The Real Flying Company - Meet The Team

THE PILOTS

Neil Westwood
Neil gained his private pilot’s licence at Shoreham in 1992 and very soon after was sampling the delights of vintage flying on aircraft such as the Tiger Moth, Piper Cub and T6 Harvard. He began instructing in the summer of 2000 primarily on the deHavilland Chipmunk and a few months later started his airline career with Brymon Airways, flying their Dash-8 turboprop airliners. He spent several years as a Senior First Officer flying the Embraer 145 turbofan aircraft with British Airways CitiExpress and BA Connect. Leaving to join GB airways early in 2007, he then joined Easyjet in April 2008 when it acquired GB Airways and is now flying the Airbus A320/321. With his wife Lisa, Neil is one of the co-founders of RFC.

Victor Peirce
Victor started flying at Shoreham, completing his private licence in 1978 and developing an early interest in classic aircraft, including the T6 Harvard. A flying instructor’s rating followed in 1987. Sponsored through commercial training, he flew turboprop aircraft with CityFlyer Express. In 1992 a move to turbofans with Airtours, which subsequently became MyTravel resulted in a career in worldwide charter flying. He is rated on the MD83, Boeing 757/767 and currently Airbus A320/321 and A330. 2008 saw MyTravel become Thomas Cook, with which Victor is currently a Captain, instructor and examiner on the Airbus fleet.

Stuart McKinnon
Stuart began flying at Shoreham in 1992 and started working as a flying instructor in 1996. Within three years he had become a Flight Examiner and the Chief Flying Instructor of a large Shoreham-based flying school, a position he held until joining CityFlyer Express in 2001, flying Avro RJ100 turbofans. 2001 also saw him qualify as a Civil Aviation Authority Test Pilot and to date he has flown over 60 different aircraft types, including rare, classic and warbird examples, such as the T6 Harvard, Percival EP9 and Pilatus P2. At present Stuart is a Senior First Officer with British Airways, on their Boeing 737 fleet at Gatwick.

Mark Johns
Mark learned to fly at Shoreham in 1988 and qualified as a flying instructor in 1990, rising to the position of Chief Flying Instructor and Charter Pilot within four years. During this time he honed his tailwheel skills on the deHavilland Chipmunk and T6 Harvard aircraft before starting his airline career with Brymon Airways in 1997, where he became a training Captain on their Dash-8 turboprop airliners. Mark is currently a Captain and type rating instructor on the Airbus A320/321, having joined GB Airways in 1999, initially flying Boeing 737s and transferred to Easyjet when they acquired GB in April 2008.

Dave Cooke
Dave was introduced to flying in 1985 courtesy of a flying scholarship in Leicester. He became a flying instructor the following year, when he began flying tailwheel aircraft. Whilst instructing, he also found time to work as a glider-tug pilot until joining British Airways in 1988, flying their Hawker Siddeley 748 and ATP turboprop aircraft around the Northern England and Scotland routes. In 1993 he transferred to BA’s Boeing 747 fleet and is now a Captain at Heathrow. Since 1994 Dave has owned several aerobatic aircraft and competes in aerobatic competitions at advanced level. He also is a T6 Harvard instructor.

Adrian Wilton
Adrian began flying at Shoreham in 1995, flying PA38 Tomahawks and gaining his PPL on the first day of 1996. By 1998 he had obtained night, IMC and twin-engine ratings and he began gaining experience on Piper Seneca, Aztec and Beech 76 twins. He started training for a commercial licence in 1999, with the flying element taking place initially at Bournemouth on PA28 Warriors, then Southend. Adrian also gained an instructor rating at the same time and in 2000 qualified for night and applied instrument instruction. 2002 saw him training for and obtaining the much feared instrument rating and a year later qualifying as a flight and ground examiner. In 2004 he added a twin instructor qualification to his already substantial list of achievements. Since obtaining his instructor rating in 1999, Adrian has worked for several flying schools at Shoreham, attaining the position of Chief flying instructor, before joining the team at RFC in 2006 as a dedicated PA28 instructor/examiner.

Richard Dauncey
Richard began flying in 1988 at Birmingham airport where he gained his PPL. In 1991 he began a British Airways sponsored commercial pilot training scheme at Kidlington in Oxford. After graduating he joined BA as a First Officer on their Boeing 737 fleet at Gatwick, converting onto the 777 in 2000. Richard became part-owner of a Chipmunk aircraft in 1998 and completed his tailwheel conversion on it, also gaining experience on other tailwheel/aerobatic types such as Stampe, Starduster and Pitts Special. On selling his share in the Chipmunk, he became co-owner of a Christen Eagle aerobatic biplane, which he has since flown in national aerobatic competitions. In 2004 along with fellow BA pilot Jon Drake he bought a part-restored T-6 Harvard and on completing the restoration began operating it as an instructor with RFC at Shoreham. In early 2006 Richard completed a conversion with British Airways onto their Airbus fleet and also achieved the rank of Captain.

Jon Drake
Jon began flying in 1991 when he joined British Airways and completed their sponsored commercial pilot training scheme. On graduating in 1992 he began flying as a First Officer on the Boeing 737 and later the 777. Jon completed a tailwheel conversion at Clacton on a PA18 super-cub in 1992 and qualified as a flying instructor the following year, gaining experience on tailwheel aircraft such as the Tiger Moth, Pitts Special and Stampe biplanes, also accumulating instructional time on the T-6 Harvard. Since he began flying, Jon has owned several aircraft including a Stampe and a Christen Eagle, in which he has competed in UK aerobatic events. With his T-6 experience Jon had no hesitation in joining his BA colleague Richard Dauncey in a project to restore and operate their own T-6 in 2004, which he now instructs on with the RFC. In 2006 he converted onto the Airbus and also achieved a command. Jon has subsequently qualified as a BA training Captain.

Gordon Harwell
Gordon began training for his PPL in 1980 under a flying scholarship at Dundee. He joined the RAF in 1981 and flew Bulldog aircraft with Aberdeen, Dundee and St Andrews Universities Air Squadron. In 1986 he began Jet training, initially on the Jet Provost Mk5, then the Bae Hawk. After gaining his RAF wings he flew the Tornado GR1, based in Germany and whilst on the Tornado, flew several missions during the first Gulf War. After a spell at Boscombe Down as a trials officer for Jaguar/Tornado, Gordon then completed two tours as a Flight Commander on the Tucano, both as an instructor and examiner. He left the RAF in 2001 and started his Commercial Airline career with Air 2000 as a First Officer on the Boeing 757. In 2002 he joined Easyjet, initially on the Boeing 737 and eventually converting onto the Airbus A319, on which Gordon is currently a training Captain, based at Gatwick. In 2003 he began instructing with a flying school in Gloucestershire on the Bulldog and Extra 300, joining the team at RFC in early 2007.

Justyn Gorman
Having taken his first flying lesson in 2000, Justyn undertook an intensive PPL course, which he completed in only 9 weeks. He immediately bought a Rans aircraft in which to gain experience, before a trip to Headcorn found him flying tailwheel types such as the Tiger Moth, Stampe and Turbulent aircraft. Seduced by aerobatic training in the Stampe, Justyn bought a Pitts Special in 2002 and used it to hone his aerobatic skills, enabling him to enter aerobatic competitions up to advanced level. Entering the world of display flying, he has since flown in displays as a member of the Tiger Club’s Turbulent formation display team, solo in his own Vans RV4 aircraft and also in the Road Angel sponsored Pitts S2b for the 2006 season. He also became part-owner of the RFC operated Extra 300L in which he has displayed not only a solo freestyle aerobatic routine but as part of the Team Swift, aerobatic glider-towing display. 2007 was a busy year for Justyn, gaining a twin rating, commercial pilot’s licence and qualifying as a flying/aerobatic instructor.

Chris Batt
Chris began flying in 1997 when he embarked on a PPL course, flying the Cessna 152 at Shoreham’s now defunct Southern Air, converting onto the Piper PA28 soon after completion. In April of 1999 he ventured into the world of tailwheel flying with a conversion onto the deHavilland Chipmunk and added a night rating to his licence in the same year, followed by an IMC rating in 2000. Around this time, Chris managed to acquire some flying time in other tailwheel types such as the PA18 Super-Cub and T6 Harvard. Early 2002 saw Chris sampling the challenge of twin-engine flying when he flew the PA 34 Seneca, on which he gained his multi-engine rating. 2002 also was the year he was first introduced to the SV4 Stampe, a type much favoured by Chris, which he has flown at RFC since it began operations at Shoreham in 2003. The road to a Commercial licence beckoned soon after and the flying side of the proceedings was completed using PA28 Warrior and complex Arrow types at Stapleford in 2006. Chris polished off an Instructor rating in 2007 and was able to join the team at RFC on completion.

THE MANAGEMENT

Kathy Chapman
Kathy is another of the Real Flying Company’s directors and co-founders. She spent many years in the Middle East, working as a teacher, returning to the UK in 1990. At this time she undertook training in finance and administration and has since spent many years working for several large, international companies in the capacity of Business Analyst. Kathy’s involvement in aviation began in early 1991 when she was employed in the Accounts Department for one of Shoreham’s largest flying schools, a position she held for four years. When not managing the ground operation of the company, Kathy finds time to run her own business as a qualified Holistic Therapist.

Lisa Westwood
Lisa is one of the directors and co-founders of the RFC. Her background is in finance, which started in 1988 as a book-keeper in the manufacturing industry and following further education at college, she was employed in positions ranging from Assistant Financial Accountant, to Accounts Supervisor with major international insurance companies until 1998. From there she held the post of Accounts Manager for an international firm of engineering consultants and is currently employed as a Financial Controller for a local manufacturing company. Lisa also runs her own Financial Accounting Services business and still manages to find time with Kathy to make up part of the vital management backbone of the Real Flying Company.

OPERATIONS


Kay Tanner		Kerry Thornton

Kay and Kerry are our vital link between the customer and the pilot/instructor. These ladies are not only responsible for the smooth running of the day to day RFC operation but are also experts in customer care.

3 Cecil Pashley Way, Shoreham Airport, Shoreham-By-Sea, West Sussex BN43 5FF.

Tel: 01273 440288

Email: ops@realflyingcompany.com

Fax: 01273 440325