One of the two longer-“reigning” couples we spoke with, Claude and Jennifer Buraglia (pilots at Jazz Aviation) have been together 23 years and married 17. Their relationship started with Claude as the chief flight instructor at Jennifer’s flight school—which led to their first aviation-related conflict. Claude had to talk to Transport Canada about having someone else do her flight test. “I didn’t want to do it because I would have probably been harder on her, worrying about optics,” he said.
The two suffered through five years of commuting early on, flying to remote places, northern reserves with limited flights. Claude recalls phone bills of $400—something thankfully in the past due to cell phones, Skype, and other technology.
Once the couple married and had children, they had to adapt to new challenges—which required sacrifice. To gain more control over scheduling, Jennifer has stayed a first officer longer than necessary in order to keep seniority. Even with a great schedule, says Jennifer, “You need help.” The couple relied on a nanny to help carry the load. And the two share duties based on expertise as well. “Claude is my walking contract,” explains Jennifer, who says he also takes care of most work-related issues, such as building schedules, because he “knows the ins and outs of all the rules.” And the two share conversations about any problems or situations they’re having at work. “You know the other person understands without having to go into too much explanation,” says Jennifer.
To learn more about the sacrifices made, challenges met, and opportunities enjoyed by Claude and Jennifer and five other married pilot couples that spoke to us, read Love is in the Air: When Pilots Marry Pilots.
