabin crew to brief them on the route. The first few hours are busy, but with a 14h trip there is plenty of time to chat - and with 75 different nationalities of pilots, there's plenty to chat about too.
Are you enjoying the lifestyle in Abu Dhabi?
The tax-free package and the weather throughout winter and spring make it a great place to bring up three sons. In summer the family go on holiday to a cooler England.
Describe your career path
I joined the Royal Air Force from school and flew the Sepecat Jaguar in the reconnaissance and attack roles and as a weapons instructor for nine years. In 2000, I attended test pilot training on exchange at EPNER in France. It was an extremely challenging year, but I loved it. Back in the UK, I served for three years on the Fast Jet Test Squadron, and then was a tutor at the Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS). I finished my 19 years in the RAF as the principal tutor fixed wing. I then went to Virgin Atlantic for two years, but the recession caused me to look for an expanding airline with quick command prospects.
What was it like working as a military test pilot?
I tested new engines, avionics, software changes, helmet-mounted displays and next-generation night-vision goggles, plus one-off development projects for future systems. It was a demanding environment with a high workload.
What attracted you to flying for a commercial operator?
My original plan was to be in the RAF for eight years and become an airline pilot. When I started operating multi-crew aircraft on the test pilots' course I realised that I enjoyed this kind of flying as much as my single-seat days.
Would you recommend it to other military pilots?
Yes, after my military career I find that operating a 380t aircraft with 300 people on board, often in remote areas, brings a different and absorbing challenge. There is an enormous volume of information to process: for example, a serious medical emergency over Siberia in winter is a life-and-death decision process. It takes great management of the crew, passengers and aircraft. Get it wrong and someone may suffer. Another skill is the ability to sleep anywhere, at any time.
Which aircraft have you most enjoyed flying?
I've flown 67 types. Highlights include fully stalling the Boeing 707 and taking it to 95° angle of bank, flying a Bombardier 415 from a lake, and seeing whether the g-envelope protection of the Dassault Mirage 2000 could be exceeded. My favourite was the Saab Gripen, on which I was an instructor at ETPS. It is beautifully easy to fly with fantastic performance.
Source: Flight International
