General Aviation Advisory Board
Below is a list of the General Aviation Advisory Board members. Click on a person to get a short bio and contact information (if available).During his 34 years in British Airways, he flew a large number of types including VC10, L1011, B757, B737 and B747 as line pilot, Instructor and Chief Pilot 747-400. He also maintained his interest in GA by instructing on Cherokee 140s at Airways Flying Club.
Alan retired from British Airways in 1996 as General Manager Flight Technical and Strategy but continues to fly a PA32 and maintains a current Instrument Rating. In his spare time he flies a paraglider.
He has served as a Trustee of CHIRP and was a member of the Air Transport Board for four years and has been on the GA Board since it was started. He is also Vice Chairman of the Technical and Air Safety Committee of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators.
John
Brownlow joined the RAF at aged 18 and completed flying tours on Lincolns and
Canberras before taking the Empire Test Pilots School Course. Subsequently John
spent much of his service career in test pilot appointments at Farnborough and
Boscombe Down. His staff appointments included work in the Operational
Requirements Branch of MOD, and as the Director of Research and Development
Flying. During his RAF career John was the Chief Flying Instructor of several
gliding clubs and is a former Chairman of the RAF Gliding and Soaring
Association.
John retired from the RAF in 1984 and joined Marshall Aerospace at Cambridge where he was Director of the Airport and Flight Operations. He is a full category gliding instructor; a single engine piston and touring motor glider flight instructor, and a PPL(A) examiner. Currently, apart from flying regularly as a PPL (A) instructor and examiner, he is frequently engaged in flight-testing amateur built aircraft, and converting pilots to various types under the Popular Flying Association Pilot Coaching Scheme. John represents the Popular Flying Association on the GA Advisory Board.
Graduated with a Masters Degree in Engineering from The City University.
Career in aviation commenced by being given employment in the Hawker Aircraft Ltd design office by Sir Sidney Camm. Worked on P1127, Kestrel and Harrier systems design before moving to Dunsfold Aerodrome to work on Harrier weapons systems flight trials.
Retired from proper employment to form own architectural design consultancy company which specialises in the relocation, conservation and conversion of ancient oak framed buildings - the hobby that grew - successfully enough to finance helicopter flying.
Started flying helicopters in 1985, initially Enstrom, then successively, Gazelle, Bell 206 and Hughes 500. Currently owns an Enstrom 280C which is based at home and regularly flies a Squirrel B3.
Flies extensively in Europe - as far south as the Greek Islands and East as far as Moscow, is an active member of the Helicopter Club of Great Britain, has competed historically and in the last two British Helicopter Championships, is an International Judge and a Liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots & Air Navigators.
None flying activities include fly fishing, game shooting and scuba diving.
My first flight was in a DeHavilland Dragon Rapide as a pleasure flight around Heathrow and my father paid 10 shillings each for my brother and I. You could say this was my first training on weight and balance calculations as we were both weighed and positioned in the aircraft to suit.
The usual construction of hundreds of plastic models and balsa wood types with control line lunatic aircraft as the last ones. I joined the City of Oxford Sqn No 150 of the Air Training Corps, rising to the rank of Corporal. Cadged flights in Beverley's from RAF Abingdon and a trip in a Piston Provost and DH Chipmunks plus ATC Camps around the country. An opportunity to gain an 'A' and 'B' Gliding Licence with the ATC at RAF Hawkinge was fun and followed up with more gliding from Weston-on-the-Green with the Oxford Gliding Club.
Work involved an apprenticeship with Pressed Steel Co at Cowley followed by 38 years in all the incarnations of the motor industry on that site and at the Swindon plant specialising on Press Tooling. A part time job, starting in the year 2000, as a technician in Jacobs Engineering working on bridges and structures has been concluded as with all the aviation work I haven't had time to go to work!
A concentrated course starting on the auspicious date of April 1st 1969 got my PPL (A) flying Cessna 152's at Wycombe Air Centre. Many trips around the UK and Europe with the touring group set up between the Pilots at the Air Centre proved educational and fun. Other types flown include Piper Cubs, Chipmunk, Luscombe Silvaires and passenger in the Harvard plus some hours as Pilots Assistant in a Beech Kingair operating from Heathrow.
When the Flying Club rental price exceeded £2 per minute a colleague and I bought an Aeronca Champion 7AC, which taught us both a huge amount about flying real aircraft. Joining the Vintage Aircraft Club and eventually taking on its Chairmanship has allowed contacts with many superb airmen and craftsmen. As a member of the old PFA and the Oxford Strut I joined the organising committee and also represented them at the National Council. I have now been elected to the Executive Committee and represent the LAA and the VAC on various safety organisations and committees, CHIRP, GASCo, GAAC, etc. I'm also involved in the marketing and events sub committees and am the Association Secretary.
My other interest is mainly motorcycling, especially vintage types and I am a member of the VMCC, Ariel Owners Club, BMW Owners Club, Motorcycle Action Group and the British Motorcyclists Federation. Yes, motorcyclists have many similar fights with those in authority in both Europe and the UK as in Aviation!
He served for 28 years in the Royal Air Force as a pilot, initially on Vulcans and Canberras, then on Jet Provosts and Chipmunks. On Jet Provosts he served as an instructor first of navigators then of pilots in basic flying training. His final flying tour was teaching elementary flying on Chipmunks.He started flying gliders in 1965, eventually effectively ceasing in 1996 having gained the FAI diamond badge, flown in several national championships, and been chief instructor of 4 clubs.
Having gained his PPL in 1965, he obtained his commercial licence in 1995 after leaving the RAF, and his airline transport licence in 2001. He has been a CAA flying instructor since 1995 and a PPL examiner since 2003, on single engine piston aeroplanes and touring motor gliders.
After working for a while as an aviation lecturer in Saudi Arabia, he joined the UK Civil Aviation Authority in 1999, where he is employed as the General Aviation Safety Promotion Officer, presenting CAA safety evenings around the country and editing GASIL and the GA SafetySense leaflets. He continues to instruct and examine in his free time.
RAFVR 1952-53
RAF 1953-58 (included tour on 139 Sqdn - Canberras)
BEA/BA 1958-90
Co-pilot on Dakotas, Vanguards and Tridents
Captain on Viscount, Trident, B757 and B767
Training co-pilot, Training Captain and Training Standardisation Captain
Self employed Training Captain 1990-98
BA, BCal Flt Tng., Inter European, Ambassador, Airtours, Regionair, Sunways and Four Forces Aviation amongst others
GAPAN since 1965. Livery 1977
Member of Education & Training Committee since 1983, Chairman 1988-91
Master 1993-94
Set up Guild Pilot Aptitude Assessment Scheme 1995
Guild Award of Merit 2000
Air League and Air League Educational Trust since 1994
Training Adviser and member of the Youth in Aviation sub committee since 2000
CHIRP GA Advisory Board since 2000, Chairman 2000-04
Trustee since 2001
Air Transport Advisory Board since 2001, Chairman since 2004
Tiger Club
Member since 1957, Display flying, air racing etc
Instructor Course 1991
Currently CRI on tail draggers
de Havilland Moth Club
Member since 1992
Awarded the Air Supply Shield for Youth Enterprise 2004
Royal Aeronautical Society
Fellow 1998
Awarded the Flight Operations Silver Medal 2000
Conference involvement
IATA Training Conference, Miami 1979. Training ab initio pilots in BA.
RAeS CFIT Conference, 1994. The Training Captains View.
WATS Conference, Frankfurt, 2000. Pilot Selection.
After leaving London University, Gerald started his working life in the Operational Research Department of the British Transport Commission, later to become British Rail. Here he was concerned with analysing data for the infamous Beeching Report.
Following his time with the BTC he joined the construction industry with Richard Costain where he initially worked in a Scottish open cast coal mine on the development of an electronic dumptruck control system.
Returning to London he became interested in estimating and bidding theory and the strategy of tendering for contracts.
He then moved on to join ICI Agrochemicals, initially in the Management Services Department doing financial modelling and the planning of development projects. During the next fifteen years he progressed through a variety of positions before becoming the Regulatory Manager for the Far East and Pacific Region.
After six years travelling to some of the most interesting parts of the World he became the international project manager for a project reengineering the international regulatory function.
Gerald was taught to fly while at school under the RAF’ Flying Scholarship scheme at the Portsmouth Aero Club on Tiger Moths. He has maintained his PPL, adding Night and IMC Ratings, and currently has a share in a Piper Arrow in which he has toured widely in Europe.
Gerald became the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators representative to the General Aviation Safety Council. Was elected to the GASCo Board and is the current Chairman. He represents GASCo on the GA Strategic Forum, The GA Consultative Committee and the GA/NATS Partnership.
Gerald served for 28 years in the RAFVR(T) and is an Assistant to the Court of Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators.
During his 20 years in the service, Andy spent his first and only operational tour on Jaguar. There followed a spell as a weapons instructor on Hawk, a successful year at the French Test Pilot School, and then two tours as a test pilot at each of Boscombe Down and Farnborough. Throughout his service career, Andy concentrated mainly on fast jets - Jaguar, Harrier, Sea Harrier, Buccaneer, Hunter, Mirage III & F1, Alpha Jet, Sea Vixen and Hawk, although he did find time to fly some transports - Chieftain, Varsity and Andover, and some light aircraft - Chipmunk, CAP10, Harvard and Bulldog. Since leaving the RAF, Andy has worked for some 12 years as a Test Pilot and Chief Test pilot for Rolls-Royce, and for three years as a Test Pilot for Marshall Aerospace. The highlights at Rolls-Royce were gaining two word records for time to climb on V/STOL aircraft which still stand, and converting to the Company Spitfires. His current post at Marshalls includes the testing of large aircraft, currently Hercules; Corporate and AOC operations of the Company Jet, a Citation Bravo; Corporate operations of the Company Aztec; instructing at the Cambridge Aero Club on Cessna 152 & 172, CAP10 and Slingsby T67, and testing of light single and light multi-piston aircraft maintained in the Company hangars. He is soon to take on the post of Deputy Chief Test Pilot.
Outside work, although he is probably best known in the GA community for his work in displaying historic aircraft for the Shuttleworth Collection, Andys main hobbies include aeromodelling - he has had several successes in national competition; music - he plays a Mandolin and penny whistle (both equally badly); writing - occasionally for several aviation and aeromodelling magazines; and shooting - now relegated to air weapons only.
At CHIRP meetings, as well as his broad aviation background outlined above, Andy brings specialist expertise on: historic aircraft - he is currently Chief Pilot of the Shuttleworth Collection and has flown for several other historic aircraft owners, especially the North Weald based Harvard Team; GA display flying - Andy is a CAA approved Display Authorisation Examiner; PFA type operations - Andy owns a PFA Jodel D120A and is a PFA coach; and the flight testing of light and historic aircraft - both at Cambridge and the Shuttleworth Collection.
Andy is also: Registrar for the Historic Aircraft Association, a member of the CAAs General Aviation Consultative Committee, and a member of the SBAC Flight Operations Committee and Farnborough Internationals Flying Control Committee.
Did ATPL at CSE Oxford 1978. I was Company Chief Pilot for Airwork Limited 1982-1987. Owned Proctor T3, Cessna TR182RG, LA4 Lake Buccaneer, Cessna C310R and Slingsby Skylark 3 at various times. Has flown 39 different propeller aircraft from Turbulent, Tiger Moth, Stearman, Starduster size to Beverley, Buffalo, C-130 size.
