Like father, like son: Man’s sky-high dreams come true
Having dreamt of being a pilot just like his dad since he was a boy, Luke Schembri’s dream has come true in the sweetest way possible.
After becoming a fully-fledged commercial airline pilot, the 23-year-old found out that his first flight from Melbourne to Sydney came with a surprise: his dad, Jetstar captain John, would be joining him on the flight deck for his debut trip.
"I freaked out and gave him a quick call and asked him 'how did this happen?'" Luke told 9News.
"He told me the story, that he's been planning it for three months."
Luke’s dream of flying with his dad and following in his footsteps has been a long time coming, with the signs appearing from the start according to John.
"When kids like something, you can tell, because their eyes light up when we'd be in the backyard and the aeroplane would fly over," John said.
"I knew then that Luke had the bug, because I still do that."
At the age of 14, Luke joined the Air Force Cadets, which led him to receiving a cadetship with Jetstar.
Luke Schembri’s dream of flying a plane with his pilot father has come true, and it’s been a long time coming. Images: Facebook
With his dream in reach, Luke hit a major snag: the COVID-19 pandemic.
Luke was stood-down during the pandemic and worked at Coles as a shelf stacker.
Luckily, the aviation enthusiast was able to return to work at Jetstar, where he continued training and became a pilot.
His first flight was a success, with John giving his son five stars and saying that he was “100 percent” proud.
"[He] picked me up on a few things I missed. He did a really good job," John said.
“[I] don't need to add any more that, very proud, how could you not be?"
Image: Nine