9 minute read
The Sky's the Limit
For most people, travelling to exotic locations is solely reserved for holidays, but for a lucky few it’s all in a day’s work. Laura Peppas meets four women with careers that have taken them around the world.
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Vanessa Palmer: Helicopter pilot
After working for the Australian Army, Vanessa decided to take her career to new heights—literally. Her journey to be a helicopter pilot began three years ago at the age of 40 and she hasn’t looked back since. It shows, as she says with a laugh, that you “truly can teach an old dog new tricks.”
WHY DID YOU WANT TO WORK IN THIS FIELD?
Learning to fly was always something I wanted to do and I have always loved helicopters, so when I decided to move on from my previous career I decided it was time to follow a dream and become a pilot. It was not an easy task to change careers, career field and employers completely. The training and exams at my age was a lot of retraining the brain!
CAN WE GET AN IDEA OF A TYPICAL DAY INYOUR LIFE?
I currently work on a casual basis for two companies—Black Ops/Blue Sky Helicopters in Sydney and Canberra Helicopters at Canberra Airport. My days depend on what I am doing and can start at 6am. In the summer months working until 8pm is quite normal as we can fly later due to the extended daylight hours during daylight savings. A day would involve preparing passengers for flights, preparing helicopters, liaising with other pilots, flying, washing helicopters, general maintenance and enjoying every time I get in a helicopter!
WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOURCAREER HIGHLIGHTS?
As I am only new to this industry, finishing my training and gaining that important piece of paper that is my Commercial License will be my goals. So far, I have met some great people in the industry in Australia and overseas. Earlier this year I got the opportunity to meet and listen to a talk by Chuck Aaron, who is the Red Bull Helicopter Aerobatic pilot—one of only about three in the world. He did the helicopter scene at the start of the James Bond movie Spectre. It was awesome to hear about his knowledge and experience in this industry.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
There is nothing more capable of putting a smile on my face than getting into the cockpit and lifting a helicopter into flight. It is just amazing every time.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGESOR DRAWBACKS?
The biggest challenge as a junior pilot with low hours and experience is getting full-time work. Probably my biggest challenge was adapting from the military environment to the civilian one.
Karen Petritsch: Flight attendant
According to Karen Petritsch, aviation changed forever after 11 September 2001—but for the better. “Safety and security within the industry is of greater importance and priority,” she says. With more than 20 years experience as a flight attendant under her belt, Karen would know: she’s been the first point of call for passengers on flights from Kendell Airlines, Qantas and, currently, Virgin Australia and still doesn’t tire of the views from 38,000 feet up.
CAN WE GET AN IDEA OF A TYPICAL DAY FOR YOU?
Packing for any of my trips would occur the night before. Depending on sign-on time, I would generally start the day with a workout followed by a healthy meal then head to the airport to begin my duty. After signing on I am required to attend a crew briefing which outlines the names of the tech and cabin crew I will be flying with, any special inflight requirements, the passenger loads and assigning of work positions.
After all passengers have disembarked our flight and the duty has ended for the day in a port other than my home base, as crew we make our way to the hotel where we will be staying. Depending on the layover time, I either rest my entire stay, I may catch up with fellow airline crew for dinner, or if the layover is more than one day I would start each day with my routine of a workout and a healthy meal.
HOW MANY COUNTRIES HAVE YOU VISITEDSO FAR?
When based out of Sydney, I would visit around nine countries on a regular basis throughout the year. Being recruited as a German language speaker Frankfurt, London, Bangkok and Singapore were my primary destinations, but once I moved to Melbourne and operated solely as a First Class flight attendant, Los Angeles was the one and only destination I flew to.
WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR CAREERHIGHLIGHTS?
Highlights include being part of a select group of cabin crew chosen to represent Qantas Airways during their campaign as the official airline of the Sydney 2000 Olympics to charter flights to and from Los Angeles for the US broadcasting company (NBC) corporate delegates attending the games. Another highlight was again being selected as a member of the cabin crew to operate a New Year’s Eve charter flight over the land of perpetual daylight, Antarctica. Finally, and on a more serious note, being part of the first operating crew to successfully fly passengers back to Australia after the September 11 terrorist attacks. These are some memorable career highlights I will never forget.
HOW LONG DO YOU GET TO SLEEP ON THELONG-HAUL FLIGHTS?
Crew rest is dependent on the flight time and number of cabin crew on board. For example, on an eighthour flight from Sydney to Singapore, as cabin crew you would get approximately one-hour break. On a flight from Melbourne direct to Los Angeles which is a flight time of around 15 hours, you would get up to five hours rest, usually divided into two breaks. Again that depends on the number of cabin crew and in which cabin you are operating in.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU LIKE TO DO TO GETTHROUGH THEM AND ARRIVE FRESH?
Staying hydrated on any flight is paramount to staying alert and arriving fresh. For long-term sustainability, exercise, eating healthy and, most importantly, sleep are key to getting through the mental and physical demands of my job.
Amanda Woods: Travel writer
The occupation ‘travel writer’ is likely to be at the top of everyone’s list of dream jobs, but for Amanda Woods, it’s an everyday reality. As the creator of popular travel website adventuresallaround.com, the seasoned journalist admits she’s been to so many countries she’s lost count. Some of the most recent destinations on her crowded passport include Antarctica, Fiji, Samoa, Italy and Germany, while her articles range from reviewing accommodation (everywhere from luxury villas to camping) to providing essential travel tips and ideas for exploring.
WHAT DREW YOU TO WANT TO WORK INTHIS FIELD?
I was drawn to journalism because I wanted to see the world and be able to ask questions along the way. As it turned out I rarely travelled for work in my radio and TV days but that has well and truly changed now that I’m a travel writer and blogger.
CAN WE GET AN IDEA OF A TYPICAL DAYFOR YOU?
Typical days don’t exist in this life. In the past month I’ve woken up in the Arctic and hopped into a Zodiac to look at icebergs while keeping an eye out for polar bears, I’ve joined a group in New Zealand to be among the first to road test the new GoPro HERO7, and spent days at home writing, unpacking and repacking bags.
WHAT HAVE BEEN THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITECITIES AND WHY?
Berlin and London are absolute favourites of mine. They both have an energy of their own that you can’t find anywhere else. A third is tough but if we’re talking places rather than cities, Antarctica is my favourite travel memory.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
Seeing this big beautiful world of ours, and meeting amazing people along the way. I’ve had so many “wow” moments and while I had lots of those from travel before I made this my work, it’s incredible to be able to experience so many of them on the job and then share them with people.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES ORDRAWBACKS?
For me the biggest challenge is getting the balance right and taking care of my energy levels when I’m travelling so much. Travel is amazing and stimulating but can also be exhausting, especially when you are spending so much time in airports and on planes. It can also be challenging to find the time to write the stories when you’re on the road, especially when you have a jam-packed itinerary.
It’s definitely not a holiday and all too often I’ll be staying in a gorgeous hotel and there’ll be no time to actually enjoy it. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve looked longingly at a hotel’s pool or even the bathtub in my room and haven’t been able to use either as there’s barely enough time to sleep and repack your bags.
Rosina Helbig: A320 first officer
Growing up in South Australia’s Barossa Valley, Rosina Helbig began flying lessons at just 16— before she even got her driver’s licence. Her love for flying began “as a kid” on a drive to Adelaide Airport, when she spotted a plane on the other side of the fence. “I remember I was just in awe of the aircraft and knew that I had to be a part of that,” she says.
CAN WE GET AN IDEA OF A TYPICAL DAYFOR YOU?
A typical day can consist of operating between two and four flights. For a “morning” shift I can sign on as early as 5am. I meet with the Captain in our crew room and we discuss our flight plan for the day, assess the weather and any relevant operational information, then order the appropriate amount of fuel. We then brief our cabin crew and proceed to the aircraft. The Captain and First Officer will take in turns which legs they fly but the Captain will have the overall command of the flights throughout the day. It’s a busy day and we usually get just 30 minutes at each port before we take off again.
HOW MANY COUNTRIES HAVE YOU VISITEDSO FAR?
I fly on Jetstar’s A320 short-haul network, which consists of mostly domestic destinations but also occasional trips across the Tasman to New Zealand or as far north as Bali. A great perk of the job is staff travel benefits, a privilege that allows you access to heavily-discounted airfares on a standby basis, which has enabled me to take regular holidays overseas and interstate.
WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOURCAREER HIGHLIGHTS?
There have certainly been some memorable moments which start with my first solo flight at Moorabbin airport in 2007. Flying alone for the first time is a surreal moment that a pilot never forgets. My goal has always been to fly the A320 for Jetstar, so being chosen for that job in 2014 was very satisfying. My long-term goal is to be an A320 Captain for Jetstar.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
I love that every day is different. To be a pilot you need to be adaptable to an ever-changing environment and be prepared for the unexpected. A great aspect to short-haul operations is the variety of the flying. My job takes me from major capital cities to our overseas Indonesian and New Zealand neighbours. But most of all I enjoy getting hands-on and flying a visual circuit in the A320 to our beautiful regional destinations such as Proserpine and Mackay.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGESOR DRAWBACKS?
As a pilot you need to be prepared to work any day of the year at any time. Fortunately, working for Jetstar on their short-haul fleet means that I return to home base every day. You also need to be prepared to miss some special events such as Christmas, however, with some prior planning and organisation I celebrate these occasions on different dates.
ARE THERE MANY WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY?
By becoming an airline pilot, I’ve discovered that this has meant joining a five per cent worldwide gender minority. Despite this, I’ve found great support and encouragement from all my colleagues and have never been made to feel like I shouldn’t be where I am today. •
Thank you to Canberra Helicopters for allowing us to shoot in their hangar and use their helicopter.
WORDS Laura Peppas
PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Bean
