ALEX MUSSOLINI: EARNING HIS WINGS!
ALEX MUSSOLINI: EARNING HIS WINGS!
ALEX MUSSOLINI
Earning His Wings: Alex Mussolini’s Journey from the waves to the skies!
We caught up with Alex Mussolini, who has transitioned from being one of the world’s best wave riders to soaring through the skies. After an incredible windsurfing career, Alex has discovered a new passion as a Ryanair pilot, embracing the challenges of aviation. Now based in Madrid, he continues to chase adventure; this time flying through the air instead of across the water!
Photos: John Carter and Alex Mussolini (click any picture to enlarge!)
PILOT
Alex Mussolini:
“I started working for Ryanair in August 2022. So, I am already coming up to three years as a pilot. In the beginning I was based in Palma, Majorca and after that I was at various airports until I received my first permanent base in Dublin. I was based out of Dublin for about a year. That was quite tough because I was not at home with my family. I was commuting back and forth. The flying conditions were hard, so I learned a lot. It was always windy and raining. So, I liked that aspect of the flying. I was in Dublin five days in a row and then I would get four days off. That is how it works with Ryanair. We fly five and we rest four! So, on my days off I would come back to Spain and then go back each time I had to work. Now finally since November I am based where I live in Madrid. That works out much better for me.
FIRST FLIGHT
It was exciting I have to say. I actually think that windsurfing helped me a lot to keep calm in that aspect. I have windsurfed so many crazy places, that flying has a similar rush. Slowly flying is getting less exciting from my early days. I am a lot more experienced now. Every flight is different though. When you take off and when you land it is always different conditions. It is a bit like windsurfing. That side of flying. A windsurf session is never the same and you have to launch and come back in and while you are out the weather and conditions are always changing.
When we are cruising, I am normally reading or chatting with the other captain next to me. I meet a lot of other pilots from lots of countries. I really enjoy this new life as a pilot. The excitement I used to get from windsurfing…now I get that from flying. I actually love doing this job. We fly over the Alps and some approaches are stunning from the air. I fly a lot to Gran Canaria and I fly right over Pozo!
It is incredible to look down and think I used to windsurf there, and now I am flying a plane over where I used to compete. I also fly to Lanzarote as well. So, I go to a lot of places I used to go to for windsurfing. Now I am flying there! This is kind of nice. I can’t really chuck my windsurf gear in the hold though!
Hopefully in the future I might get taken out of base for a short period to a destination where I can windsurf. I could be based for three days in Lanzarote for instance. I could just go and borrow equipment from friends over there. I don’t care too much anymore about the equipment that I ride. If I grab someone else’s equipment, it does not matter to me. I am just happy to be out on the water.
WINDSURFING
I actually went windsurfing last week in Barcelona. The conditions were not amazing. But I don’t care about that anymore. Just to be able to windsurf is enough! I used to be very picky before. I was always complaining the conditions were not quite right. Now when I windsurf, everything is fine for me.
Before that session I went to Fuerteventura with Thomas Traversa, which was a real baptism of fire! Thomas normally picks the weeks when it is going to be huge! I literally windsurf about once a year now. I have to say that I didn’t forget how to do it! I am sure I was not as on it as I used to be, but I could still throw down some moves. When I was windsurfing in Barcelona I landed a taka on my first wave. It is not like I forgot everything. After that day I had a lot of cramps, so I am definitely not windsurfing fit! My forearms were burning!
THE SCENE
I try to stay in touch with what is going on in windsurfing. When there is a livestream, I will try and follow my friends. Guys like Thomas Traversa and Antoine Martin. I like to follow the guys that I had a close relationship with when I was on the tour. I am not really into watching a whole event anymore. I follow a lot of the posts on the Windsurf Website (Huge round of applause!). I like to follow the cool stuff.
You won’t find me watching the livestream at three in the morning, waiting for a heat to start at Ho’okipa (laughs). I will watch the replay the next day or something. I like to see my friends doing well.
MOVING ON
I moved forward in life. I have a real job with a lot of responsibility and also my family time is important to me. I think leaving the windsurf scene was easier because of flying. If I had gone to an office job, leaving windsurfing would have been tough. I would have been looking out the window of the office at the wind blowing the trees. Now I look out the window of a plane and I see the Alps and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and nice approaches.
Flying is so dynamic…it is definitely not like an office job. There is still a lot to study to keep up with everything. Before you fly, you always check the weather and the wind. It is quite exciting to know you are going to take off in one place and land in another country in totally different weather. It is a bit like when you are heading out windsurfing! You have to look at the forecast at what is going to happen. Every sailor is their own pilot for their journey on the water.
FLIGHT PATH
I have to talk to the passengers sometime before we land and after we take off. Normally just before the descent, we tell the passengers about the approach and make a briefing. We tell them we are about to descend, what the weather is and blah, blah, blah! I kind of like doing those speeches! The passengers like to hear this information, when they will arrive and what the conditions will be like on the ground.
Now I am flying the 737 aircraft with 196 people on board. It is around 200 people we are responsible for. I have to say that sometimes I look back out of the cockpit and look at all these people. I am flying these people from one country to another. When I see all the people getting of the plane, I sometimes stand at the door and say goodbye. It felt quite shocking to do this at the beginning. But not anymore. In Ryanair we land manually. It is not the plane on autopilot that lands itself. When it is really windy and you are moving the controls and you land nicely it feels pretty satisfying. Then I see all the passengers disembarking, that feels quite rewarding.
Most of the time we are flying and cruising, it is quite relaxing. I don’t mind a bit of small turbulence and have never had to deal with any major turbulence so far. I get the best view on the plane, that is for sure. This is really nice. I see a lot of sunrises and amazing sunsets while we are up over the crowds. I like flying to the Canary Islands. When we make the approach, it always looks nice. The UK is always raining and miserable (laughs). I fly to Stanstead quite a bit and go over London. When you have clear skies that is amazing to see it from the sky.
I am really enjoying this new job and lifestyle. At the end of my windsurfing career, I was not really enjoying it. I didn’t know if I was going to get enough money each year to survive from my sponsors. For me it was too much. I know a lot of my windsurfing friends are struggling and that would have been me, if I stayed in the game. It is a little bit sad, but it is what it is!”
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