Adventurous Italian pilot flying high
Print Edition
It was nearly midnight when Diego Benedetto, an Italian pilot working with China Eastern, flew back to Wuhan from Beijing at the end of a busy week.
After all the passengers had exited the Boeing 737, Benedetto powered off the control panel and walked out of the cockpit, which he considers the best office in the world.
Having been a pilot for more than 40 years, Benedetto settled in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, in 2018. He flies four to five days a week, with his schedule changing each week. Benedetto embraces the erratic timetable.
“The only constant thing in my life is change. But I think that the more we embrace change, the more comfortable we are in life,” said the 59-year-old. “And, please don’t tell my company, but I would fly for free because I love it!”
As China’s airline sector took off over the past decade, flying schools in the country were unable to recruit and train enough pilots. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, between 2010 and 2019, the number of foreign captains flying with Chinese airlines more than doubled to over 1,500. And Benedetto is one of the many who grabbed a new career opportunity here.
It’s a long way from home
When Benedetto, who had been an air force pilot and then worked for commercial airlines in Europe and the Middle East, thought about his next job in his 50s, the country over 8,000 kilometers away from his hometown came to his mind.
“I wanted to work in a place where the economy is good and where there would be no crisis. China seemed to be the best place for me,” said Benedetto. After a long hiring procedure and a thorough inspection in Wuhan in 2017, he moved to the city with his family the next year.
“The salary here in China is higher than other places, but they really expect top performance, always top level. And it is matching my way of thinking and doing. So I accepted the challenge,” Benedetto said.
Before every flight, Benedetto and his colleagues have to do an alcohol test and get their blood pressure checked. And every six months, they have to take a series of examinations in a simulator that lasts for four hours each time.
“Here in China, everybody puts a lot of energy into their work and life, so I want to do my best. I really like it here,” he said.
“I hope to stay here as long as possible.”
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