Red Hawks

An old dog learns new tricks

‘Be careful what you wish for…’ In my teens I yearned to be an aerobatic airshow pilot. Now, after 100-plus displays, I can look back on the long, and surprisingly steep climb to achieving that ambition.

In the eighties, when I was 32, it took me 24 twenty-minute training sessions over a four-month period to reach formation display standard with the Tiger Club’s Turbulent Team. I subsequently flew more than thirty shows with them, but with a growing family and a committed airline career I had to wait another 25 years to be where I really wanted.