Pilots out of their office: Uldis Blūms

Uldis Blūms (35), Captain on Airbus A220-300 aircraft, from Latvia

HOBBY

Uldis Blūms does not remember where his passion for saunas began, but he knows he’s been going to saunas for more than ten years. Starting from gatherings with friends who had saunas in their homes or countryside residences, it gradually became a beloved ritual that Uldis enjoys in Latvia as well as on his work trips abroad.

    A sauna is a complex experience, and Uldis is passionate about finding the tips and tricks that work for him. The right temperature, the right humidity, swimming before or after the sauna, and long conversations with friends are key aspects for him when it comes to this activity. ‘Sauna rituals with friends usually turn into long evenings during which we manage to talk through everything that’s happening in our lives,’ he says.

    There’s also no better way to unwind after a long workday than visiting a public sauna. Even though Uldis admits that the public sauna culture in Latvia still has room for improvement, he believes that visiting a sauna at least once every two weeks is a must.

    Uldis’ work lets him explore his hobby further – whenever he has a longer layover in a Scandinavian country, he tries to visit the nearest sauna. He admits that Finnish sauna culture is the most impressive, combining a dining experience, fresh air, and saunas of various temperatures so that everyone can find the one that’s best suited for them. He laughs that he’s frequented some saunas in Finland so often that the locals already recognise him. ‘We’ve even travelled abroad with friends to visit particular saunas!’ he exclaims.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

As a child, Uldis was always indirectly exposed to flying. He lived in Priekuļi, a small town near the Cēsis airfield, and he often heard planes flying overhead and saw people skydiving. He felt the calling but was unsure how to follow it. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the local aviation institute (which operated under Riga Technical University at the time) as an undergraduate in aviation mechanical engineering.

    ‘I chose this direction to be closer to the aviation industry, but I knew straight away that I wanted to be up in the sky and flying,’ Uldis says. He also gradually started pilot training and began working in the business aviation service sector, but he never hid his passion for flying and continued to hope that one day he’d be up in the sky actually managing the aircraft.

    So, when the opportunity finally presented itself and an open call for all officers was announced, Uldis’ friends and family urged him to finish his pilot studies and apply. He did so, and the rest is history – he’s been part of airBaltic’s flight crew for eight years now.

    Uldis reminisces that, back in the day, there was no airBaltic Pilot Academy and one actually had to wait for a vacancy to open up, find significant funds to pay for the training, and even travel to other countries to get practical experience. He emphasises that the airBaltic Pilot Academy is now the best opportunity for current flying enthusiasts to become pilots.

Every day in this job is dynamic and different. But regardless of what surprises a pilot might encounter, Uldis says he’d never give up his job. ‘When you do the work you love, no issues ever seem too complicated to conquer,’ he concludes, adding that even a bad day comes to an end.