Face to face
Chief Operating Officer, A330 and A350
Asking someone's age is incredibly bad manners. We won't fall foul of that rule, but suffice it to say that Raúl is the youngest pilot at Wordl2Fly and Juan the most senior. In this chat, they share confessions about their passion for aviation and the world of travel.
At school, when the teacher asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up...
What profession did you say?
Raúl: I don't remember wanting to dedicate myself to anything in particular, probably because it seemed such a long way off. My older brother was studying engineering and to some extent I wanted to follow in his footsteps. He taught me mechanics and who knows, maybe he was the one who gave me the bug for it.
Juan As for me, it depended on the last movie I had seen... Sometimes a cowboy, other times an Indian... it depended on who was winning.
What's the best thing about being a pilot?
Raúl: I think that all of us who make a career of it would say the satisfaction that flying gives us, the perspective of geography we get from the plane and the opportunity it affords us to be professional tourists.
Juan: The sensation of flying, which is a joy, and the opportunities it offers you to be continuously on the move from one place to another.
And the worst?
Raúl: I need a lot more time to find that out...
Juan: After 44 years of flying, I still don't know (laughs).
What's your previous experience in the sector? Raúl: 15 years linked to management work in various companies, alongside the piloting career in the last eight years.
Juan: More than four decades at a number of Spanish companies, which I remember fondly.
What do you remember from your first trip as a pilot? Where did you fly to?
Raúl: I remember my parents brimming with pride that I'd achieved my dream. It was a flight from Palma to Harstad/Narvik-Evenes airport in Norway, which involved a lot of nerves and pages of notes on everything I had to learn... The funny thing is that I'm still making notes now!
"A space flight would be an unforgettable experience"
"My first flight was to Melilla, on a Dehavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and it was a real thrill."
Juan: My first flight was to Melilla, on a Dehavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and it was a real thrill.
What's the main motivation for signing up to the World2Fly adventure?
Raúl: World2Fly is part of a large group whose ambition is to be a leader in the tourism sector, made up of a human team that's committed to excellence. That's the idea that was conveyed to me and well; who wouldn't be proud to be part of that kind of project?
Juan: To be able to continue working with the same human team as I have done for the last 20 years.
What's your favourite destination to travel to? Raúl: All of them!
Juan: Central and South America, because of what it offers for Spanish people. Actually, anywhere in the world.
What destination would you like to fly to professionally? And as a tourist?
Raúl: I think a space flight would be an unforgettable experience.
Juan: See the previous question.
Regular drivers have difficulty when they ride passenger with other drivers. Does the same thing happen to you when you travel by plane as a tourist? Raúl: Normally, when I'm a passenger I'll listen to music and read or have a nap, so I'm completely oblivious.
Juan: No.
How can you tell if a pilot is experienced or not?
Raúl: I can't think of anything specific, but as with any profession, in how they anticipate and handle events.
Juan: As with any other profession, in many details.
Imagine that your son or daughter is at the point of deciding what to do as a career. They're torn between training as a pilot or an engineer... What would you advise him?
Raúl: That they knuckle down and combine both of them! The two careers are perfectly complementary in the airline sector, but above all, I'd advise them to make sure they're able to enjoy their daily life.
Juan: If they want to be a pilot, they have to be absolutely sure of it, because if not, this lifestyle is not for them.
Finally, can you tell us an unusual fact about yourselves and what you do? Raúl: I will say that I don't have any social media, which is testament to the fact that I'm quite careful when it comes to sharing my private life.
Juan: Throughout all these years in the job I've had a great time and I hope to continue doing so... and of course, I intend to continue learning, because I still can.