A Bit About Me.....
Hello, my name is Mark, welcome to my website!
Allow me to share with you a snippet about myself.
From my earliest memories as a child, it has always been my dream to become a pilot and to be up in the air. In fact, you might find this a bit strange but, in my very early childhood and continually into my adulthood (too a much lesser degree now a-days), I've had the occasional nightly dream that I can fly, without wings!
Although I wanted so badly to be a pilot, it didn’t show in my schooling. Back then, when you didn’t do well in the year end exams, you were made to repeat that year. So, when I'd just turned 18, I decided to leave school early to join the Airforce. And that is where my aviation career began. Although piloting was always my dream, I’ve also had a fascination with machines. How they work, how they came apart and how they went back together! When I was about 5, my parents bought me a wonderful red fire engine toy for my birthday that when a switch was turned on, it made the perfect sound that the fire engine makes when going to fight fires. We were quite poor growing up and I can only imagine what it took for my parents to buy that toy for me! I can tell you that my fire engine was able to make that sound because inside it was a miniature record player with a pickup needle that would produce that wonderful sound when activated. I know this because, not long after I received it, I took it apart! I don’t remember if I was able to put it back to together, but I do remember that for some reason my mom wasn’t as excited as I was that I’d found out how it made the sound! I think this fascination with wanting to know how machines work, fuelled my fascination with aeroplanes and my desire to fly.
So, back to 1980 when I joined the South African Airforce, it was as an apprentice Aircraft Mechanic. During my apprenticeship I was simultaneously able to complete my high schooling and my apprenticeship. AND in 1981, I took my first flying lesson and I was hooked!!! That was the 11th Feb 1981. Due to my circumstances at the time, it would be many more years later, doing many exams and more flying lessons before I was able to realise my dream and land (pun intended) my first flying job. I was 37 years old and I was going to fly a De Haviland Twin Otter in Africa!! I had done it!!! Today, many years later, I am a Captain flying for a well-known airline in Europe and still loving it!
I’ve been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to fly some really awesome aeroplanes, from Cessna 150’s to the Boeing 747-400 and to have travelled to many parts of the world allowing me to meet some wonderful people along the way. Not to mention all the fascinating aircraft I've worked on!
And most of all, I am truly, truly blessed and extremely grateful for the sacrifices my magnificent family (my wife and 3 children) have had to make, allowing me to realise my childhood dream.
At the time of writing, I have a little under 3 years left, at which point I will have to hang up my proverbial “airline flying gloves” and start a new chapter, hopefully still in some small part, feeding my dream…..
Finally, and to this website. Because I get an enormous amount of enjoyment trying to promote piloting and all aspects of aviation to everyone I get the opportunity to chat too, I’ve decided to create this website and I do hope it will be a great source for everything flying related!
Thank you!
Mark
Posted 1st March 2024
