Jeff Pooler is a Boeing 777 captain with Korean Air. A South African, he has worked for several airlines including Emirates. He recently returned home as a "long-distance" expatriate pilot for the Korean flag carrier
What first got you interested in aviation?
Growing up on our family farm in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, watching Piper Pawnee crop sprayers at work over our maize and potato crops triggered a fascination with flying. Secondly, a family friend, a neighbouring farmer who owned a Piper Tripacer, would take us for flights around the district which, as a young boy, awed me. Finally, a ride with a friend in a rented Cessna 172 during my final year at university was probably the most significant inflection point in my life as it convinced me that flying is what I wanted to do.
Where did you go from there? What is your background?
Having gained my private pilot's licence in my final year at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, I studied full-time for my commercial licence at an aviation academy in Johannesburg. I joined Anglo American, flying Beechcraft King Airs and Cessna Citation business aircraft with a brand new licence and instrument rating and a total of 250h.
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Flying the 777 is a satisfying experience for Pooler |
After two great years in corporate flying, during which time I achieved my airline transport certificate, I joined a domestic airline in South Africa, Flitestar, flying Airbus A320s before moving to the national carrier, South African Airways, where I flew Boeing 737s and 747s. This was followed by Air Mauritius (Airbus A340) and Emirates, where I achieved my airline command on the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330/A340. I am now flying 777s for Korean Air.
What prompted you to join Korean Air?
After seven years in the Middle East, my family and I wanted to return home to South Africa. My previous airline required that one had to be based in Dubai without the option of commuting. Our decision to join Korean Air was therefore based on the fact that as a commuting contract, we are able to live at home.
Describe a typical week
The foreign (expatriate) pilots with Korean Air fly 70-80h a month on average. A typical duty cycle on the 777 involves a combination of two or three trips across the Pacific to North America with 24h or 48h layovers; trips to South-East Asian destinations with an overnight layover and a short turnaround flight to Japan or China.
What do you enjoy most about working at Korean Air?
The fact that we are able to bid for, and are almost always granted, our requested days at home every month; the fact that our flying rosters very rarely change once published; good travel benefits and a clear, unambiguous contract. The airline has solid standard operating procedures and a good safety culture.
What do you like the most about the job itself?
Flying the 777, a most enjoyable and satisfying way to earn a living. I enjoy the contrast of the airspace in which we operate - from the frozen void of the northern polar region to the most complex and busy airspaces in the world.
I also enjoy managing the challenges presented by the extreme weather conditions we face, which range from monsoon thunderstorms to the searing heat of a Middle East summer or the brutal cold of a North American or Russian winter.
Source: Flight International
