Daughter joins father as co-pilot in BA cockpit
David and Kat Woodruffe are British Airways' only father-daughter pilot team
They are British Airways’s first father-daughter pilot team, but insist on remaining the consummate professionals – even if the Captain is occasionally referred to as “Dad”.
Spending hours cooped up together in a tiny cockpit might be enough to drive many families mad, but David and Kat Woodruffe say their bond makes them the perfect team.
Kat, 32, was inspired to gain her wings after spending entire summers travelling with her father as a child and said walking through the terminal together makes her “extremely proud”.
She even hopes that her 18-month-old daughter Poppy might one day join the family trade, having already flown to Jersey four times.
“My dad was my inspiration to become a pilot,” Kat said. “I grew up watching him put on his uniform and flying around the world.
“I was about 8 years old I decided I definitely wanted to be a pilot. Dad used to take me on trips with him back in the days when you were allowed on the flight deck.
“I'd love to one day fly with my daughter, it's a long way off because all she can currently say is "duck" but I'm willing to wait.”
The Senior First Officer qualified as a pilot 12 years ago and since joining BA in 2005 has flown several times with her father as Captain, including trips to New York, Chicago and Abu Dhabi.
The pair, who live in Horsham, West Sussex, both began flying at the age of 20 and currently fly Boeing 777s on long-haul commercial flights for BA.
A British Airways spokesman said the airline had had a number of father-son teams in the cockpit but is not believed to have ever had a father and daughter flying the same aircraft together.
On one occasion there was a third family member on board with Kat’s sister Hannah, a former BA cabin crew member, also forming part of the team.
“I kept asking Hannah to make me a cup of tea but she refused and told me to make my own,” Kat said. “I mix between calling my Dad "Dad", "Captain" and "Dave". He's fine with all the options.“
David, 61, said he was “extremely proud” to have his daughter in the cockpit but added that both are “very professional” when working together.
“I'm delighted that she has carried on the family tradition. Flying is clearly in our genes,” he said.
“Of course it's extra special to have with my daughter at the controls with me…I try to avoid flying with her too much though as it always seems to cost me money.
"Whenever we meet up or are in the same place together she always mysteriously loses her credit card or has left it at home."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...r-joins-father-as-co-pilot-in-BA-cockpit.html
David and Kat Woodruffe are British Airways' only father-daughter pilot team
They are British Airways’s first father-daughter pilot team, but insist on remaining the consummate professionals – even if the Captain is occasionally referred to as “Dad”.
Spending hours cooped up together in a tiny cockpit might be enough to drive many families mad, but David and Kat Woodruffe say their bond makes them the perfect team.
Kat, 32, was inspired to gain her wings after spending entire summers travelling with her father as a child and said walking through the terminal together makes her “extremely proud”.
She even hopes that her 18-month-old daughter Poppy might one day join the family trade, having already flown to Jersey four times.
“My dad was my inspiration to become a pilot,” Kat said. “I grew up watching him put on his uniform and flying around the world.
“I was about 8 years old I decided I definitely wanted to be a pilot. Dad used to take me on trips with him back in the days when you were allowed on the flight deck.
“I'd love to one day fly with my daughter, it's a long way off because all she can currently say is "duck" but I'm willing to wait.”
The Senior First Officer qualified as a pilot 12 years ago and since joining BA in 2005 has flown several times with her father as Captain, including trips to New York, Chicago and Abu Dhabi.
The pair, who live in Horsham, West Sussex, both began flying at the age of 20 and currently fly Boeing 777s on long-haul commercial flights for BA.
A British Airways spokesman said the airline had had a number of father-son teams in the cockpit but is not believed to have ever had a father and daughter flying the same aircraft together.
On one occasion there was a third family member on board with Kat’s sister Hannah, a former BA cabin crew member, also forming part of the team.
“I kept asking Hannah to make me a cup of tea but she refused and told me to make my own,” Kat said. “I mix between calling my Dad "Dad", "Captain" and "Dave". He's fine with all the options.“
David, 61, said he was “extremely proud” to have his daughter in the cockpit but added that both are “very professional” when working together.
“I'm delighted that she has carried on the family tradition. Flying is clearly in our genes,” he said.
“Of course it's extra special to have with my daughter at the controls with me…I try to avoid flying with her too much though as it always seems to cost me money.
"Whenever we meet up or are in the same place together she always mysteriously loses her credit card or has left it at home."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...r-joins-father-as-co-pilot-in-BA-cockpit.html
