Who is eligible to have dreams? Youngsters? Rich men? In fact, they should be those with courage and perseverance. Joel Lee, Captain of Hong Kong Airlines, did not give up pursuing his pilot dream when he was at the age of 32. He quitted his job with heavy debt burden and went to Australia to attend a course for cadet pilot at his own expense. With this courage, he could fly up high to the sky, and enjoy the beautiful exclusive scenery.
Being a pilot was the dream of Joel since he was a kid. He said, “I grew up in Shek Kip Mei Estate. I felt wonderful every time when I saw the airplanes lifting up and down at a very close distance. Hence, being a pilot has become my dream.” Joel did not obtain satisfactory result in HKCEE English examination, he then enrolled in the Certificate of Aircraft Engineering at the VTC Technical Institute (Lee Wai Lee), aimed to work in the field of airplanes maintenance, though his pilot dream dashed. After graduation, he started out in junior positions at a local airline company. Joel added, “I first started to work as an engineering assistant, and had to do errands for supervisors, to change the log books (airplanes maintenance records), to arrange pest control for airplanes……just like the work of an apprentice in the old days.”
Joel worked in the former airline company for 13 years. During that period, he had applied four times to the Cadet Pilot Programme. Unfortunately, all applications were unsuccessful. He remarked, “Due to the keen competition, only about 10 or more participants had been selected out of 2,000 to 3,000 applicants. When I applied for the fourth time, I was advised to give up as I reached the upper age limit of 32 years old.”
Failed exam for 15 times
Even though Joel was told by the airline company that he was too old to be a cadet pilot, he still persisted in pursuing his dream while many people would probably find it is time to accept the reality. He took a bold decision to resign from his job and went to Adelaide in Australia to study a course on aviation license at his own expense. The course was indeed very expensive. The total expense, tuition fee together with the living costs, was about HK$600,000- HK$700,000. He said, “I have to suspend my financial support to my parents. And my wife has to take up the responsibility for paying the property mortgage. I am very lucky to have the financial support from family to make my study trip possible.” It was in fact an emotional, yet rational decision made by Joel to resign and pursue his dream. He expressed, “The pilot license is a professional qualification and will be my life time asset. Hong Kong has been developed into knowledge-based economy, without a professional qualification, it is difficult for someone to stay in the job market.”
Upon arrival in Australia, things did not work for Joel smoothly. He had to cope with many difficulties living in a different country. As a self-financed student, Joel had to prepare for 15 written examinations on his own. Apart from attending the practical lessons, he stayed all time in the library for self-study. However, he still got “fail” for 15 times! He continued, “I did not fail for all subjects, but I had to re-take some exams for 3 or 4 times for some subjects. I was afraid to delay my graduation and I was in financial stress and felt like running out of time. I was in my thirties, I did not know how to face my family. I was very frustrated that time. I even hid myself in bed and cried for a few times.” Joel struggled hard with the encouragement from his wife and the religious support, he treated that as a training to his mental quality. He shared, “It was no easy to study part-time at IVE while taking up full-time job. Hence, I developed my strong persistence and get used to hardships. Whenever I failed, I would take it as an opportunity to recognise my weaknesses and to find ways for self-improvement.”
When Joel officially joined the Hong Kong Airlines as First Officer (co-pilot), he was already over thirty years old, and was ten years older than most of his fellows. However, he did not pay much concern and said proudly, “In the past, I was responsible for delivering the log book. But now, I endorse the log book! And I think the promotion to Captain from First Officer requires mature and stable psychological condition.” Finally, Joel seized the promotion opportunity and passed the assessment to be the Captain in 7 years. At present, more than 600 crew members are employed by the Hongkong Airlines. There are around 300 captains, whereas less than 20 of them are Hong Kong people. Joel is one of those captains.
To take the bull by the horns: Act promptly
It is thrilling for a pilot to fly up a plane at high altitude from the ground. But to Joel, the most difficult part which requires techniques and clear mind of a pilot is the moment when the plane is about to land. Joel quoted his experience of flying when he was still a first officer as an example and said, “I knew that A330 plane could withstand crosswind of 32 Knots. At that time, I received a notice from the control tower that the wind speed at ground level was 18 Knots. So, I tried to land the plane as planned. But the plane suddenly shifted to the left. Within merely 1 second, the captain made the decision to fly the plane up again. After landing safely, I read the information and found that the wind speed had accelerated from 18 Knots to 38 Knots in 3 seconds.” If Joel continued to land the plane at that moment, it might make the safety of passengers at risk and he might be disqualified too. Therefore, he often reminds himself about this experience. And as a captain, he must keep himself always in good psychological and physical conditions, so that he will be able to take initiatives in critical situations and to ensure the safety of passengers on the plane.
Now, the dream of being a pilot has come true. However, Joel does not stop dreaming but continues to go ahead for another plan – to contribute himself in aviation education and train up more local pilots in Hong Kong. He added, “As a pilot, passenger safety comes first. I would also like to contribute to the aviation industry in Hong Kong with my ability.”
