CREW HOT SPOTS / December
CREW / December
Pilots
out of
their
office
Words by Līga Vaļko
Photo by
Mārtiņš Zilgalvis (F64)
Baltic Outlook introduces you to some of
the most important people at airBaltic – its
flight crew members, who have some of the
most interesting hobbies.
HOBBY
I first saw people kiteboarding in 2011 when I was
in Liepāja, the beautiful seaside town on Latvia’s
west coast. I tried it a few times but didn’t do
much more until a few years later, when I saw
people paddling on SUP boards. Then it hit me
that I need to try kiteboarding again!
When kiteboarding, it’s important to feel the
wind and anticipate its direction, and that goes
together with my day job. Because for me as a
pilot, the wind is very important when flying, too.
I remember spending hours learning to get on
the board. It’s similar to riding a bike. Once you’ve
learned how to do it, you’re ready to just go out
and practise! I believe that you can master kite-
boarding skills throughout your lifetime. There
are always new techniques and tricks to learn.
The most popular kiteboarding locations in
Latvia are Liepāja, Ventspils, and the Gulf of Riga.
In Estonia, I usually go to Häädemeeste. When it
comes to Lithuania, Svencelė near Klaipėda is a
great spot.
Kiteboarding changes your life forever.
I don’t have much free time anymore, but I’m
always on the lookout for the latest weather
and wind forecasts. I even plan my vacations
around kiteboarding. In September, I was in
Fuerteventura, the second largest of the Canary
Islands. It offers perfect wind conditions for
kiteboarding all year round.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
ROMANS BUHBINDERS, (42),
captain on Airbus A220-300 aircraft
150
/ airBaltic.com
It began more than 20 years ago, when I finished
high school and I knew that one day I would
become a pilot. My dad, who was working in
aviation at Spilve Airport near Riga, played
an important role in my career choice. I still
remember the day when I first flew an aircraft. It
was in May 1997. The weather was sunny, but the
wind was very cold. I was scared but had to get
out there and do it! And I did it again and again
and eventually learned how it works. A year later
I already had my license to fly and began working.
In 2009, I was granted a license to fly
commercial aircraft and started working at
airBaltic. I assume that the airline’s home base
was my motivation behind applying for this job.
Riga is my hometown, and it feels great to fly
back home after a day of work instead of landing
someplace else. I’ve flown a number of different
aircraft over the years. A pilot’s job is a never-
ending learning experience. The industry is
always coming out with new rules, qualifications,
and training requirements.
Last year, I celebrated 20 years in aviation.
Flying isn’t only my job; it’s my hobby and passion.
I wake up every morning and feel happy go to
work and meet my colleagues.
Words by Ilze Pole / Photos courtesy of Beāte Stankeviča,
Sabīne Vjatere, and Anete Liepa
Let’s take a look at where our flight
attendants love to travel and at the fascinating
hobbies and talents that they have!
1/ Flight attendant
BEĀTE STANKEVIČA
has been working for
airBaltic for one and a
half years. At a gathering
of friends, an acquain-
tance (who is now her
colleague at the airline)
encouraged her to apply
for the job. Beāte had
never before imagined
what a fantastic op-
portunity this job would
be for seeing the world
from above!
2/ Beāte’s favourite
times of year are sum-
mer and winter – the
two opposites. She
enjoys winter activities
very much, but when
summer has abandoned
Latvia, she often heads
elsewhere to catch some
warm weather.
3/ One of Beāte’s hob-
bies is cooking, but
she’s especially fond of
animals. Horses have
been her hobby since
childhood, and she also
helps out at an animal
shelter by taking dogs
for walks and collecting
warm blankets for the
dogs’ cages.
4/ Cabin crew member
SABĪNE VJATERE, who
has worked for airBaltic
for only a few months, is
from Ogre, a town south-
east of Riga. Last month
airBaltic named one of
its new airplanes after
Sabīne’s native town.
5/ Sabīne loves warm
weather and particu-
larly enjoyed a trip to
Abu Dhabi. She loves
all of airBaltic’s sunny
destinations, including
Tel Aviv.
6/ For the past five years,
Sabīne has been learning
Chinese at the Univer-
sity of Latvia, and she’s
on her way to earning
a master’s degree. But
she’s also studying at the
International Cosmetol-
ogy College in Riga.
1
9
SNAPSHOTS
2
3
from the lives of our
flight attendants
Want to become
an airBaltic
flight attendant?
Join the team at
careers.airbaltic.com!
4
5
6 7
8 9
7/ It’ll soon be three years
since flight attendant
ANETE LIEPA joined
airBaltic. At a time in
her life when she needed
a change, she took a risk
and applied for a job at the
airline and hasn’t regretted
the decision.
8/ Anete’s hobby is horse-
back riding. She has been
riding for the past two years
and says that the activity
gives her a sense of inner
peace.
9/ Anete has been folk danc-
ing since the age of three.
She dances with her group
at various concerts, events,
and wherever she can.
When she began working at
airBaltic, it was difficult to
coordinate her work sched-
ule with dance rehearsals,
but now she’s worked out
a good flow for all of her
activities. ‘If there’s a will,
then it’s definitely possible
to combine work and hob-
bies!’ says Anete.
Baltic Outlook
/ 2018 / 151