Hi, I’m Dan! I’m a Senior Cockpit Design Engineer and a Pilot under training.

I primarily created this website with the aim to document my flying training experience whilst it’s fresh in my mind, but also to help others; a bit of a diary so I can reminisce on my own personal experience in years to come, whilst also hopefully inspiring others to get into the wonderful art of flying. I’m currently undergoing my flying training at Liverpool Airport (EGGP). I also work full-time in Engineering, which keeps me busy. So, a bit about my background…

It’s a bit of an Aviation cliché, but I’ve always been interested in flying since I was a little kid. I think it mostly stemmed from having close family members who were Pilots (both my Uncle’s – one flew for Flybe and the other was a Pilot in the RAF). I frequently visited Manchester Airport visitor park to watch the planes take-off, and also spent a lot of time in aviation museums (Cosford, IWM Duxford…) and air shows, my nearest being Southport.

During Secondary School, my school had a Combined Cadet Force, so I joined that as soon as I could in Year 8, and looking back this is where my passion for flying really developed, as I was surrounded by others who also enjoyed flying and got to learn about discipline. But best of all was the gliding and flying on offer! I managed to get an Air Experience Flight in roughly once a month, and also took part in the Gliding Induction Course.

For my efforts and dedication to cadets (teaching drill, classroom lessons, going on camps etc.) I made the rank of Flight Sergeant and in 2014 was awarded the Air Cadet Pilot Scheme! This was one of the best experiences ever as a young 17 year old, and after approx. 12 hours of flying tuition I went solo – all in the space of less than 2 weeks (which includes bad weather days)! I always thought it was bonkers how I had managed to fly in a plane by myself, before I had even achieved a driving license and been in a car by myself! I also made some great mates on the course. I’d highly highly recommend Air Cadets to anyone interested in Aviation / the Military, or even if you just want life experience, to make new mates, and challenge yourself.

Whilst at Cadets, I also applied for a Royal Aero Club Trust flight simming bursary, which I was successfully award, and that gave me a few hours flying at my local club (which would later be where I’d train for my PPL, and on the same Piper Tomahawks!)

I wanted to continue my passion for flying, and combine it with my interest at school of Physics and Maths, so I went to The University of Sheffield to study Aerospace Engineering (Private Pilot Instruction) for three years on a BEng. Whilst here I got to co-found the Flight Sim Society, where we hosted weekly X-Plane simulator sessions and organized various trips, such as to Heathrow, Newark Air Museum (to see the mighty Avro Vulcan!), and the Concorde at Manchester RVP. As part of my course, I gained an in-depth understanding of aerospace theory (including a flight test visit at Cranfield), and also managed to get some flying training done at Sheffield Aero Club!

When in my final year of Uni, I applied to the RAF as a Pilot, and despite spending painstaking amounts of time prepping and making it through to OASC at the very end, I was not successful. (I would later apply again in 2021, and again got close, but never accepted and unfortunately reach the age cut-off of 24 at the time).

So finally, despite this blow I decided to stop putting it off, got a job in Engineering and I’m currently self-funding via the modular route, determined more than ever!

And that takes me to today, where you’ll see my latest developments in my blog posts. Thanks for reading, and hope you stick around!

I’m not affiliated with anyone, so what you read on this website will be my unbiased opinion – I’ll try and be as honest as possible. I am not sponsored in any way, so any links are based on personal recommendations/purchases only. Your experience may vary.

Also, every article will be hand written so you will not find any AI nonsense here (apart from occasional images – I’m terrible at graphics design). The downside is that I may make the odd mistake or type, please let me know if so! I will keep the website as accurate as possible, but cannot guarantee that links won’t break!

Lastly, if you’ve made it this far – Web hosting and domain costs are not free, so if you’ve found this website useful in any way, please consider sparing some pocket change to help keep the website running!

Disclaimer: It goes without saying that I am not a qualified flying instructor (QFI), nor will I ever claim to be – I’m a student just like yourself. All views and opinions are my own, not of my Flying School, workplace etc. If any doubt arises, always speak to your FTO / Flight Instructor. And the usual advice to consult your relevant POH/FM!