TUI pilot and daughter given rare opportunity to fulfil lifelong dream together
A father and daughter pilot and flight attendant duo have fulfilled their dream of flying together.
Will Isherwood-Smith and Abi shared a special moment in their careers and relationship when they took to the skies on the same working flight from Manchester Airport to Tenerife. It was a day the aviation duo had dreamed of for many years.
The daughter had spent her childhood watching her dad flying the world as a TUI captain - a position he has held for more than 26-year-old. After finishing her A-Levels and spending some time working as a bar manager, Abi decided to follow in her dad’s footsteps and become part of the TUI cabin crew herself.
After completing her initial training back in April, Will had the honour of giving Abi ‘her wings’. The proud parent said: "After seeing Abi graduate from training, I was very proud. From my training role I know just how tough that course is.
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Will and Abi crewed the same flight at the end of August (TUI)
Will was proud to give his daughter her wings (TUI)"She did really well to be selected from 10,000 applicants and then go on to get her wings. It was a proud day for me to pin them on her uniform”. For Abi, she had always known that she didn’t want to go down the ‘typical’ career route, and after watching her dad fly over the years, she was inspired to follow in his footsteps.
She said: “I remember when I was in Year 2, my dad came into our school and did a talk for everyone. People were fascinated by it. He also came into my maths class in high school to talk about the dynamics of airplanes. I was never embarrassed by it or anything, I just felt proud that people thought my dad was cool.
“Dad being a pilot definitely played a big part in me wanting to become cabin crew. I don’t think I’d have even considered it otherwise. In school you’re told you should go to university and study, but I was never interested in that – you’re also not really told about jobs that are less common, like cabin crew.”
On Friday, sat in the crew room just before heading onboard the flight, Will said: “Everyone wants their daughter to do well, and now we actually have the opportunity to see each other work – it’s just so rare. I was absolutely delighted when Abi applied to be cabin crew and even more so working together today. She might even do as she’s told for once."
Abi added: "I actually applied for cabin crew in the spur of the moment - I was in the back of a taxi on my way back from a holiday. But ever since I applied, I’ve been hooked. I completely love it, and I’m excited to do more long-haul flights on bigger aircrafts now too. Not only is this my first flight with my dad, but it’s also my first time on a 787 Dreamliner. I’m so excited to see dad fly. I’ve never been able to see him do a take-off or a landing so I’m really looking forward to it.”
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