Fact: Stranger than Fiction?
Hi all,
Sorry if the post is in the incorrect place but I think I will get some good answers if I post here. I have a question that had been really bugging me for some time so I am hoping someone will have some info.
About a year ago a friend of mine came into contact with a gentlemen (let's call him Jim) who said he was a keen pilot, he flies general aviation aircraft having a share in two aircraft at the local airfield which he flies every month. Great I thought, seems like a nice guy and I guess it never hurts to know a pilot!
Then comes the pill that is hard to swallow. Jim says that despite working for a local utility firm that in his 'spare' time he flies for large airliners regularly doing routes from London to Hong Kong. What's more is that (according to Jim) he flies the A380. I think so far he has mentioned Emirates (for sure), United Airlines (I think) and American Airlines (I think). At this point I must say that I am not a complete novice to the field of aviation, whilst studying at Uni I did a stint for a helicopter systems integrator working on research programme. The team were looking at new HMI systems for the cockpit for both fixed and rotary wing platforms and during my time there I learnt a bit about large aircraft (A380) and looked into the requirements for becoming a pilot. Suffice to say I found his story more than a little dubious. Over the past months I have repeatedly tried to understand a little more about his story, but since I don't know him personally that well, and I don't want be rude I have tried the soft approach.
So far I can work out that Jim got his PPL years ago and got a Multi-Engine License (not sure if thats the right terminology) just for fun. From there Jim is a little cagey about how long it took him to get a full professional license but suffice to say Emirates and United are happy to call him whenever they need him and although he does not get paid for his services he gets some perks including free flights every year and medical checks.
On the face he seems a nice guy but I just don't want to believe it - it seems too good to be true. So my question is this possible? Any facts or info would be really appreciated but better than that is there anyway I can check? A database maybe with everyone in the UK with the right qualifications to fly an A380?
Thanks in advance.