Son to fly first commercial flight, alongside pilot father
Luke Schembri has dreamed of being a pilot for as long as he can remember, inspired by his father, Jetstar captain John.
“I always wanted to fly with my dad but I never expected it to really happen,” the 23-year-old told 9News.
The signs Luke wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps were there from the beginning, according to his dad.
“When kids like something, you can tell, because their eyes light up when we’d be in the backyard and the aeroplane would fly over,” John said.
“I knew then that Luke had the bug, because I still do that.”
Luke started his training with the Air Force Cadets when he was 14 and that led to a cadetship with Jetstar.
He was getting closer to his goal but hit a snag in 2020.
Stood-down over COVID-19, he worked at Coles, stacking shelves.
The aviation enthusiast was able to return to work and continue training and is now a fully fledged commercial airline pilot.
In the lead-up to his first flight, Melbourne to Sydney, he was nervous but then, a surprise lifted his spirits sky-high: Luke would be making his debut on the flight deck alongside his father.
“I freaked out and gave him a quick call and asked him ‘how did this happen?'” Luke said.
“He told me the story, that he’s been planning it for three months.”
The first flight was a success, Luke earning five stars from his dad.
“[He] picked me up on a few things I missed. He did a really good job,” a beaming John told 9News.
Asked if he was proud, the Jetstar veteran replied: “100 per cent.
“[I] Don’t need to add any more that, very proud, how could you not be?” he said.
