It started with a response from Air Atlantique at Coventry. I had sent my resume to them and a letter asking about their sponsorship program. They had a program which took on 18 year olds like myself and really worked them to the bone with ground based duties such as washing DC6's and Electra's. In return, you were enrolled at their attached training school and taken right from the PPL level through to ATPL, and given a job flying their fleet of freighters.
I booked an appointment at the CAA building in Gatwick, for a class I medical, which this company insisted I had before attending the interview. It’s not something I thought would be a problem at my age. I just didn’t get one before, because I only needed my class III for the private flying that I was doing.
I went down for the medical and I failed. The doctor told me that it was an astigmatism in my right eye that falls outside the limits. I wear glasses to correct my vision, and although corrective vision is allowed, the limits for medicals issued in the UK and Europe are too strict for my prescription. I wasn't phased by this, but I knew at that point that I wasn't going to be able to follow through with Air Atlantique.
The doctor told me that I could pass the American FAA class I medical. There was an FAA approved doctor there in Gatwick at the time. So I actually came out with my FAA class I medical and made my mind up there and then that I will be emigrating.
I did some research on the internet and discovered a flight training organisation called American Flyers that had 12 different locations in the USA. They were advertising for instructors and said they could employ foreigners sponsoring them for a visa. They were able to do this because at the time, there was a shortage of American flight instructors. I attended a seminar in a hotel by Heathrow airport when they came to England to find pilots that wanted to be instructors and work in the US.
It wasn’t a sponsorship, I would have to pay for all of my training. It was an avenue that I could see myself being able to follow. To become an American qualified instructor, all I would need to do is an American commercial license, instrument rating and instructor rating. They were ratings that I could obtain over a two or three year period by scrimping and saving. When I had enough money for the first one, I could attend one of their schools in the US and take the course, then come back and start saving up for the next. If I could get as far as working as an instructor in America, then a natural progression would develop in my career from there. So that became the plan to focus on from that point in time.
I had left my job as an Aircraft Dispatcher by then, and I started working as a Security Officer in a government building. It was a daytime job which was mainly office based where I didn't have to do very much other than be responsible for the security of the building. I had a nice desk, computer with internet access, kitchen just behind with endless amounts of tea and coffee. So working here meant that I was being paid to sit in my comfortable control centre where I had the time and the means to study towards these American pilot licenses.
I also had time to complete Tomb Raider 1 and 2, and learn how to build websites and study html code. This blog started out as a website initially, and was created from there.
Whilst I was working there, I was still an active member at the Leicestershire Aeroclub. I found myself there in the evenings and weekends and even though I was mainly saving money towards the next rating, I still took the Cessna Aerobat out for a spin using the flying credit earned from weekend fire covers.
The amount of shifts I was covering were increasing a little, as at that time there was a shortage of available crew. I earned quite a bit of flying credit then. Covering more shifts did mean that I was more likely end up with a first response situation. I certainly had to give those fire tenders some exercise.
Some people do get it wrong sometimes. They end up off the end or off the side of the runway and into the ploughed field. That's why busy airfields such as Leicester needs a fire crew. Fortunately when I was on shift, I never had to respond to anything more serious than one of these kinds of silly accidents.
With clubs such as the Leicestershire Aeroclub, they work best when all the members each with their own expertise offers their hand. This is how things were at the farm strip and the model aircraft club when I was younger. For example, Andy was an electrician by trade so he would volunteer to service the runway lights. I volunteered to take on a job that I knew I could do and that I would enjoy because of my appreciation for antique farm machinery.
They had a couple of old 70s Leyland tractors with a rotary topping mower. I used to go out in it in the evenings and cut the grass runways. I was happy being left alone doing that for hours in the middle of the field. Call it therapy.
Another antique that was lying around was another one of those diesel dumpers that you start with a handle. It was a 1976 Benford with a two cylinder Petter engine. It was left standing for years, and then one day I decided I wanted to try it out. I got it going, and then I found uses for it around the place. I filled in pot-holes in the carpark, I tipped stones into gaps along the taxiway edges. The video below is when I left the bucket up and it filled with rain water. It hadn't run for a while, so I got it started and went to empty the bucket. The time and date on the video camera was wrong by several hours and years
So that was the weekends and evenings, meanwhile back at in the office during the week, I was making plans towards my next career move which was to go to the States for my American Instrument Rating as soon as I had enough money. Except what happened next was the world shook. September 11th 2001 put a stop to my career plan. I was at my post in the building. I saw the whole day unfold on the news, as I had a television there.
I sent an email to the flight school to ask them if this had any effect on my career plans. So soon after it happened, no one could say what the effects would be. After about a week, I was informed that the flight school could no longer sponsor foreign pilots for their visas. US security and immigration had tightened up too much to let this school sponsor me for a work visa the way they going to.
Now I faced a dilemma. I knew I needed to emigrate to the USA. How do I get a visa for it? Once again, I didn’t get phased by it. I knew there would be a way in somehow. It just wouldn't be so straight forward.
