From Milan to Chicago, the influencer pilot: "I used to clean planes in a flight school, today I'm a commander in American Airlines"
Nicolò Fatai, 33, born and raised in Milan, is now an American Airlines pilot, Boeing 737-800 commander, living [...]
Nicholas Fatai, 33, born and raised in Milan, is now a pilot of American Airlines, commander Boeing 737-800, lives in Chicago, but his first job was. cleaning planes in a flight school Dallas. After his second flight he feared he would be fired. On Instagram as @the.italianpilot is a pilot influencer with more than 86,000 follower.
In this article:
"When I was 16, my family and I moved from Milan to Palma de Mallorca, Spain. There I completed high school and then, soon after, enrolled in a flight school in the city, where I took all the courses in Spanish. I thus became a private flight pilot, which is the first step to becoming an airline pilot."
What's next? Once you become a private flight pilot?
"Together with my fiancée, as well as my current wife, we decided to move to the US. In 2013 we were in Chicago, then in Dallas. My wife graduated from Chicago and today works as an elementary school teacher. At that time, she went straight into education, while I kept studying to get more certificates and further education. We lived on one salary, hers. She was making $40,000 a year. If I had been in Italy I would have been forced to live with my parents."
How do you remember those years?
"I remember studying hard and knowing that I had to work hard to get a job once I got all the certificates of eligibility. I shortly became a pilot with a commercial license, but I had zero experience. The first job was cleaning planes at a flight school in Dallas, whose manager was an Italian. In the meantime I was sending out resumes. No one answered me, then one day, on a Friday afternoon, I still remember it, a company from skydiving. Their pilot was sick and we needed another one. I had to fly a plane, a Cessna 182, up to altitude, 10,000 feet, and accompany people to parachute jumps. I was getting $10 per jump for 45 minutes of work. That was the beginning, anything went."
First flight all right?
"Yes, but the second one didn't. I thought I would be fired and my career would end there."
What happened?
"During my second flight it happened that the oil cap opened during takeoff and the oil spilled all over the front glass creating an oily black spot and limiting my view. I had a moment of panic. The sky was clear and visibility good, so I tried to keep calm and managed to land, along with the other people on board. I got off the plane almost in tears, I thought they would fire me and end my career there. Instead, to my surprise, my supervisor complimented me on my successful emergency landing and promoted me. As a worker part time I switched to full time. This was my beginning."
Then what?
"Then, little by little, over the years I worked my way up. In 2016, at the age of 24, I was selected to work for my first airline as a First Officer on the CRJ700. At the age of 26, I became commander on theEmbraer-175 and from 2022 flight to American Airlines, as commander Boeing 737-800".
How do you feel today?
"Working in American Airlines for me is the pinnacle of my career. American Airlines, owns 23% of all flights in the US. I am very proud of the achievements, but My dream has always been to work for Alitalia. Then things changed dramatically. Today I wouldn't mind working for ITA Airways. But I don't think about changing just because ITA, like many other companies, when they hire you, they don't take your experience into account. They have a company seniority list. In ITA I would have to start from scratch. That is, I couldn't go in as a commander but as a first officer."
photo: Nicholas Fatai
American Airlines such as. benefit proposes to the pilots?
"The first, the most important, is an excellent un retirement fund, one of the top ones in the US. It is called 401K, the company creates a fund for you that covers 18% of your salary. Then we have medical insurance, like all companies. And finally we have the benefit flying: we have available the tickets standby, which allow you to fly for free, but only if there is room. I was lucky once and together with my family - there are four of us - we flew from Chicago to Paris, in Premium Economy. We can travel in standby even with other companies, I also happened to take an ITA flight."
What is the company policy on the use of uniforms, for example, on the social media?
"The company is quite restrictive but not overly so. The important thing is that you are always professional. They don't want you to use the company logo to sell products. That is illegal. United and Delta, on the other hand, have proper departments social making contacts with the influencer or pilots influencer. In fact, some pilots are a kind of ambassador".
A short-haul flight to the U.S. or one to Italy? Which do you prefer?
"In Italy, absolutely. It is much more fascinating and stimulating, especially from a landscape point of view. In the US, on the other hand, everything is very boring. The U.S. is a huge continent. In Texas, after an hour's flight you are still in Texas, in the desert. Between New York and Florida the landscape is quite monotonous. Going west instead, from Nebraska onwards the scenery changes, you start to see mountains."
Favorite aircraft?
"The Boeing 737, iconic plane, marked the history of world aviation, I feel like a child driving it. That is why, as I often say, I still feel I am living a dream."
Favorite airport?
"Well, Chicago. It's my home basically. That airport is a unique chaos but at the same time everything is very well organized, I know my way around."
As pilots you have access to the lounge?
"It is forbidden for us pilots to enter the lounge dedicated to passengers. We have a pilot lounge, but nothing comparable to the tourist ones. The pilot lounge are found only at airports where the company is based. If you have a layover of more than five hours the company gets you a hotel. Under five hours, on the other hand, you have to make do, I often wander around the airport."
Are you enrolled in loyalty programs for frequent flyer?
"Yes, at least three. The one from my airline, American Airlines, which guarantees me a 20% discount on the cost of tickets. Then I have the loyalty card from Delta and United. The latter only because it has a direct flight from Chicago to Milan."
A tip for the frequent flyer?
"I recommend in general to have a lot of patience. The companies unfortunately do not always communicate all delays, and unforeseen events are numerous, so one should always be patient."
In your spare time what do you do?
"When I'm at home I like to spend time with my two children as much as possible. Otherwise I like to keep fit, I go to the gym or go running."
On Instagram you have over 86 thousand followers and a large community Of flying enthusiasts. What are the most frequent requests?
"Most ask me for advice on how to overcome the fear of flying. A really widespread feeling among more and more people. In fact, I'm going to start a course soon, with a psychologist, just centered on this issue. And in the meantime I have posted videos on my YouTube channel about it. Other requests are coming from the aspiring pilots. So many 14-year-olds want to know about my experience. Finally, I receive inquiries in case of plane crashes. People want to know how and why they occur."
How do you see the future of aviation?
"First of all, we will witness the return of supersonic flight For tourist flights. And then there will also be a big change, in about 20 to 30 years, regarding the structure and design of aircraft. Airbus and Boeing for example are already taking steps to make longer aircraft, which will allow them to fly higher. It will also certainly change the fuel, hydrogen goes a lot."
Your motto, your favorite phrase?
""If I play, I play to win.". I am very competitive."
