International Civil Aviation Organization standards require captains of large transport aircraft to be under age 65.Ĭastonguay began his career in general aviation, cutting his teeth on smaller planes such as the twin-engine Piper Navajo and the Convair 580 turboprop. She’s very good.” Photo by John Mahoney / Montreal Gazetteįlying, the elder Castonguay said after the howling had died down, “is a passion that I will have all my life. “I’m very proud to be passing the baton to her,” retiring Air Canada pilot Jean Castonguay said of his daughter, First Officer Marie-Pierre. He also had to stand stoically as his daughter cut his black tie in half with a pair of scissors, eliciting much laughter from the gathering. He took time to shake hands and trade smiles with everyone, accepting wishes for a happy retirement.

She’s very good.”Īs he reached the arrivals terminal, Castonguay was greeted by family members and more than 20 current and former work colleagues, who gave him a thunderous ovation. It’s as if his career is continuing through me.”Īdded the beaming father: “I’m very proud to be passing the baton to her.

I’m lucky to be flying the same plane, the A330, which we both love. We felt so privileged to be experiencing this moment together,” the younger Castonguay, an Air Canada pilot since 2019 who took her first flying lessons at age 15, said Monday afternoon in Dorval after the pair had cleared customs. While this wasn’t the first time the pair had flown together, the special occasion will live long in their memories. Castonguay, who will turn 65 in March, had a familiar face beside him in the cockpit for his final transatlantic journey: his daughter Marie-Pierre, 28, a first officer with the airline.

Air canada 777 seat map