Captain Emanuel Vella flew his last commercial flight, with Comlux Aviation, last week, with the company wishing the “esteemed” Captain a happy retirement “after an exceptional career spanning over 26,000 flight hours”.

Describing Captain Vella on LinkedIn as an “inspiration to aviators and a symbol of passion and dedication in the skies”, Comlux Aviation said he has been part of the team since 2013.

He will continue working with the Zurich, Switzerland-headquartered company as Post Holder Crew Training, “sharing his wealth of experience and expertise with the next generation of pilots.”

“His passion for aviation training and the opportunity to share his knowledge with pilots and aviation enthusiasts outweighs any sense of loss.”

WhosWho.mt reached out to Captain Vella to learn more about his long career, and how he has seen the industry change over his decades in the skies.

He explains that his career began with Air Malta, being just 17 when he was chosen to train as a Cadet Flight Engineer.

“It was 1975, and in my very first days, I came out of the college – back then in Msida – to see a ball of fire in the sky with people escaping from it with parachutes. It was the crash of an Avro Vulvan B.2 Bomber in Zabbar. I thought to myself – what am I getting into here?”

Despite that inauspicious start, Captain Vella reports having no major incidents in his career: “I have had engine faults after take-off a couple of times, and needed to turn back and land,” he says. “But these are relatively minor issues – as long as you know what you are doing.”

He says that the terrifying sight of that disaster so early in his aviation journey instilled a sense of fear in him, but the acknowledgement of the dangers involved only drove him to work harder. “It made me strive for maximum safety by understanding everything about flying as thoroughly as possible.”

By 1981, he had graduated as a flight engineer, a now defunct role that flew in the cockpit along with the two pilots to manage the aircraft’s systems through a separate control panel.

“Aircraft was not so advanced back then. Nowadays, all these controls have been automated.”

In 1983, Captain Vella was given the chance to enter pilot training on a scholarship, and he finally flew his first plane in 1985, first on the 737-200, and then on other Boeing models before Air Malta made the switch to Airbus in 1990.

He stayed with Air Malta until 2013, when he took voluntary retirement and entered service with Comlux Aviation, first as a freelance pilot, examiner and training before joining the team in 2017.

Although Captain Vella’s commercial flying days are now behind him, he relishes the role of trainer and examiner he will now take up full-time.

“I got qualified as an examiner in 1991. I was involved in the training of many Air Malta pilots,” he says. “During that time, there used to be a new batch of pilots every year – the airline was in a growth phase.”

He recalls doing base training, where he used to have four cadets with whom to practice take-off and landing repeatedly.

“Nowadays all that is done with a simulator.”

Asked how the aviation sector has changed over the years, Captain Vella identifies Malta’s entry into the European Union – and the aviation sector’s entry into the European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency – as a major turning point that saw standards improve across the board.

“Malta is a renowned jurisdiction now, attracting many airlines to register here. There’s been a big boom in aviation.”

His last commercial flight landed in Dubai airport from Cameroonian capital Yaoundé on Friday 28th July, where he was welcomed with a tribute from the Comlux Aviation team to “show appreciation for his exceptional career.”

So how does Captain Vella feel now that he will no longer be in the cockpit of commercial airliners?

“Not much!” he laughs. “I think I’ve flown enough in my life!”