From Cockpit to Crust: Why a Veteran Melbourne Pilot Grounded His Career for a Local Bakery

For four decades, Geoff Collis enjoyed some of the most spectacular views the world has to offer, from snow-capped mountains and striking thunderstorms to vivid sunsets and fairy floss clouds. But after 40 years in the aviation industry, the Melbourne pilot made the life-changing decision to ground himself permanently, swapping his commercial cockpit for a local bakery.

Mr Collis first fell in love with aviation at the young age of 10. "I started making model aeroplane kits and getting into the history of aviation and just everything to do with planes," he recalled. "Instead of rock and roll band posters on my walls when I was a teenager, I had pictures of planes."

After starting his flight training near the end of high school, he embarked on a flying career that would span more than forty years. "Even to this day, after like 42 years and 25,000 hours in the logbook, there's still an incomparable buzz from taking off," he said.

A Carbon-Heavy Dilemma

Despite his lifelong passion for flight, Mr Collis found himself increasingly unsettled by the environmental impact of his profession in the face of a warming climate. "I was just looking at the amount of fuel I was ordering for each flight … and I thought, 'How can I justify continuing in this sort of role?'" he said. "It was a 2.4 million litres a year jet fuel habit."

The turning point arrived during the global lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic. At age 55, the Jetstar pilot was partially stood down. Seeking a meaningful way to pass the time, he reached out to a local bakery in Melbourne's north-east about an apprenticeship. Within months, he was busy learning the craft of baking artisan breads and patisseries.

The Eltham bakery became his sanctuary during the pandemic years. Though he returned to the skies in 2023 when the aviation industry began recovering, the return was short-lived. A year ago, he made the choice to permanently walk away from his piloting career to protect the planet.

"I started to realise that most of what [the industry] appeared to be doing [for climate change] was really just tokenism, spin and greenwashing," Mr Collis explained. "I got to the point where I just thought … I don't think I can, in clear conscience amidst the climate situation we're facing, be part of the industry anymore."

Ultimately, he said the choice became clear: "Eventually, it was a no-brainer. I had really no option but to to to walk away from it."

The Decarbonisation Challenge

While the aviation sector is responsible for an average of two to three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions annually, it remains one of the most difficult industries to decarbonise. In Australia, federal authorities report that aviation emissions are rising, even as emissions in other sectors begin to fall.

According to the 2023 Aviation Green Paper, airline emissions are "likely to continue to grow as other sectors continue to decarbonise with mature technologies." Furthermore, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) 2025 environmental report projected that global aviation emissions could increase by two to five times 2018 levels by the year 2070.

Addressing these projections, Mr Collis' former employer, the Qantas Group, noted that it operates on a growth model. In a statement, the group said: "We know that Australians love air travel and we expect to keep growing to meet that demand, but we are also focused on reducing the impact of our operations where we can."

The company added: "We’re doing that by investing in new aircraft, improving flight planning and procedures and increasing our procurement of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)." They also stated they are "working with government and industry to help build a SAF industry here in Australia, which will be critical to our long-term decarbonisation goals and has the potential to create thousands of jobs in regional Australia."

However, academic experts point out that growth complicates these green targets. Dr Ya-Yen Sun, an associate professor at the University of Queensland's business school, noted that demand is outpacing green technology. "The energy efficiency has improved, but the demand outweighs the energy improvement," Dr Sun said. "So as a result, I think it's quite challenging to reduce flying emissions."

Addressing the Top One Per Cent

A small portion of global travelers produces the vast majority of aviation emissions, with roughly one per cent of the world's population accounting for over half of all passenger air travel emissions.

"Personally, I think travel is a privilege, but it's also something that we need to provide to people," Dr Sun remarked. "And if we say no, you cannot fly anymore just due to the environmental concern, I think it's too harsh on people. So for Australia, I think probably we need to put more pressures on the airlines."

Dr Sun suggested a carbon tax or an emissions trading scheme could act as viable policy solutions. "Essentially, if you emit more emissions, you need to pay more financial cost. If you reduce your emissions, you will be awarded financially," she said.

No Regrets at the Bakery

During his transition, Mr Collis found solidarity through Safe Landing, a UK-based group established by current and former aviation workers to support pilots dealing with climate-related concerns.

"Knowing there are other people out there who came to the same conclusion as myself was reassuring and reaffirming," he said. "There was a huge sense of like, 'Wow I'm not the only oddball who's feeling this way.'"

He noted that critics often ask what difference a single person can make by choosing not to fly. "But I think it's about leading by example … or showing people alternatives to the automatic response to air travel," Mr Collis said. "If air travel was priced properly to reflect its impact on the planet, then we might find that people actually start questioning their need for travel."

Now fully settled into his life at the Eltham bakery, the former pilot admits he still looks up whenever a plane flies overhead. "If a plane goes overhead, you can't help it, it's just almost like an automatic response [to look up]," he said. "But I don't really miss it for a moment, I don't miss it for a day."