Am I?
In a flight simulator. At the pilot school of the Sabadell Aeroclub, the third in Spain.
Who studies here?
Aspiring pilots from fifty countries come to this Sorbonne of aviation.
How long does it take to get the degree?
Between six months and three years. Every year, a hundred pilots graduate from here.
What planes can they fly?
Commercial airline planes.
Is there work in this branch?
There are many, and well paid! Everyone finds work in a hurry: the demand for pilots is growing.
Do you have a pilot's license?
Here I got it in six months. Although I wasn't looking for a job in an airline.
Didn't want to be a commercial pilot?
I wanted the title to fly alone.
Since when?
Since I was little. But I put it off…
What did you dream of as a child?
I was fascinated to see planes take off and land at El Prat airport. And I wanted to fly one day, but I postponed my dream…
Until when?
I turned 40: "Now yes!", I said to myself.
Twenty years have passed.
The best of my life, flying...
Do you have a plane?
Not mine, it's from the Sabadell Aeroclub, here: more than forty small propeller planes that all members use.
How many members are there?
We are 1,100 members, with quotas. With almost a century of life, we are the best flying club in Europe. See the airfield, see how that little plane is taking off now...
Will it take me for a tumble?
Yes, but I have to warn you of a problem.
Who?
Will want to repeat. A friend of mine was scared, I took him up... and today he is a great rider.
What do the members of this flying club have in common?
The longing for freedom. And here we satisfy them. We are dreamers: you want and you are free. This flying club is a dream factory.
What's going on with them up there?
freedom weightlessness A beautiful feeling that I relive every night when I fall asleep.
How does the world look from a height?
When you fly, you understand your territory: highlands, mountain ranges, coast... You don't understand it at all from the ground.
Which area steals your heart?
It is unforgettable to fly over the craters of the Garrotxa volcanoes, the Sau i Susqueda swamp, Tavertet...
At what altitude?
A 3.600 metres.
Does it pose any health risks?
No, but if you feel a headache, get off! You may pass out or fall asleep.
Ai.
Quiet! It is much more dangerous to drive from home to the airfield than to fly in one of these small planes. The statistics sing.
And if the engines go out... what?
I'm looking for a field. I approach it. And I land hovering without an engine. Do not worry. It is one of the basic practices for the degree.
And isn't it scary?
No. It's hard to crash a plane, even if you wanted to - the plane always tends to fly, the plane wants to fly!
Is there anything that should not be done?
Crossing a cumulonimbus, those storm clouds: inside there is ice pelting the fuselage, and electric fields... You have to dodge them, or land and wait for the storm to pass.a
What is the flight range of the plane?
From four to seven hours. And one must never forget a first commandment...
You will say
Check the fuel level before take off! Always!
What three virtues distinguish a good pilot?
serenity ability Rigor.
Rigor?
Be neat, meticulous. To fly is to focus all your attention on just one thing: to fly. You can't think of anything else.
How many flight hours do you have?
Eight hundred hours of flight. After 300 hours it is said that it is easy for you to trust yourself too much...
Do you admire any historic drivers?
All pilots like to read Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
And if he looks to the future as an aviator, what does he see?
I see the electric plane. At the aeroclub we will have the first electric plane: two propellers activated by eight rechargeable electric batteries. It has an hour of flight autonomy. It has fewer breakdowns than a combustion engine. And, above all, what a pleasure to fly in complete silence, without any engine noise!
