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HEAD OF TRAINING
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Alan Newton - Born in Cheshire and after leaving College joined the Royal Air Force in 1979. During his 18 years in the Royal Air Force Alan saw operational tours on the Victor during the Falklands Conflict and the VC10 during the Gulf War. He also spent many years as a flying instructor on the Tucano and Jet Provost teaching both ab-initio and qualified pilots gaining an A2 Instructor Category. After leaving the Royal Air Force Alan joined Cathay Pacific Airways where he has flown the Boeing 747 classic and now flies the Boeing 747-400. He is an RTF Examiner, GR Examiner and Flight Instructor Examiner on both land and seaplanes and is a regular contributor to FTN magazine. Alan is the Director of On-Track Aviation Limited and is the Head of Training. |
CHIEF FLYING INSTRUCTOR
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Simon Mitchell -Simon, who lives in Warwickshire, was born in Birmingham into a Royal Air Force (RAF) family where his father was a Fighter Controller and his uncle a Pilot. As soon as he was 13 years old, he joined the Air Training Corps (ATC) getting his first taste of flying in RAF Chipmunks. Later he served in the Royal Auxilary Air Force (RAuxAF) for 8 years, which included many operational detachments around the world. Simon has been flying for over 20 years and holds an CPL(A) with Instrument Rating. Before joining On-Track Aviation Limited, Simon was with Wellesbourne Aviation where he was the Head of Training. Simon is the CPL Chief Flying Instructor, FIC instructor, CPL 170A Examiner and GR Examiner as well as a Wellesbourne Mountford Aerodrome FISO.
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INSTRUCTOR / EXAMINER TEAM
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Aiden Brown - Aiden is an FIC instructor at On Track Aviation and a First Officer for a major UK airline. He taught the twin IR and CPL integrated and modular courses at Oxford Air Training School for six years including several months teaching at Oxford's fair weather base in Phoenix, Arizona . Before joining Oxford he taught at a variety of different flying schools teaching on a diverse range of aircraft from motor-gliders to tail wheel vintage aeroplanes having followed the 'Self-Improver' route to gaining his license and experience. He studied aeronautical engineering at Farnborough and before joining his current company he was a Captain with Flybe flying the Dash 8-Q400. |
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Jon Cooke - Born in the midlands, Jon was awarded a flying scholarship whilst in the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) at school. This sparked a desire to pursue a career in aviation, and after leaving school he went on to instruct at Clacton Aero Club, Halfpenny Green and Wellesbourne. He also flew the De Havilland Tiger Moth and Dragon Rapide for Classic Wings at Duxford. His airline career has taken him worldwide flying the Handley Page Herald, Boeing 737-3/4/500, Boeing 777-200 and Boeing 747-400 and now he is an Airbus Captain for a major UK airline. Jon has flown and instructed on a wide variety of vintage and modern aircraft, and retains his passion for flying and instructing. He owns an an Vans RV6 and is currently Chairman of the Pilot Coaching Scheme for the Light Aircraft Association (LAA) and was recently presented with an award for Advancement in Flight Safety as a part of his work with the LAA. Jon has also been awarded the Master CFI acreditation by the Master Instructors LLC the international accrediting authority for the Master Instructor designation. The Master CFI is also a national accreditation recognised by the FAA. He is the first and only Master CFI in the United Kingdon. Jon is a Flight Instructor Examiner, Air/Ground Operator Examiner and RTF Examiner.
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Mike Grierson - Trained as a radio engineer before joining the Royal Air Force where he served as a navigator on the Victor, Hercules, VC10, Devon and DC3. In addition, Mike graduated from the Staff Navigation Course, instructed at the Royal Air Force Officer Cadet Training Unit and was the Operations Support Manager for the Tristar. After a long career in the Royal Air Force Mike joined the CAA as a Training Standards Inspector in 1995, retiring in May 2008. He obtained his PPL in 1989, BCPL with AFI rating in 1992 and went onto gain an ATPL 4 years later. As a flying instructor Mike has taught students on RAF Flying Scholarships, PPL and Flying Instructor Courses. Mike was awarded the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators Master Air Navigator Certificate in 2000. He is an RTF Examiner and a Flight Instructor Examiner.
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Nick Heard - Nick was born in Stoke-on-Trent and learned to fly in 1977 at Teesside Airport with an RAF Flying Scholarship. He completed his education at University, where he flew Bulldogs with the University Air Squadron. He joined the RAF in 1981 and, after completing flying training, became a Jet Provost QFI. In 1987 Nick moved onto the Tornado GR1 which he flew for ten years, flying in the 1991 Gulf War and completing instructional and standardisation tours afterwards in the UK and Germany. He gained A2 instructor qualifications on both the Jet Provost and Tornado. After leaving the RAF in 1997, Nick flew the Fokker F50 for KLMuk before joining Cathay Pacific Airways in 2000 flying the Boeing 747-400. Nick is a Flight Instructor and is a correspondent for the LOOP magazine. |
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David Lloyd - David grew up with light aviation, spending many weekends helping out at the local flying club, where his father was the Chief Flying Instructor. He went solo a few weeks after his 17th birthday. David then went on to complete his PPL with the help of a Royal Air Force Sixth Form scholarship. After leaving school, David was awarded a British Airways Cadetship to attend the British Aerospace Flying College at Prestwick. After graduating in 1992 he went on to study Physics at Imperial College, London. During this time he worked as a Flying Instructor for Air Atlantique and at Royal Air Force Brize Norton Flying Club. David joined a major UK airline in 1995 and has flown the Boeing 737-400, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777 and is currently a Captain on the Airbus A320 family for a major UK airline. David is an FIC instructor and a PPL Flight Examiner.
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Patrick Plunkett - Pat was born in 1945 and while studying Physics at University, joined the University Air Squadron. He started full time Royal Air Force service in 1967. All his operational flying was on large jets and included 4 tours of duty on the Victor and one on the E3-D AWACS. Patrick was also a flying instructor on Chipmunks and Bulldogs. After leaving the Royal Air Force, Pat joined Oxford Aviation Training (OAT) in 1999 instructing CPL/IR courses on both single and multi-engine aircraft. Pat retired from Oxford Aviation Training (OAT) in the summer of 2005. He is a Flight Instructor Examiner and CPL 170A Examiner. |
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Peter Thompson - Peter joined the Royal Air Force as an electronics apprentice in 1958, and was commissioned as an Air Electronics Officer in 1964. Following 4 years on Shackleton aircraft he retrained as a pilot, completing advanced flying training on the Gnat in 1969. He attended the CFS instructors course in 1970, following which he served as a QFI on the Jet Provost, gaining A2 QFI standard and qualifying as an IRE. In 1973 he was seconded to British Aerospace in Saudi Arabia , instructing on the BAC 167 Strikemaster, leaving in 1977 to join Laker Airways as a DC-10 pilot. With the demise of Laker Airways he returned to the world of military aviation as a civilian instructor on the Strikemaster in Ecuador, teaching at all levels from basic to weapons and tactics. In 1984 he returned to Saudi Arabia to instruct on the Strikemaster, becoming the OC Standards and then CFI. In 1993 he returned to the UK to take up a position instructing with the Joint Elementary Flying Training School on the T67 Firefly, initially as a Flight Commander and latterly as Head of Training. This was followed in 1995 by a move to Oxford to manage the Skyvan military parachuting contract which ended in 2006. In addition to being an FIC instructor, he is a Class Rating Examiner and Instrument Rating Renewal Examiner.
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Alec Trevett - Born in Wiltshire and started gliding as a 'mere lad' with the Air Training Corps at South Cerney . Commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1973 as a fighter controller and over a 30 year career served in a wide range of operational, training, examining, command and staff appointments in the UK and overseas including Germany, Belgium and the Falkland Islands. Took up recreational powered flying in 1985 and completed his PPL at RAF Halton where subsequently he became a part-time FI. Alec was trained as an FI by On-Track Aviation and has since been teaching PPL students and conducting both tail wheel and AOPA Aerobatic Certificate training on the Chipmunk. He served as the Aviation Safety Member for the RAF Flying Clubs Association (RAFFCA) from 2003 to 2005 and represented the Association at meetings of the General Aviation Safety Council (GASCo). Since leaving the RAF in early 2003 Alec has worked for Lockheed Martin STASYS and, more recently taken up a position within the CAA Safety Regulation Group. Alec is an FIC instructor, RTF Examiner and PPL Flight Examiner. |
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Jim Wiggle - Jim started flying as a cadet with the Air Training Corps before joining the Royal Air Force, as a pilot, in 1973. During his Service career he was fortunate enough to fly a variety of aircraft ranging from Motor-gliders to the Lockheed TriStar and his tours of duty included the Falklands War, the first Gulf War and the Bosnia conflict. He qualified as an A2 instructor on a variety of aircraft including the Jet Provost and the Lockheed TriStar, instructing ab-initio and qualified pilots alike. In 1996 he retired from the Royal Air Force to begin a career in civil aviation. During his airline career, firstly with Caledonian Airways and subsequently British Airways, he flew the Lockheed TriStar, Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A320 family aircraft on both long-haul and short-haul routes and on scheduled as well as charter services retiring for the second time in 2009. Jim is a Flight Instructor.
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OPERATIONS SUPPORT TEAM LEADER
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Stephanie Giles - Born in Birmingham, Stephanie worked initially in the jewellery trade for 20 years. She learnt to fly in 1987 on flexwing microlights after a spur of the moment trial flight, and has been hooked on flying ever since. She qualified for her PPL(A) in 1994 and PPL(H) in 2001, training for both at Wellesbourne Mountford Aerodrome. In addition, she has learnt to fly Microlight aeroplanes and is hoping to qualify as a flying instructor in the not too distant future. She has worked previously in aviation, initially for the Atlantique Group at Coventry and latterly, running Wellesbourne Aviation for 5 years. Stephanie is the Operations Support Team Leader whose duties include co-ordinating the Operations Support Team as well as dealing with customer enquiries. |
OPERATIONS SUPPORT TEAM
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Ian Alexander - Ian who was born in Kilmarnock in Scotland now lives with his family in Solihull. He learnt to fly at Wellesbourne Mountford Aerodrome eventually gaining his PPL(A) and night qualification. Ian runs his own Engineering Company and works part time as one of our Operations / Administrator Support personnel covering staff holidays and sickness as well as helping out at our Instructor Seminars. |
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Veronica Tanner - Veronica joined Britannia Airways in 1971 as Cabin Crew and progressed onto training and checking of Cabin Staff. She continued to be interested in flying eventually gaining her PPL(A). Veronica particularly enjoys flying vintage aeroplanes. For 14 years Veronica worked for Startford-on-Avon District Council Tourist Information Centre (TIC) and was promoted to Manager in 1997. Under her leadership the TIC won a Silver Award in the Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards in 2007. Veronica is one of our part-time Operations / Administrator Support personnel and brings a lifetime of experience in customer service allied with an aviation background to her new role.
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