Dad was an engineer at Southend Airport in the early 70's. He used to take me to the Historic Aircraft Museum there every Sunday morning. I can remember the anticipation and the thrill I got from clambering over the Beverley and peering into the cockpits of the Meteor, Sea Hawk and Javelin etc., asking him the same questions week in, week out! I can even remember the smell!! We'd always leave with the latest release from Airfix, which he'd build and I'd inevitably smash up!
He'd stop at the Airport 'Flarepath' Club on the way home for a pint, while I stood in the car park with a bottle of Coke and a straw, watching the Carvairs, Heralds and Viscounts coming and going.
The fascination remained, I'd always ask for flight deck visits whenever we went on holiday, Dad still organised impromtu trips to Duxford, Hendon, Mildenhall etc....and a pleasure flight from Clacton in a Cessna 172 in about 1980 (G-AWUW).
When we moved house to within walking distance of the Airport, I inevitably ended up becoming a 'spotter'. In my teenage years I discovered sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, ditched the notebook and anorak but went through school with the intention of having an 'aviation related' career. Applied unsuccesfully for a BA Cadetship in the mid eighties and drifted into Air Traffic Control as an Assistant. Got sponsorship for Controller training and, cutting a long story very short, ended up where I am today. Getting paid for a job that I love!
The PPL always seemed prohibitively expensive, especially with mortgage and kids around, but I got mine in 1996, thanks entirely to an instructor friend who gave his time, effort and money to get me through at a fraction of the cost. I still owe him hundreds of beers and curries...cheers Paddy...you are the World's nicest bloke!! My first solo will remain one of my greatest achievements. Night and IMC Ratings have followed, and I've enjoyed every single second of it all. I still get a big cheesy grin from ear to ear whenever I 'slip the surly bonds', and haven't entirely ruled out ATPL's.
A boyhood dream has become a reality, thanks to some inspirational people, that's probably why I bore the hell out of friends, family and complete strangers, harping on about what a privilege it is to be able to fly......thank goodness for pprune!!
