Blue sky thinker…

What began your interest in aviation?

There is no one specific thing that got me interested in aviation. It was a culmination of little things – far too many to list in total. As a toddler, I had a fantasy about floating above the playground.

Growing up, I joined the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which turned my head skywards. My first ever photograph was of an airliner high above London. When I was a child, I actually didn’t know it was possible to be a pilot.

The catalyst came, in my 20s, when a group of colleagues went to do a charity parachute jump. However, I didn’t go, as I thought it was hugely irresponsible and it would cripple an entire department’s personnel in one weekend. Suffice to say they all came back with ‘Cheshire cat’ grins – and I was incredibly jealous. I went on to do sponsored static-line and freefall jumps, as well as a ‘Loop the Loop’. I was hooked. I took up skydiving and accumulated 165 jumps over five years.

One day, when it was too windy to jump, I wandered over to the glider pilots. Minutes later I was airborne with an instructor who described me as ‘a natural’, which pleased me no end. A couple of years later, a pilot at the skydiving club, offered to take me for a flight. We flew from

Sibson to Bournemouth for lunch, and back at night, with Christmas lights twinkling below. It was then that I experienced handling the controls on a powered aircraft –and I was smitten. I discovered it was possible to learn to fly in a month in Florida. So, in 1992 that is exactly what I did. I got my FAA Pilot’s Certificate in 27 days, 42 flights and 64.3 hours. The relatively high number of hours is because, as soon as I was allowed to do solo crosscountry flights, I was off – and went touring Florida with a voracious appetite for adventure.

When was your first flight?

In 1980 as a passenger on a Boeing 747, the flight from Stansted to the Mediterranean was my epiphany. The huge kick in the back of the seat, on take-off, is an experience that I could not get out of my mind – and I desperately wanted more. I had to wait two years to get my next flight. It was worth it! That was to Cologne to import the new Ford RS1600i. Twenty years later I had my own company importing Mercedes SLKs.

My first solo was in a Cessna 152 from Merritt Island, Florida. When I landed, everyone had gone to lunch. There was no debrief! Minutes later, somebody invited me into their C172 and insisted that I sat in the left-hand seat and did the take-off and landing. I did not refuse! Isn’t it funny that, if a stranger invites you into their car, you run a mile.

However, when invited into a strange aeroplane, I’m there faster than a rat up a drainpipe!

Your current job, and past career?

I’m a born and bred Londoner and have always spent my recreation time in, on, or just above, the countryside.

Despite a hankering for mechanical engineering, I ended up with qualifications in business and computer studies, which led me into the world of City finance in various IT, administrative and business analysis roles for KPMG management consultants, plus two prestigious American investment banks. I loved every second of my career, particularly the perpetual drive, determination, and intelligent conversation of the people in those industries. The pay was just about good enough to allow me to afford flying lessons and shares in a couple of aircraft syndicates.

When my finance career faltered, following the 2008 banking crisis, plus being above-average age for the industry, it was time to go and fulfil the dream of working in aviation. I started by training pilots on the then relatively new Garmin GPS systems. Soon after, I got the opportunity to help ferry a BN-2 Islander across the Atlantic. I squandered my redundancy money on a multi-engine rating just before Christmas 2008 – and departed for the coast soon after. Upon return, I went to work on a series of short-term contracts at easyJet, CEGA air ambulance, World Fuel Services, the Shuttleworth Collection, 2Excel, the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia, USA, PPL/IR, and three movies. I am now offering my data-entry prowess to anyone wanting their paper log books transcribed onto a spreadsheet, ready for downloading to a professional digital logbook, such as LogTenPro. Had I had the resources to get a commercial rating, I would have loved to have ferried more aircraft.

How did you hear about the Association?

On my return to England, I realised that I had to fill in all the gaps in my knowledge between the US and UK systems. I was on a mission to ensure that nobody could criticise me for flying only on an FAA licence. I was looking at buying a share in a light aircraft and bundled myself over to the wonderful PFA Rally at Cranfield on a research mission. My knowledge of the LAA rapidly increased in 1995 when I helped my boyfriend build his RV-6. I absolutely wallowed in drilling, deburring, bucking and a little riveting… all in a Kent garage.

How many hours and types have you flown?

I am in the process of transferring all my log books onto a spreadsheet, so I do not have a total aircraft count just yet. I’ve entered around 10 of my 30 years’ experience. Approximate totals so far are 1,360 total time, 123 different registrations, and 70 different types by ICAO designator. Some of those include take-offs and landings, most were just stick and rudder handling.

In aircraft such as the P-51D Mustang, P-40 Kittyhawk and B-24 Liberator, I was simply a grinning passenger. Only 12 of the 70 aircraft have I either soloed, been cleared to solo or captained. Types have included, helicopters, an autogyro, various microlights, balloons, turboprops, warbirds, jets and even an Airbus A320 as the observer on a pre-purchase test flight.

Have you had a favourite type?

I love them all. I make a point of never saying ‘I hate an aircraft’, just in case there is the opportunity to fly it. I’d fly anything – the more challenging, the better.

Everyone will think my favourite is the Chipmunk as my name is indelibly connected to it. It would be churlish of me to deny that, however, I will…! My friend let me fly his T.9 Spitfire on a short hop to Oshkosh, but nor is it my favourite, however it’s still not my favourite, simply because there has not been the opportunity to solo.

My most exhilarting flight was in a Yak-11. It’s a frequently overlooked warbird that will happily cruise at 200kt, with a Vne of 323kt and has just the sweetest handling. Coming from a Chipmunk pilot, that says something. The again, I think my favourite is really the P-51D Mustang…

Have you owned any aircraft?

Between 1995 and 2004 I had a share in G-BIJU, a CP301A Piel Emeraude. Since 1999, I’ve had a share in G-BBND, a DHC-1 de Havilland Chipmunk. Jerry Yagen very kindly allows me to fly and display his Chipmunk, whenever I am over in Virginia. Would I ever own anything else? If funds allowed, most definitely. I have been very fortunate in that I have exceptionally lovely friends who allow me to fly their aircraft. I am truly blessed.

My first Chipmunk flight was in 1995. It was another five years before I bought into a syndicate. The advantage is obvious – I can afford to both fly and eat! We have some terrific members in our syndicate who do the maintenance, look after the finance and care about all the non-flying side of ownership. The downside is obvious. Buy me a bottle of quality wine and a box of Kleenex and I’ll tell you…

You were very much involved in the Chipmunks’ 75 Anniversary. How was it organised and located?

It all started when I discovered that Alan Klapmeier, the co-founder of Cirrus Aviation, owns a Chipmunk. I set about finding a way of getting to fly it. Fortunately, I bumped into Alan at Sun ‘n’ Fun when I had flown Jerry Yagen’s Chipmunk there from Virginia, so we exchanged contacts. I created ‘Chipmunks to Oshkosh’ in 2010 which involved me contacting every Chipmunk owner in North America to see if they wanted to join the merry throng. Alan was very happy for me to fly his Chipmunk over from Minnesota. It was such a privilege. In 2011 I created the 65th Anniversary Fly-in at Panshanger. While working at Shuttleworth, in 2015, I instigated the first of several Chipmunk anniversary fly-ins.

It must be said, although I was instrumental in bolstering the Chipmunk owners’ network, the events would not have been possible without the support of a number of exceptional friends; particularly Steve Le-Vien, John de Main, Rod Brown and Robert Miller who take the credit for doing all the real work. I am just the glue and the motivational spirit behind them. For the 65th anniversary of the Chipmunk’s first flight in 2015, I personally wrote letters, electronic and paper, to all 120 Chipmunk owners listed in G-INFO. It was very obvious that there was a need for a robust network of owners, operators, engineers, past and present, as well as experienced instructors from its military days, plus the cadets who enjoyed their first ever flight in a Chipmunk. Consequently, the de Havilland Chipmunk Appreciation Society was born. It is an extremely successful Facebook-based group, which I believe is the premier method worldwide for the exchange of ideas, engineering assistance, aircraft and parts, modelling tips, photographs, news and just about everything Chipmunk-related. It is also an exceptional place to advertise events so that a vast swathe of ‘Chipmunk people’ can enjoy them.

Visit: facebook.com/groups/dhchipmunk if you’d like to join us!

What have been your favourite moments in aviation?

That is far too difficult a question! I collect adventures, and have streams of them. Here are a few, in no particular order…

Aerobatic training in a T6 and Pitts Special; acting as ground crew on the Fighter Collection’s F8F Bearcat for 13 years and handling some of the operations at the early Flying Legends; ferrying a Yak-52 from Lithuania to Cambridgeshire in a day; flying Chipmunks for thousands of miles around the U.S. to get them to Oshkosh; watching an R44 land in front of me in a random field on a country walk and being ushered into it as a total surprise so I could have a flying lesson; flying a friend’s Westland Scout and hovering it in his back garden; displaying Chipmunks at Oshkosh and Virginia Beach shows; ferrying an Islander across the Atlantic and having some interesting ice and wind and fuel-related incidents along the way; hitchhiking in a Jetstream 41 from Greenland to Stansted; critical engine malfunction in the Chipmunk resulting in an emergency landing; having VIP passes at RIAT; getting married aboard Concorde at Oshkosh, and having the EAA warbird fraternity have a whip-round for us at their annual prize giving.

Do you have any aviation heroes?

Yes, anyone from the military, past and present, including display and test pilots, from whom I have learned that life is far more fun when you can calculate risk. When you know for sure where the outer edges of the envelope of life is, you can safely go right up to the edges and achieve so much more in life.

Has aviation taught you any lessons?

Flying across the Atlantic in icing conditions was fraught with issues. There are times when it is not wise to advertise you are a risk taker. Ask me again when I’m 80, when it will sound more cute than stupid! It was enormous fun though and I would do it again.

Taking a Chipmunk across the Appalachian Mountains evolved into navigating around cumulo-granite that was covered in cloud. I had an above-average workload to maintain VFR. Once the expanding cloud had trapped me in the valleys, I had to divert immediately.

I used up all my adrenalin finding and landing a diversion airport, which I did very quickly and successfully. Consequently, after touchdown, I had no energy remaining to taxy to the terminal, so pulled over and had a nap for a few minutes, in the cockpit. Lesson learned? Flying with impractical time constraints can be more exciting than you had bargained for.

Is there an aircraft you dream of owning?

All of them! I actually have a hankering for a Beech T-34 Mentor, but that is only because there are none in the UK, so it would look exotic. It’s just an American Chipmunk on steroids.

If money was no object, it would have to be a Mustang. The Bearcat is my favourite aircraft, but not practical for a day’s bimbling with a buddy. I would never refuse one though. I’d also love any one of the Grumman amphibians. I also have a hankering for a helicopter. I cannot do this question justice – anything rare would suit me.

Do you have any other hobbies or interests?

I very reluctantly took up running this year. The ‘Couch to 5K’ programme has transformed me. I am working on expanding my involvement in the film industry. I’ve had a small involvement in two productions (Catch-22 and Lawrence: After Arabia), and I’m currently working on a WWII movie.

I’m a petrolhead so I adore cars – new, vintage, fast, anything. I like music, museums, art, food, drink, socialising and long walks on my own.

Previous hobbies have included horse riding, photography, bird watching (but I’m not a twitcher!). I’ll do anything, if someone suggests it.

Do you have any advice for fellow pilots?

Yes. Go find the edges of your and your aircraft’s envelopes and give them a healthy margin, but not too big. Practice forced landings, aeros, flying through busy controlled airspace, long distances – all those things that you keep putting off. Fear ‘sucks’ and the more you can eradicate it by increasing your knowledge and experience, the more opportunities are available and the happier you will be. I enjoy acting as a safety pilot for anyone who wants to practice. ■