Clipped Wings.
Clipped Wings To the north and south, dark clouds with ragged bases bubbled high into the upper atmosphere. The ongoing rumble of thunder was intermeshed with the sudden cracks that follow lightning weaving to the ground. In a gap between nature’s tantrums, a patch of …
Journeys.
Everyone’s journey is different. As Kirrily and I sat on the tarmac at the Air Force base watching the most recent cadets graduating from their promotion courses, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to experiencing a touch of emotion and nostalgia. As the cadets’ …
Flying with my Wife.
Flying with my Wife. Over the decades, I have been extremely fortunate in the diversity that my airline career has provided. From charity charter flights to viewing Antarctica from above and even the final flight of the venerable Boeing 747 after it completed nearly half …
Auld Lang Syne.
Auld Lang Syne. Unbelievably, 2022 is now down to its final hours. Another year has passed with the children a little older, me none the wiser with the skies out of reach for the moment. After two years in the pandemic wilderness, 2022 saw me …
First Solo. 41 Years On.
First Solo – an event that few aviators ever forget. Through planning or good fortune, I have generally flown on the anniversary of that first flight. On the 25th anniversary, I organised to fly a light aircraft in Queensland where I was on holidays. …
The Final Boeing 747.
This week the final Boeing 747 rolled off the production line at Boeing’s Everett facility in the United States. Its bare metal fuselage covered in a green vinyl coating, belying its future colours as a freighter for Atlas Air. In an era of inbuilt obsolescence …
On Reflection.
On reflection, there are many magnificent memories that come to mind after forty years of flying. Surprisingly, one that always rises to the surface is not a memory that you would necessarily expect. My father was my flight instructor and the expression “tough but fair” …
Boeing 747. The Special Edition.
Hi All, Firstly, an apology. Those on my mailing list will be aware that I was on the cusp of releasing a limited edition of 100 copies of “Boeing 747. Farewell from the Flight Deck”. This edition featuring a hardcover, colour images and a bookplate …
Grounded.
Grounded. To someone that is passionate about aviation that single word is both daunting and alien. And yet that is my current reality. Following my annual pilot’s medical, a condition was detected that called for me to undergo major surgery. Now, two weeks on, I …
Echoes of First Flight.
I could almost hear the echoes of my first solo flight, although the Bellman hangars and operations bunker pre-date me by decades as their roots turned soil in the dark days of World War Two. However, many of the landmarks that set the scene of …
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