I was brought up on the Sunday afternoon B/W films on TV like Angels 15 and the Dambusters. Flying always represented freedom, doing something that few people did or could do. I've been an aviation bore for most of my life I think, I used to be looking up the details of the Daimler Benz powerplant in an ME 109 while my mates were in the school air raid shelter smoking. The highlight of the year was the Finningley air show. The smell of freshly mown grass and burnt avtur is the most evocative smell in the world to me.
I spent 22 years as an avionics technician employed by Betty, have flown gliders for decades and recently got my powered. I still love anything aviation related, feel totally at home in the sky or around aircraft and I'm very proud to be a pilot, as I think it's an enormous privilege.