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About PilotWeb - The Team
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Pilot magazine and Pilotweb are compiled by a talented team of individuals with
many different skills. Some are expert aviators, some are professional
journalists and photographers, others have IT and web knowledge. We all share a
love of flying and all things aviation.
The Pilot Crew
(in alphabetical order)
James Allan
Contributing Editor
Started (passenger) flying in 1944 with my school squadron of the Air Training
Corps in such exotic old aeroplanes as Oxfords, Beaufighters, Harrows and
Lysanders. Learned to fly with Glasgow University Air Squadron, flying
Magisters, then Tiger Moths (first solo 1947) and finally Chipmunks. After
graduating as an engineer, spent six years in the RAF, two years as a pilot on
Harvards, then Meteors, before transferring to become an engineering officer
working mainly with Spitfires, Lincolns, Neptunes, Hunters and Javelins. Worked
as an engineer for both the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Vickers-Armstrong,
culminating in a twenty-year stint running a company in Belgium. Flying around
Europe on business proved to be useful and in 1974 bought the first of three
aircraft.
Started writing for Pilot in 1975 and became Contributing Editor in 1993. Books
written include: Flights of Fancy (Airlife); Going Foreign VFR (Pooley); Night
Flying (Lernhurst); The Isle of May (Tervor); Progressive Flying (Airlife);
Wings over Scotland (Tervor) and Pilot Error? (shortly to be published by
Crecy).
Flying high: first solo in a Tiger Moth at Perth; looking into the
crater of Mount St Helens from a rented Cessna Skyhawk; flying the length of
90-mile beach in New Zealand in a C152; landing a Sunderland in Loch Ryan;
formation aerobatics in a Meteor.
Flying low: flying into an embedded CB over the Netherlands; learning a
friend had killed himself and his wife while piloting my aeroplane; engine
failure just after taking off from Birmingham in a single; flying through a
blizzard on a night cross-country in a Harvard—had to keep scraping the ice off
the instruments inside the cockpit. And, to be honest, quite a few others ...
Brian Barr
Photographer Pilot Archive and Pilotweb contributor
Born in Batley, West Yorkshire. Lived in Yorkshire till age 19. Started as an
office boy in a steel stockholder. Moved into broadcast radio and worked in
several stations around the country, becoming Chief Engineer at Radio Broadland
in Norwich. While there, started to learn to fly in a Tomahawk. Joined Waveney
Flying Group based at Seething. Flew club aircraft until I bought a Warrior (a
former traffic spotter aircraft that belonged to a client, Essex Radio). Now
owns a Mooney 231.
Flying low: running out of fuel when taking off. Managed to get the
plane on the ground without damage.
Flying high: flying a Cessna 406 Caravan II into Stansted.
Nick Bloom
Editor
Brief career as a singer-songwriter, then 25 years in market research. Operates
a farm strip next to home. Regular contributor to Pilot for two years, became
Associate Editor in 2000 and Deputy Editor in 2003. Published three novels:
Ace, The Flying Instructor and The Coupe d'Anjou. PPL in 1977 at Wycombe in
Cessna 150. Owned Cub, VP1, Skybolt and Laser. Rebuilt Stampe and Tipsy Nipper.
Worked part time for Mcluskie Aviation as engineer. British Advanced Aerobatic
Champion in 1990 (Pitts Special) and Intermediate Champion in 1997 in a
thoroughly out-of-date Stampe.
Flying high: third in an outclassed Pitts Special in the Unlimited class
of the Dutch Open National Championships.
Flying low: forced landing next to a pigsty in an Evans VP1 following
engine failure.
Ian Davies
Development Director, Archant plc (publisher of Pilot)
Broadcaster and writer turned corporate manager. Worked in
radio,television,newspapers, and magazines. Holds single and twin engine
fixed-wing licences as well as rotary and enjoys flying as many different
aircraft as possible. First flight was in a Chipmunk with the Air Cadets and
still regularly flies Chipmunk, Tiger Moth, Jodel, Mooney and Cessna 310.
Rotary experience mostly R22 although the Bell 47 is preferred. Regularly found
flying in close formation over East Anglia.
Flying high: jump seat ride on Concorde, flying an RAF veteran in a
Tiger Moth, flying a Partenavia "not above 1000 feet" over London for radio
station traffic reports, and the same over New York in a Jet Ranger.
Flying low: not following through on RAF interview and thus not getting
the chance to fly fast and low legally.
Paul Holmes
Photographer Pilot Archive and Pilotweb contributor
Worked in IT after school, now with a large retailer. Interest in flying began
as a school boy spotter, moving on to PC flight simulation then the real
thing—PPL secured in 1998. Owns a Kitfox and has around 200 hours on
Cessnas—mainly the172. Beginning to discover the appeal of flying into farm
strips.
Flying high: 10,000ft in a Piper Cub.
Flying low: 50ft in a C150.
Derek and Mo Jones
Regular Pilot contributors
Derek: first flight in a Rapide of Aggie's Airline at Heathrow in the 1950s.
Started gliding at age 17 at Lasham. Joined RAF at 18 in 1957. QFI on Vampires,
Swinderby and Oakington. Some hours on Hunter 4s. Post-Duncan Sandys (Labour
Defence Minister), decided helicopters a better bet. Seearch and Rescue
Whirlwinds - Leuchars, Aden, Manston. QHI course, then SAR/SH training officer
103 Sqn in Singapore 1968-71. Last tour SAR Training Sqn Valley. Joined Bristow
Helicopters' Flying Training School Redhill as CFI in 1977. QHI/TRE, delegated
CAA Examiner. Also started displaying Tiger Moth, Chipmunk, Albatros DVa
replica, Bell 47, R44 and various ex-military Whirlwinds for private owners.
Tried skydiving (Morag's influence). Started writing for Pilot with Morag in
1992. Retired from Bristows 1998.
Flying high: flying Hunter 4s at the CFS Hunter Flight at Kemble and,
for a period in the 1970s, simultaneously holding CFS A 1 Cat QHI, Transport
VIP/A Cat and Strike Command SAR A Cat.
Flying low: retiring from full time flying and not flying enough (like
now)!
Morag: Trained as Graphics Artist and became Graphics Officer at
Aberdeen University, then self-employed illustrator. Started PPL as result of
fancy dress prize flight. Entered Dawn to Dusk twice. Part-time instructor for
Aberdeen Flying Club. Sponsored training for CPL/H with BHL at Redhill. Went on
to fly North Sea Super Pumas then Sikorsky S 61 operations at Aberdeen,Lee on
Solent, Norway, Sumburgh, Stornaway, Falkland Islands, Kosovo and Faeroe
Islands. Skydiver, Associate of Guild of Aviation Artists, horticultural artist
and fanatical gardener, and air-to-air photographer.
Flying high: flying anywhere new.
Flying low: don't have time for them.
Simon Pitkin
Pilotweb contributor
Worked in sales and marketing in the electronics industry for the last 15 years
—currently, Global Marketing Manager for a $70m American-owned components
company, responsible for advertising, promotion, communications web activity
etc.
PPL in 1992 and then had a most enjoyable period flying in a Supercub. These
days, flies club PA28 and C172.
Flying high: first foreign trip as P1; from Seething to Chartres, via
Dieppe; flying a helicopter for the first time.
Flying low: as a PPL of about four months, getting stuck in a snow storm
and having to survive on instruments for over an hour.
Other contributors
Jim Campbell, US correspondent
Tim Cripps, writer and test pilot
Bruce Hales-Dutton, writer
Geoff Jones, Pilot contributor
John Templeton Smith, writer
Ed Hicks, photographer
Peter March, editor of Old-Timers and photographer
Mike Page, photographer
Don Peterson, US correspondent
Charles Stites, US correspondent
Malcolm Wheatley, writer
Keith Wingate, writer
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