With his passion for aviation training, Captain Andy Wilkins set up the Virtual Jet Centre in order to share his love of flying a large aircraft with a wider audience. With his infectious enthusiasm, Andy is the perfect role model to inspire others to follow a similar career path. 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.

Simon Wheeler is a retired airline captain, with 45 years in the aviation industry and approximately 24,000 hours of flying experience. Having started his career in 1961 with six years in the RAF as an aircraft engineer, Simon went on to enjoy a civil flying career, during which he covered photography, air taxi and airline operations.From 1976 to 1987 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 the Virtual Jet Centre.

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). These qualifications allowed me to Instruct and fly on a freelance basis including working for several small Air Taxi and Charter firms flying a multitude of single and twin engine light aircraft (the single crew Charter flying probably being the most challenging commercial flying of all).

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 until the offer to participate in another new ‘start up’ venture (Airtours International) came in 1991 flying the MD-80 once again. This Company eventually merged with 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.

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.