First officer executive jet pilot Sara Johansson has finally landed in Mallorca, her new “home”, but could have chosen anywhere in the world having flown to most corners of the globe over the past seven years; and she is loving it.
Sara, who was born in Borås near Gothenburg in Sweden, is a woman of many talents and growing up the last thing she ever thought she would become was a pilot; in fact she was terrified of flying. “My father once said to me I would be a flight attendant one day, I told him he was joking.”
However, she is now an executive jet pilot and first officer for a private client flying the new Falcon 8X, which has a range of 6,450 nm (12,000 km), meaning it is capable of non-stop flights between Beijing and New York, Singapore and London, or São Paulo and Moscow - not to mention Palma - but Sara said that private jet traffic has grown so much post-Covid in Palma and Ibiza it is virtually impossible to secure a parking slot.
“More often than not we land, drop off and then have to fly the jet to the mainland, there’s just no room in either Palma or Ibiza, especially during the summer,” she told the Bulletin this week. And while she is so excited about having finally established a “home” in Palma and enjoys nothing more than her daily morning runs along the sea front to Portixol, she loves nothing more than flying.
Pre 9/11
She overcame her fear of flying aged 16. “It was pre 9/11, so passengers were still allowed into the cockpit. I was heading to Greece for a holiday with my boyfriend and friends and I was invited into the cockpit. Everything changed, that was it. I’ve never let my fears get the better of me and stop me from doing something I want. Sitting in the cockpit, seeing everything that was going on, I felt so safe and it changed my whole attitude to flying. “Sometimes, when you are sitting in the back, you hit turbulence, hear strange noises and you don’t know what is going on, and I think that is why a lot of people are afraid of flying. But once you’ve been in a cockpit, it changes everything.” However, she did not become a pilot overnight. She first trained as a hairdresser and opened a hair salon with a business partner.
“Business was good and for a while I really enjoyed it, but eventually I felt the need for a change and I decided to enrol at a flight training school in Gothenburg,” she said.
So, she embarked on training for her licence, qualified aged 29 and eventually landed her first job. “I started flying for the Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, who is also a pilot and owns his own charter company. I was flying a Boeing 737 with a capacity for 189 passengers. Sometimes we flew together.
Engine blew
“He would charter the plane out to airlines and initially I was based in Italy, where I had my first and only great scare when one of the engines went just after take-off and we had to return for safety reasons. Then I was based in Djibouti for a year flying commercial and cargo to Somalia and Ethiopia, which was a great experience although rather daunting. Since then I’ve flown to over 15 different countries in Africa, not to mention elsewhere in the world, but Africa is a test and more often than not requires you to fly-by-eye and forget relying on luxuries like radar and autopilot. You have to properly fly the planes with much of the communication with control towers on old VHF radio channels. Then there are language problems, never mind the infrastructure at local regional airports. But I enjoy that, I really get a kick out of having to fly the plane as opposed to programme the autopilot and then just sit in the cockpit for anything up to 11 hours.
Never sleep
“Plus, I never sleep, I can’t. When I’m flying I have my Rubik’s Cube to keep my hands busy, but I’m always keeping an eye over the instruments and the control panel; for me it’s like meditation. The only problem is that I like to eat. I’ll eat anything and everything, but I try to stick to light meals and the most important thing is to stay well hydrated, drink lots of water because it’s a very dry environment inside all airplanes due to cabin pressure and the air-conditioning systems. So I always advise people to drink plenty of water,” Sara said.
But flying a Falcon 8X is a luxury, it’s one of the largest and most advanced private jets on the market with capacity for 14 passengers, a flight attendant and multiple interior options and facilities.
“It’s a dream to fly but flying is hard work. It’s demanding physically and mentally. Depending on the duration of the flight, we have to manage and balance our sleep patterns, our diets, our physical condition. Every six months we have to sit revision exams and go through simulation tests, mostly in England, and we are always tested for the worst-case scenarios in the simulator. We have to be prepared for anything and know how to react, but the important thing is always to remain calm and collected.
“Each year we also have extremely in-depth and extensive medical tests and with the aeronautical industry constantly evolving, we do of course have to be on top of all the latest innovations, aircraft designs and engineering. But being a bit of a nerd, I love all that stuff, I find it fascinating. The more knowledge you have about the aircraft and flying, the safer everybody involved is.”
While Sara has flown the world, she came across Mallorca by chance some five years ago when a friend lent her his apartment.
Love Mallorca
“I had never been, knew nothing about the island, but fell in love with the place, and there’s such a great Swedish community here. I spent a while working for a Spanish airline based in Palma before going private and was commuting between Stockholm and Mallorca, but it was a bit of a bind and I wanted a home, a base and now I’ve found it in Palma. My contract is one month on and one month off, so I have time to enjoy Mallorca and I’m going to start learning Spanish properly while I need to find another hobby apart from keeping fit. I’m not used to having time off. Like I said, I’ve spent the past seven years practically flying all of the time, so I guess it’s going to take some getting used to, but I’m so glad I chose Mallorca. It’s got everything and that is why I think the Swedish community is growing so fast. The island is so close to Scandinavia and I guess having such a well-established Swedish community just attracts others,. Word gets around. But I’ve got French and German friends, people of all nationalities and I think that’s exciting too,” she said.
Private jet criticism
All this said, over the past year the private jet industry has come under some criticism. There has even been talk of trying to restrict its operations in Mallorca and Ibiza due to its alleged impact on the climate.
“Post-Covid, the private jet industry has grown a great deal. If people can afford it, more are opting to fly private, charter a jet. It’s quicker, especially if on business, much less hassle and more comfortable. The airline industry as a whole is working on biofuels - they already exist but they are very expensive - and it is looking into solar and electric power. Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 is aviation’s global ambition. Many private jet companies offer carbon offset programmes. And there are also companies that specialise in offsetting carbon emissions from private jets. We’re working on it but it’s going to take time and travel is so important, especially with regard to my experience in Africa. I believe that travel makes you a better person, it’s very humbling, you see things that help you put life into perspective.”
Quick fire questions:
Favourite meal or dish?
Asian fusion
F What was your childhood career dream? Hairdresser
F What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning? Coffee!
F If you didn’t live in Mallorca, where would you live?
London
FWhat’s the last film you watched and your favourite?
Avatar 2, favourite film Wakanda .
FWhat’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Work hard for your dream. Believe in yourself and keep working hard until you get there.
FWhat are you afraid of?
Loosing loved ones.
FFavourite music?
Jazz
FFavourite drink/cocktail?
Espresso martini
FFavourite book?
The Alchemist.