In this episode, we're joined by Captain Ali Al-Wahabi, a pilot and instructor with more than forty years of airline experience. Over a remarkable career, Ali has flown for five major airlines across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, thriving in the kind of multicultural environments that have shaped both his flying and his outlook on life.
Ali graduated from Oxford Air Training College in 1976 and went on to fly the Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Airbus A320 and Airbus A330. He's a type rating examiner and instructor, as well as a CRM and simulator acceptance instructor. Alongside his flying, Ali holds a degree in psychology from the Australian College of Applied Psychology in Sydney, and is the author of several books. Today, he works with Qantas as a ground instructor.
Chapters:
0:00 Welcome & meet Ali Al-Wahhabi
0:51 Growing up in 1950s Baghdad
2:05 Training as a pilot & returning to Iraq
5:04 Saddam, oil money & the "golden crew"
7:35 Meeting Saddam face to face
11:48 The Al-Wahhabi name & living under surveillance
14:26 The impossible "mission" & deciding to defect
15:03 The defection flight & its twist
19:36 Freedom in London & the family left behind
26:49 Building a career: Malta, Hong Kong & a "fake German" passport
33:10 The Gulf War & facing discrimination
40:05 Culture, communication & teaching assertiveness
47:55 Retirement, forklifts & joining Qantas
53:19 Returning to Baghdad? & closing thanks
This is a fascinating conversation and a truly rare glimpse into a life lived at the sharp end of aviation history. We hope you enjoy!
Fly safe and stick with it.
