My Dream –to Fly for Iberia

Hello, I’m Fermín Vioque, an Iberia pilot since October, 2018.

Why did I choose to become a pilot? Nobody in my family or social circles was involved in the field.

Well, something happened when I was four, on an Iberia flight from Seville to Madrid. When I boarded, the pilot was greeting the passengers, and when he saw me he asked if I’d like to see the inside of the cockpit. He took me by the hand and showed me all the buttons. I was bowled over. That gesture, his friendliness to me, the idea that he was able to fly that huge plane –I knew immediately that I wanted to be like him when I grew up.

It wasn’t a passing fancy like those of my friends who want to be football players or video game stars. My passion for airplanes grew stronger and the time eventually came when I saw I might actually go for it.

But what did I have to do to become a pilot? After a lot of research and asking questions of everybody I knew, I decided to apply to the Jerez flying school, one of the best in Europe, and which, amongst other advantages, had a record of helping a large proportion of its graduates to find jobs.

The training programme was very intense and very hard, but I loved it. They not only taught me how to fly, but also how to be disciplined in my work, to be professional, and to be constant. This was all crucial in my new adventure.

After completing my training I was selected to work in a low-cost airline. I was glad to have a job, but this wasn’t my dream. I wanted to be like that pilot who made such an impression on me when I was four, and I also wanted to live in Spain, but my first employer was based in the UK.

I always thought of Iberia as a distant and difficult goal, especially given my lack of experience, but that I might have a shot sometime in the future. So I was incredulous when I learned that the company was recruiting pilots. O couldn0’t stop smiling! My dream might come true. I took my shot.

And I got in! I still have to pinch myself sometimes to realise that it’s not just a dream, and that I really am a part of this great family --I’m an Iberia pilot!