Matthew Baker says that as long as he can remember, he always wanted to fly. While in Year 10 at SCAS, Matthew began flying lessons with the Hastings District Flying Club, in parallel with his HSC studies. After graduating from SCAS in 2011 he moved to Sydney to study a Bachelor of Aviation (Flying) at UNSW.
While completing the degree, Matthew leveraged his experience from SCAS’ Entertainment Industry VET course to secure a casual job as a lighting technician at the Sydney Opera House – in between attending an internship at QantasLink.
Matthew graduated from UNSW Aviation as Dux at the end of 2014 and after a brief period working as a scenic pilot in the beautiful Whitsundays, was offered a position as a Second Officer flying the Boeing 777 with Cathay Pacific.
In March of 2016, Matthew left Australia behind and moved permanently to Hong Kong, which is now his home. To date he has carried nearly 20,000 passengers to more than 15 countries around the globe, having travelled almost the equivalent of flying to the moon and back.
This job is the realisation of Matthew’s childhood dreams, and with it comes the opportunity to explore the world, one layover at a time. Matthew says that despite the worldwide adventures he has experienced with the job, nothing beats the view descending into Sydney.