Captain Andy Wilkins set up Virtual Jet Centre in order to share his love of flying a large aircraft with a wider audience. He is Head of Training, running Human Factors programmes and team development events. Andy is a specialist Fear of Flying trainer, with a 100% success rate. He gained his extensive experience working for Thomson Airways for nearly 20 years, having flown both Airbus and Boeing Aircraft, and his flying career spans over 30 years. He started out as a Private Pilot instructor, followed by training commercial airline pilots, and latterly teaching Multi-crew training on a full motion Boeing 747-400. He is also an Examiner, and an MCCI.

Damian joined the Royal Marines in 1977 and served 23 years of which the last 16 years was spent flying helicopters as an Instructor and pilot in support of exercises and operations. In his spare time he flew small Bulldog training aircraft with the RAF Air Experience Flight based at RAF Woodvale taking members of the ATC flying.

On leaving in 2000 Damian flew Islander aircraft and EC135 helicopters as a dual fixed and rotary wing qualified pilot for the Police in the North of England with Police Air Services. Flying two different types of aircraft in one day was always great fun! After a short spell with police aviation he transitioned to flying Boeing B737-800 with XL Airways working around Europe and the Med, including being based out in Thailand and flying the BBJ variant for a private contract.

In 2008 XL Airways was an unfortunate victim of the global financial crisis and Damian returned to flying helicopters, re-qualifying as a Captain on the EC135 and operating as one of the line training Captains for the Devon Air Ambulance Helicopter operation up until June 2017.

I learnt to fly at the famous Battle of Britain airfield, Biggin Hill, gaining the basic PPL (Private Pilot’s Licence) at the age of 20. Over the next few years I acquired more advanced flying qualifications including QFI (Flying Instructor) and CPL (Commercial).

My Airline career started with British Island Airways in 1986 flying firstly BAC 1-11’s then MD-80 series aircraft. In 1990 I joined the recently formed Virgin Atlantic flying the B747 before moving to Thomas Cook and during the 18 years I worked there I also flew the B757/767 and finally the A320/330.

In 1996 I was granted an Authorised Examiner rating (TRE/IRE) by the CAA and in 2003 an Authorised Examiner’s Examiner rating (RETRE). I retired from Airline flying in 2008 having flown approximately 14500 hours and having trained / examined pilots for over 15 years.

Simon Wheeler is a retired airline captain, with 45 years in the aviation industry and approximately 24,000 hours of flying experience. Simon worked on a Fokker Friendship turbo-prop aircraft, followed by progression through the Boeing 737/100 and 300 series, B757, B767, DC8, and finally ended his airline career on the Classic B747 100/200/300 carrying out world-wide passenger and cargo operations initially with Cathay Pacific. He then spent 13 years on the Classic 747 as a training and checking captain with Air Atlanta Icelandic. Simon holds the qualification of HNC in Mechanical Engineering and has always had an interest in computer-based flight simulators, whether on personal PCs or the full action simulators such as operated by Virtual Jet Centre.

Although officially retired, David still works in TV outside broadcasts, teaches at Buckinghamshire New University as well as assisting at The Virtual Jet Centre. He has over 20 years’ private flying experience in Africa, UK and Papua New Guinea, in which David spent some time flying with a local airline. David has obtained literally grass roots flying experience, with most of his flying career in and out of dirt, grass and mountain airstrips.

I graduated in 1976 from the British Airways College of Air Training, Hamble and as there were no flying positions available in BA I joined Dan Air in Aberdeen on the Hawker Siddeley 748 until the British Airways takeover in 1992.

Subsequently I flew the BAC 1-11, Boeing 727 and 737 aircraft, commencing my training career in 1988 on the B727. Within BA I attained the position of Training Standardisation Captain, in addition to carrying out normal line flying. Latterly I became one of the first BA Type Rating Examiner Revalidation Examiners and CRM Instructor Examiners. During my last years at BA I was also involved in Type Rating Examiner/Type Rating Instructor training for the next generation of training Captains in BA. I have accumulated over 16000 flying hours with a further 6000+ hours training in simulators the bulk of which was on the 737.

Colin Dayman spent 24 years of his working life in the Army, during which time he was awarded the British Empire Medal by the Queen. After leaving the Forces, Colin went to work in local government, producing training and promotional videos. His last job was as CCTV Control Room Manager, working with the Police in Devon. Colin is a member of the South West Flight Simulator Group and has always been interested in all things aviation. He has been a Virtual Pilot for over 25 years, mostly on Airbus and Boeing Aircraft and flies every year for real, long haul to New Zealand where he has family.

John is a retired teacher who has been with Virtual Jet Centre almost from the beginning. He is usually in the Centre at weekends, helping guests with bookings and flights.

Nic Steevenson graduated from the University of Manchester in 2001 with a B Eng in Aerospace Engineering. She then joined the RAF as a navigator and served on the Tornado F3 for 5 years; initially on a combat ready Squadron responsible for the Air Defence of the UK and latterly on an experimental unit test firing missiles. She was also a highly qualified instructor and taught trainee navigators undergoing the advanced phase of their fast jet training.

After Nic left the RAF she joined Flybe as their Chief Ground Instructor. Here she had oversight of all pilot ground school training and was also a Human Factors instructor. She then joined Exeter College as an Associate Lecturer teaching the Aerospace students.

Nic now enjoys working with the Virtual Jet Centre developing Human Factors Training. She is married to Sam and they have 2 young daughters to keep them busy!