When I was about 18, I use to go to The Airport Hotel pub at Manchester Airport and watch the planes land and take off. As I saw them taxi past the fence to line up for departure, I use to think that these guys flying those machines must have gone to Oxford or Cambridge and that they all had degrees and were the most switched on men in the world.
I left school at 16 with poor qualifications and I can’t spell to save my life. All I wanted to do was be a long distance lorry driver. At 17 I got a job as a van driver and at 21 got my HGV Class 1. I then drove trucks for nearly 10 years. 6 years on hazardous waste chemical tankers and 3 years for Eddie Stobarts Ltd.
At 31, I got a job at Manchester Airport as an aircraft refueller. It was there that the dream to be a pilot was born. Whilst being a refueller, I did the modular route and spent 5 years hard work during weekends and holidays getting my Commercial Pilots License.
I was an aircraft refueller for 9 years and then in April 2007, I got a lucky break and got a job flying 737’s for a UK holiday company. Today is my last day with them as I am being made redundant. I start for a Middle East company in 2 weeks time going onto thier 777 fleet.
I was out with a friend of mine this week who is a massive plane spotter and I explained to her what I used to think about the pilots I used to watch at Manchester when I was 18. I told her that I thought you must have been to Oxford or Cambridge and have a degree etc etc to get a job as a pilot, but now I know its just not true. She said she thought the same until she met me. I could not stop laughing and she felt bad LOL. I was pleased as I am still the same person and the job has never and never will go to my head. I and my family are very proud of what I have achieved.
How do I feel when I walk through the terminal with my uniform on, I feel good and I think I deserve to. I worked hard to get here.
During work, I love meeting new people and just being myself. I like having a laugh and when anyone asks how I got into flying, when I tell them my history, they are shocked. They can’t believe that someone who used to be a truck driver is now flying 737’s
I am soon to be flying 777’s for that airline you keep seeing advertised on Sky News.
Am I proud, yes I am. Why, because I struggled in school and worked hard to get here.
Do I love my job, I don’t have a job, I do something I love and get paid for it.
Last edited by EGCC4284; 30th Apr 2010 at 16:21.