An Australian pilot for a leading global airline has revealed the significant perks behind being the highest ranking pilot on the world’s largest passenger jet.
Hailing from Sydney, Emily Sidoti has been working for Emirates since 2019 but was recently promoted to A380 captain making her the first Australian woman to take on this role at Emirates.
Mum to three girls, the Aussie born and bred pilot is extremely proud of her accomplishments but has also revealed a glimpse into the immense perks that come with clinching that top job.
“In Dubai, we have access to luxury beach clubs, world-renowned restaurants, iconic shopping malls, and the world’s largest water parks and theme parks,” she told News.com.au.
“My children are also gaining a huge amount of positive life experience living overseas in a multicultural environment.
“My family also enjoys the opportunity to travel first and business class anywhere in the world.”
While Sidoti was promoted last year, it is only recently that she was allowed to fly the route between Dubai and Sydney.
She explained, “As a new Captain or First Officer, we are restricted in the first six months of our new role and fly short to medium-haul flights only allowing us to consolidate and gain maximum exposure.”
“Ultra Long Haul flights [like Dubai to Sydney] require four pilots to share the workload and half the time is spent in crew rest,” she added.
Sidoti also explained that a pilot’s job begins before they have stepped one foot into the cockpit.
“Before each flight a pilot is required to spend several hours of flight preparation at home before going to the airport,” she said.
“This ensures familiarity of the route we are flying, including country rules and regulations, weather, airports and airspace requirements and restrictions.”
While the pilot has achieved her goals, it wasn’t always plain sailing for the Sydneysider who grew up in Manly.
It was only through sheer determination that she received funding for her commercial pilot’s licence and she still had to work a side job while completing her diploma.
About her flying experiences, Sidoti says she has witnessed some amazing sights including The Northern Lights, the snowy peaks of the Himalayas and captivating sunsets and sunrises.
For those who are not fortunate enough to be a pilot or have a family member who is a pilot, given the huge expense of business and first class, flying economy class will just have to do.
While it can be cramped and uncomfortable, especially on those multi-day flights, one flight attendant has let the cat out the bag on how to ensure a smooth flight.
In her video she candidly encourages people to pack their own toilet paper.
“If you examine the toilet paper, I promise you’re going to see water droplets on it, or what you think are water droplets,” she said.
“I don’t think we can trust most men to make it in the toilet on a normal day, let alone flying at 36,000 feet with turbulence.”
Another recommendation was not to fly in shorts. “I would never wear shorts on a plane,” she declared, highlighting the apparent risk of freezing mid-flight.
Her second reason for ditching the short pants was a safety one.
“Say we have an evacuation. You have to go down the slide. Your butt cheeks are going to be sizzled off,” she explained.
So, the next time you board a plane, think twice about the toilet paper and consider opting for pants – your comfort and safety might just depend on it.