This is the aviation bit.  Please ensure that your seats are fully upright, seat belts are fastened and that your tray tables are stowed.  The smoking section on this aircraft is on the starboard wing.  If you can light it, you may smoke it.

 

When I was but a small boy, one of my passions was the building and flying of model aircraft.  To be strictly accurate, some flew and others crashed.  By experiment, therefore, I grew up with a fairly sound grasp of the principles of flight.  When I attained an appropriate age, I joined the Air Training Corps where, to my great delight I received some gliding experience. 

 

To the disappointment of my parents who had hoped that I would become a teacher, I joined the Royal Air Force as an Aircraft Apprentice, graduating three years later as an engine fitter.  When the flying bug bites, it bites hard and I quickly realised that I needed to fly.  The retraining as aircrew was hard but rewarding and I left the RAF at the completion of service with experience that made airline employment fairly certain.

 

Some of the experiences as a civilian pilot are featured in my first book - Skytrucker.

 

You are cordially invited to buy this book, either as a paperback or in the new-fangled eBook format.

 

I am still licensed to fly and occasionally carry out a bit of instruction.  

 

We have now commenced our descent and we will be landing at, or somewhere near Gatwick Airport.  Please do not disembark until after landing.  Thank you for your company today.