The Brooklands Team

Richard Wallis - Chief Flying Instructor CPL, FI 3,500+ hours Richard has been involved in flying for over 30 years, starting in gliders and moving onto powered machines where he gained his experience on a number of aircraft types. He has been involved in a variety of aeronautical activities over the years from the grass roots flying of glider towing to the precision of aerial surveying and mapping. He has gained many of his flying hours instructing at Halton where he was proud of his success rate with getting students through their private pilots licence on their first attempt. When he's not flying Richard runs his own photography business and is still involved in his family farm in Bedfordshire.

Bob Moore - Flying Instructor and Examiner, part time ATPL, IR, FI & Examiner. 18,000 hours Currently a Captain with Monarch flying the Boeing 757, Bob learned to fly in 1965 on an Air Training Corps Flying Scholarship and joined the RAF in 1960. After 'all through' jet training on the Jet Provost and Gnats he flew two tours on photo reconnaissance on Canberras on 31 and 39 squadrons. Following a tour as an instructor on Bulldog aircraft in Belfast he was posted to Nimrods and flew with 120 and 42 squadrons then becoming an instructor on the Nimrod conversion unit. He's rebuilt his own aircraft, an Emeraude, which he keeps hangared at Sywell where he has been a regular flyer since 1994. Only really happy when he has an aircraft strapped to his backside he enjoys flying vintage aircraft particularly the Tiger Moth.

Claire Leadbetter - Flying Instructor

CPL, IR, FI, 1,000+ hours

Claire left school having gained her A-levels and decided not to go to university, so instead spent six years doing various jobs, none of which she found fulfilling. After a trial lesson at Elstree she decided that flying was the career for her!

On completion of her PPL she took an internship course with a large commercial school and gained her commercial licence, instructor and instrument ratings, by which time she had flown numerous types of single and multi engine aircraft and gained about 1000 hours of experience.

Flying is her passion and she endeavours to pass on her love and enjoyment of being airborne to everyone she flies with.

Mick Cassidy - Flying Instructor, part time

CPL. FI. 2500 hours

Mick is an electrical engineer running his own electrical contracting business. He started work as an apprentice at the National Gas Turbine Establishment testing out jet engines. Originally from Farnborough he has been flying at Sywell for 20 years and takes the Sunday slot.

John Everton- flying instructor, part time

QFI, ATPL, Aerobatics, 1200 hours

John is first officer flying the ATR72 on cargo runs throughout Europe which keeps him busy. However John has not always been interested in aviation he was a lorry driver and commercial off shore diver before his flying career. John has been flying with us for about 2 years now and instructs whenever possible. In his spare time he likes to go diving and fly aerobatics. He trained in the USA for his commercial licence and returned to the UK in search of a job. His partner Sue is learning to fly and they hope to share an aircraft together in the future.

Rachelle Fays - Flying Instructor, part time

CPL. FI. 1300 hours

Started flying in 1996 at Aeros in Gloucestershire where she gained a CPL and an Instructor Rating. She flew 200 hours in Florida before heading off to Inverness to begin her career as an instructor. After a year or so she moved back south to instruct MOD scholarship students at Wellesbourne for the summer and then came to Sywell in the summer of 2001 where she instructed for NSF for three years. Her claim to fame is that she taught Ken Follett to fly in a Tiger Moth to assist him in the research for his book "Hornet Flight." Married to an Easyjet pilot Rachelle is busy raising the next generation of pilots in the family (Jake age 3 and Luc age 1)