Interview with Sam Chui

It started when I was young boy in Hong Kong, watching countless B747 banking for landing at Kai Tak Airport. It accelerated when I first flew a Boeing 747 of United airlines in 1993.

At first when I was a kid, I often went to the airport to watch planes. I started photographing planes when I turned 17 with my first camera; a Canon EOS Rebel. I was making prints and slides before digital camera age.

I have the problem that my work misaligned with my passion. It was very hard to travel while working full time so I quit my day job in 2018 after working in the banking and investment industry for 13 years. I realized I needed to fully pursue my passion; Aviation.Since then I have never looked back.

I have taken over 2,000 flights, flown over 3.8 million miles across 215 airlines.

Every flight is special for me. I still get very excited boarding every single flight. But I’d say the Supersonic Concorde flight I took in April 2003 is top the list. I flew at 58,000 ft and travelled at double speed of sound from NY to London in just 3 hours 18 minutes.

My favourite photos are the ones that tell a story, such as these ones or the ones at the bottom of the page:

I often seek permission with airlines to film onboard the flights. This way you can expand your content and get more access to see behind the scenes. Of course, once your work is recognized, some airlines will invite me to events such as delivery flight, special launch events and even cargo flights.

To share my personal experience to other likeminded Aviator and travelers. I also aim to be the “go to” person when it come to aviation content whether is video, photos, news or opinions.

I often get asked this question and my preferred airline changes from time to time, depending on their service and products. I’d say Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas are my Top 3 at the moment. ANA, EVA Air, Qatar Airways and Etihad are not far behind. My favourite aircraft is B747 which I have had the pleasure of flying her over 350 times!

My Cameras, Chargers, Macbook, flip flops and a first aid bag

I remain optimistic on the future of aviation. It is a cyclical industry and I think we will rebound quickly once the pandemic is over.

All my travel plans have been halted. I suddenly have a lot of time on the ground. I opted for flight training to become a pilot to learn a new skillset during this time. I have so far done my solo flight and will return to US for further pilot training.

I also used the time to finish my 4^th book, Air747 which is now available. (LINK)

As you already know, we upcycle aircraft skin to our Aviationtags. How do you like this idea of preserving aircraft history? I think Aviationtags are a great idea to own a piece of the aircraft. Aviationtags can be collected and passed on from generation to generation. Thanks for your time, Sam! All photos are (c) by Sam Chui. Make sure to check Sam's

Blog and YouTube channel for the most amazing aviation stories, photos and video.