Shi Wiener waits for take-off moment • Ran Alkabetz already wants to see Israel unfurl on his face when landing

The Corona also disrupted routines for pilots and also set them up for a horizon of uncertainty, suspended between the sky and the earth. Now that the limits are shrinking, the pilots are craving a moment when they will again be between the earth and the sky - and this time in the most concrete sense possible. Here are five pilots who can no longer wait to put their hands on the helmets.

Photo: Gil Kramer, Editing: Gilad Distelman

"The moment I miss the most and very much missing during the Corona is this stay before launching power take off," shares Shay Wiener, 43, captain and chairman of Israir pilots, "after we finish all the preparations, it comes a second before the engines open for takeoff and here comes the expectation that everything Will go smoothly. There are tens of hundreds of passengers behind me and I am responsible for them. The planning and preparation becomes workable, which is a very exciting moment for a pilot, on any flight, because anything can happen at this moment and all the senses are pointed. Everything you learned concentrates for one moment. It doesn't matter if the kids have messed with you or your wife in the morning, it's the second most critical thing where everything is put aside and I'm 100 percent focused. It's a powerful and responsible moment, and I'm so waiting to feel it again. "

Ran Alcabetz also speaks with longing about these moments. "I miss the feeling of power when the plane reaches the cutoff speed, pulling the rudder disconnects the aircraft's wheels from the ground, the nose rises and the ground moves away quickly and a spectacular view comes to my eyes," says Elkbets, 48, Elle captain and chairman of the company pilots, but adds: "The great thrill is repeated every time I return to Israel and see Israel unfold before my eyes, the top view of the State of Israel is the most beautiful in the world. And the sentence 'Ladies and gentlemen, here is the captain of the cockpit. In a few minutes we land in ... ". 

"In lowering toward Israel's airspace," says Midan Bar (46), chairman of the Pilots Association, "Tel Aviv Control answers you about 'Hello' in Hebrew, 'Welcome' or 'Happy Holidays', and those words bring me home In a second. " 

But it seems that most pilots also lack contact with passengers. "When kids come into the cockpit after landing, it's one of the special moments for me," says Noam Adar, 53, a captain at Arkia. "They look at all the buttons and tell us about their dream of being pilots. Or a person who is dealing with severe flight anxiety and admitting a good experience, Tourists who are excited to visit the Holy Land or a family returning from a joyous trip. Our work is part of the travelers' journey and this connection often creates extraordinary encounters. " 

The Corona crisis has given pilots memorable moments as well and promoted new heroes in the spotlight. Wiener, for example, joined in on an unusual mission on one of the flights from China. "I found myself suffering as a misery alongside my entire crew, after the authorities in China determined that if we did not load the plane within three hours, they would delay us for three days," he recalls. "We took off one minute before the deadline."

While Daniel Roberts, 43, first officer and member of the Cal Pilots Committee (Air Lines for Cargo), continued to fly in the midst of the crisis. "We are less prominent, coming and going from designated terminals for luggage and usually in the middle of the night. Thanks to the Corona we made headlines, and our importance was emphasized by those who bring the medical supplies so much needed to life saving," Roberts says, "these are national missions."

Aviation was among the most affected sectors in the crisis, and the signs of the future can now be seen. "Already on my last flights to China I have seen that the airport is networked with thermal cameras and medical inspection posts," adds Roberts, "This world is changing." Wiener: "We will undergo pre-flight health checks, symptom diagnosis, rapid corona testing, and more. Israeli airlines will also change: they will have to adjust as a result of the crisis. It will hurt, and will involve adjustments and layoffs, but we will survive it."