Summary
-
Photo: Bilanol | Shutterstock
Former English rugby player Tony Underwood transitioned from his sports career to become an Airbus A380 pilot for Emirates.
- Underwood’s interest in aviation sparked during his time as a rugby player, and he ultimately pursued flying after retiring from the sport.
- Despite finding fulfillment in his second career, Underwood missed the camaraderie and unity of purpose that comes with team sports.
Aviation often crosses paths with several other industries, like sports and entertainment, with private aircraft companies and commercial airlines responsible for transporting celebrities and sports teams around the world.
For many, flying is just a means of getting from one country to another quickly. However, for retired English rugby player Tony Underwood, it became an exciting career after his calling time on his sports career. This is the story of how an England winger went from running the length of a rugby pitch for club and country to operating an Airbus A380 for one of the world’s largest airlines.
Growing up to play rugby
Tony Underwood was born in Malaysia in February 1969 and moved to England with his family at the age of 13 following his father’s death. Settling in the town of Barnard Castle in northeast England, Underwood’s talent as a rugby player soon became apparent to all who watched him play for Barnard Castle School.
Photo: Bilanol | Shutterstock
His elder brother, Rory, was also an accomplished rugby player. Among the brothers’ achievements were:
- Playing for Leicester Tigers and England
- Tony Underwood made his international debut for England against Canada in October 1992 and won 27 caps during his career
- Tony and Rory were the first brothers to play together for England since 1937, participating in the 1995 Five Nations Grand Slam win.
Related
Emirates Flies The Springboks Rugby World Cup Winners Back To South Africa
The world champions were welcomed by thousands of fans at the Johannesburg airport.
Underwood considers pilot career
Traveling to different cities and countries for matches, Tony and his teammates spent a considerable amount of time flying. While flying back to the UK from a British Lions tour of South Africa in 1997, Underwood spent a lot of time on the flight deck, where he began to wonder if an aviation career was something he could take on post-rugby.
Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying
At the time, Underwood was playing professional rugby for the Newcastle Falcons. With a flying school next to the ground, he decided to take flying lessons. Flying up and down the Northumbrian coastline, Underwood knew straight away that a career in commercial aviation was for him. After having helped the Falcons rise from the second division to win the Premiership, Underwood had achieved pretty much everything in rugby. Furthermore, at 30 years old, his professional playing days were coming to an end.
Underwood asked for time off
With the training to get a professional pilot license very time-intensive, Underwood approached the Director of Rugby at the Falcons, Rob Andrew, and asked if his time could be scaled back to allow him more time off. Following a match against Sale, Andrew called Underwood into his office and hit him with a bombshell.
Rather than giving Underwood time off, Andrew suggested he give up playing rugby and become an ambassador for the club. With his life turned upside down, Underwood never played rugby again and set about getting his commercial license, which he accomplished in May 2000. In September of that year, Underwood hit a massive break when easyJet offered him a job.
Photo: Simone Previdi | Shutterstock
After six years of flying for easyJet, Underwood landed his dream job flying long-haul for Virgin Atlantic. Realizing that he could live anywhere in Europe so long as it was close to a decent-sized airport, Underwood and his family moved to Evian-les-Bains, a French spa town on the shore of Lake Geneva.
Becoming an Airbus A380 pilot with Emirates
Things took a turn for the worse following the financial crisis of 2007–2008 when Underwood’s chances of advancement with Virgin Atlantic abruptly stopped. He realized he would have to look for opportunities elsewhere to advance his career. So, in 2013, the retired rugby winger joined Emirates and moved with his family to Dubai.
Now flying Airbus A380s around the world as a captain with Emirates, Underwood felt privileged to have advanced so far in his second career, but unlike the camaraderie of rugby, it just became what he did. Missing that sense of sharing a unity of purpose you have in a team sport, Underwood said that he did not find flying as fulfilling as playing rugby as his flight crew changed every time they arrived back in Dubai.
Photo: Lutz Borck | Airbus
While being interviewed about his sporting days and flying career by the Dartmoor Moorlander newspaper, Underwood concluded by saying:
“I have definitely benefited from never feeling defined by being a sportsman or a pilot. It meant I was able to move on from being a rugby “star” and now from being an A380 captain. Wherever I am is where I want to be. I just have to get on with it and try to be the best version of myself I can be.”
“It is a version of myself that is true to my need to be in a team, searching to be the best it can be while helping others to be the best they can be. There is great fulfillment and purpose in that, just as there was in all the best teams I have ever been involved with.”
Tony’s brother, Rory, who he would often play alongside for England, also has an interesting history in aviation. Rory joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a youth and would continue serving during his professional playing career, ultimately leaving in 1999.
Related
5 Notable Sponsorship Deals Between Airlines & Sports Teams
Through sponsorship agreements worth millions of dollars, airlines leverage the global fanbase of sports teams to boost brand awareness.
Given how exciting flying can be, it is not surprising to see retired professionals from various disciplines taking it up as a hobby or a career. Another English athlete, footballer Richard Kell, became a commercial pilot after his career unexpectedly ended following a severe injury. After nearly ten years playing as a midfielder in the Premier League and other divisions, Kell went on to fly for Jet2.
What are your thoughts about this story? Let us know what you think in the comment section.