Goldhawk Lecture Series

Becoming a pilot

This term we welcomed several Old Lyonians who have moved on to successful careers in sport and media including James Scholefield (OL), who spoke to us about his career at BT Sport.

The Goldhawk Lecture Series is for our Sixth Form pupils and each term we strive to invite Old Lyonians from different fields to share their experiences of life beyond school. Next term we are looking forward to talks from an Old Lyonian who now works as a death penalty caseworker, a magician and a debate on the topic of violence in the Middle East. n

On Thursday 17th November, pupils from Years 9 and above with an interest in becoming pilots were fortunate to hear from Mr Louis Mattey, a member of our Estates team, who has just passed his Commercial Pilot’s Licence.

Louis opened the session about how a trip as a young child to British Airways, where his father worked, inspired a life-long ambition to become a pilot. He spoke about the steps he took to achieve his dreams, which culminated in these last four years studying Airline Management with Commercial Pilot training at Buckingham New University and Booker Aviation. Pupils learnt how gliding can help a pilot understand how to fly without an engine, the universities that offer airline courses and the importance of diligent study. Louis also signposted pupils to attend an event called “Pilot Careers Live”, where there is access to everything you need to know about becoming a commercial airline pilot. The session ended with an opportunity for pupils to ask a multitude of questions, ranging from different types of aircraft to the future of the airline industry.

We are very grateful to Louis, who is currently temporarily working at John Lyon, for taking the time to inspire and engage our pupils, before he pursues his career as an airline pilot. n