Becoming pilot

Today, I’m an airline captain, but I didn’t always know how to get here. There was a time when I was just like you: a curious teenager, barely familiar with aviation and with no idea how to become a pilot.I was 16 when I first became interested in becoming an airline pilot. At that time, I had only flown five or six times in my life. I couldn’t even tell you on which aircraft… But that didn’t matter. What mattered was the image I had in mind: traveling, working irregular hours, escaping routine. And above all, being part of a world in motion, meeting people from all walks of life. Very quickly, I caught the aviation bug—and it never left me.

Back then, the internet wasn’t overflowing with information like it is today. So I went to see Éric, my grandparents’ neighbor, who was a captain at an airline that no longer exists. He explained the different steps: pilot licenses, instrument flying, crew work, and of course the theoretical part of the ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot Licence). Honestly, despite my good grades, it was still unclear to me. But he ended with two sentences that stayed with me:
— “You’re young, try for ENAC and the Air France Cadets. You’ll have plenty of time to figure out the rest later.”
— “And make sure you get your butt in a real airplane soon—it would be good to check that you actually like it.”

The following week, my mother gave me a discovery flight at Lognes. Twenty years later, I can still recall that very first takeoff.

Tip #1: Being passionate about aviation is one thing. But flying also means dealing with unpredictable weather, fatigue, demanding schedules. Before you dream big, make sure you enjoy feeling the vibrations of a small aircraft, the gusts of wind, and the turbulence…

In 2001, with my high school diploma in hand, I entered a preparatory class. One afternoon, on my way back home, the news broke: it was September 11. Many would have reconsidered their path at that moment. Not me. I knew pilots would still be needed, and that my training would be long enough to outlast the crisis.

Tip #2: In times of crisis, there is never certainty—only choices. Choosing a career path is like placing a bet: on your life, your future, your career. Like any bet, it can bring great rewards or heavy losses. Crises are cyclical: oil shocks, wars, financial collapses, pandemics… Yet aviation almost always finds its way back. Remember this: a pilot constantly makes decisions, commits to them, and keeps looking forward.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that prep school wasn’t the right fit for my journey. So I switched to university, where I enrolled in a science program with a key advantage: a course called Flight Mechanics. Even better, the second semester included weekly glider flights. After the stress of those first winch launches, came freedom. The pure joy of staying aloft, carried only by the rising air.

First take off

With most of the costs covered by the university and the City of Paris, I was able to earn my glider pilot’s license. It was 2002: I juggled studies, a small side job, and preparation for entrance exams. My first attempt at ENAC: failure at the written tests. Second attempt: the Air France Cadets. An even clearer failure on the psychometric tests—lack of preparation, plain and simple.

Tip #3: When you try to do everything at once, you often end up failing at all of it. Set your goals, focus on the essentials, and cut out the rest.

The verdict came: eliminated from Air France selections. Back then, we had a debriefing. I still remember the words:
— “You can try again in three years, provided you log 1,000 flight hours. Or, if you pass ENAC, that condition will be waived. Do you know what you need to do?”
— “Yes, sir.”

That day, I understood something: if I truly wanted to become a pilot, I couldn’t afford to waste another chance. I quit my side job, spent my days at the university library, prepared for interviews, and polished my English.

When exam day came, I was ready. No regrets.

The rest of the story, in the next blog.

September 2017, first landing in Tokyo at the controls of an Air France Boeing 777-300. It has been a long way to get there.