People
The dream that took off in Malaga
A father and his daughter fulfil their dream of piloting a flight together
Málaga
From a very young age, Lucía Sánchez would put on the epaulettes and tie of her father's flight captain's uniform whenever he came ... home from work. She would also perform for her family, arranging the living room chairs in two rows with an armchair at the front as if they were on a plane.
Her father, Pedro Sánchez, would play along, probably not even thinking that, years later, 23-year-old Lucía would announce that she would like to follow in his footsteps.
Lucía now soars through the skies from Vueling's Paris base, the very same airline for which her father has been flying for almost 20 years now, operating out of his native Malaga.
After Lucía successfully completed her training, her dream was to fly with her father. A dream that took off from the Costa del Sol on 31 July, heading to Amsterdam.
Their first flight together departed at 6am. The entire crew and the passengers shared their excitement when Pedro addressed everybody aboard. He said that that particular flight was very special for him, because he was flying alongside his daughter, also a pilot.
Pedro said that he had the privilege of "sharing the cockpit with co-pilot Lucía Sánchez, who is also my daughter". He then said that "she's got this far thanks to her hard work and commitment" and that she had brought him "immense pride". The applause was immediate.
At the end of the flight, Pedro gave his crew mugs that read "El sueño que despegó" ("The dream that took off"), alongside the date of the flight.
"Nobody knew that my daughter was going to be the co-pilot on that flight. I didn't tell anyone until we arrived at the pre-flight briefing," Pedro says.
He has been in the profession for 35 years, with 26,000 flying hours behind him and a long career as a flight instructor.
It was also "a dream come true" for Lucía. "Apart from flying with my father, it was the first time I'd flown from home. I got up at home, put on my uniform and set off with my father in the car."
"The moment my father gave his speech, almost everyone started applauding. Seeing how people took an interest as we came out and congratulated us was very moving," the young woman says.
Pedro still remembers the day when teenage Lucía told him she wanted to be a pilot. It didn't surprise him that much because her passion for aviation comes from both her father and her mother, Isabel Domínguez-Berrueta, who is a flight attendant in Europe.
"Ever since I was very young, I've seen this passion for aviation at home and I think I've always been quite clear about it. I used to play at flying or say I wanted to be a pilot. As I got older, the only thing that caught my attention and that I liked was being a pilot," Lucía explains.
Pedro says that the whole family embraced her decision. His path to becoming a pilot was quite different.
"My story is quite unusual because I signed up for a course without my parents knowing. I told them I needed 80,000 pesetas to get my motorbike licence and went off to train as a private pilot at the age of 17," he says.
On the experience of being a woman in the world of aviation, Lucía says it has never been an obstacle. "People are more surprised by how young I am. The truth is that in this profession I've never felt inferior or was made to feel inferior," she says.
Since starting her career, Lucía has worked alongside women pilots on two occasions. "To be honest, those were very special moments. I really enjoy flying with them."
Her next goal is to become a captain. "That's what I'm working towards," she says, ready to face the intense period of training ahead. "Every six months we have simulator sessions. We have to keep studying and preparing ourselves to grow professionally," Lucía states.
People are constantly surprised by how young she is. "They tell me I'm very young and congratulate me on having gotten to where I am. It happened to me again the other day in Barcelona when we had a flight change and the woman at the boarding gate said to me, 'You're so young!' I think people are more surprised by how young I am than by the fact that I'm a woman, which I think is more accepted these days," the young pilot says.
Pedro, almost moved to tears, is grateful that their shared dream has come true.
"Thank you to the crew for making this flight such a special and heart-warming experience. And to the passengers for adding that touch that turned a lovely day into an unforgettable memory. And also to Vueling's communications department for responding to our request and making this dream come true," Pedro states.
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