36 Years in the Skies with Qantas

I always had a fascination with aeroplanes and technology. I built model planes and had remote-control models when I was growing up. I’ve been flying for 42 years, 36 with Qantas. I now fly the 787, the Dreamliner. It’s a nice aeroplane to fly and it’s one of the quietest flight decks I’ve flown in. 

I was fortunate enough to do a Paris trip, the launch flight. There are a lot of logistics that you wouldn’t even think of and the launch was a credit to the operational readiness team I’ve been part of. For the pilot training, we did simulator training sessions based around Paris. It was a festive atmosphere on the launch flight because it’s the first time we’ve flown to Paris for 20 years. The day after landing I went for a big run all the way to the Eiffel Tower. I did a lot of walking, too – I do love French patisseries so all that exercise helps with the guilt.

The Antarctic charters are really interesting flights to be part of. As you can imagine, it’s so spectacular down there. We spend a bit of time in the cabin, talking to the passengers. Then once we arrive over Antarctica, it’s quite a buzz. A lot of planning goes into it and a lot of that is around weather briefings; what’s the best area to go to and where are you most likely to get a good view? 

My favourite destination? That’s a toughie. I went to Egypt a long time ago. I’ve always been fascinated with Egyptian history. I guess it goes back to the fascination I had as a kid with technology. It’s the whole question of how they managed to pull off such an engineering feat as the pyramids thousands of years ago. 

Captain Phil Paterson
Qantas 787 Captain