DESPITE having done 13,800 flights, Regional Express pilot Barry Anderson remains in awe of the sights seen from a cockpit window.
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But there was more shock than awe on Friday night for the captain from Wodonga as he taxied into the Albury airport terminal after a flight from Sydney.
The control tower guided him to a normally unused taxiway seemingly congested with emergency vehicles.
It was only when Mr Anderson noticed his wife Karen standing next to a fire truck that he realised his plane was being doused in water to celebrate his 20th anniversary in the job.
“I was thinking this is ridiculous, this couldn’t be happening and it did happen and I was speechless,” Mr Anderson said.
Fellow pilot Tony Bugden joked the Rex team could work for ASIO such was their success in keeping the anniversary surprise.
Mr Anderson was greeted with streamers, a banner and passengers with party whistles as he left the flight deck.
He began ferrying passengers in 1997 for Rex’s predecessor Kendell Airlines which was caught in the Ansett collapse of 2001.
The former flying instructor helped lobby then deputy prime minister Tim Fischer and transport minister John Anderson to support the airline to find a buyer.
“I guess it was the passion of some of the staff from Kendells, they really pushed, and we never gave up that it was possible for a business to take it on,” Mr Anderson said.
Each week, Mr Anderson does 15 flights with Sydney and Melbourne trips mixed with hops to Orange, Wagga, Bathurst and King Island.
“It is amazing to lift off on the beautiful mornings when the air is nice and smooth,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to go flying and experience the different views and scenery.
“Then coming back at night sitting at 19,000 feet and knowing there’s an airstrip in there to navigate your way to, it’s a unique privilege for me to enjoy that.”
The Echuca-raised pilot, who has flown the same SAAB 340 plane throughout his Rex career, enjoys the personal touch of being a country aviator.
“I know a lot of the passengers and it’s more meaningful for me to do that, rather than flying out of Sydney to Dubai where I would not know anyone,” Mr Anderson said.
With son Bryce now a first officer with Rex, Mr Anderson’s horizons remain wide.
“I’ve got no plans of retirement, I’m still enjoying it too much,” he said.
