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Flying; even though I am a Professional Pilot I still love
flying all aeroplanes (given the opportunity). At heart I might even admit to being a bit of a spotter.
I am a member
of the Jersey Aero Club and a member of the Jersey International Air Rally’s Competition Committee. Given any opportunity
to fly, I will take it in any form of flying equipment.
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Chipmunk
at the top of a loop
Jersey in the background
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Me,
teaching underwater in Saudi Arabia
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Diving; I started to dive in 1995, in Riyadh KSA, doing the
then, BS-AC
Novice Diver Course. After this basic qualification I did the BS-AC Sports Diver qualification, teaching me rescue and more
advanced diving techniques.
I then attended the Assistant Instructor course and entered a far more exiting level of diving.
Finally I passed the Club Instructor Examination, Dive Leader Course, Basic and Advanced Nitrox Diver Course & several other
courses including First Aid, Oxygen Administration and Diver Rescue.
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Photography;
I love taking photographs.
I have a Sony, 7.2 mega pixel camera as well as a 3.2 mega pixel camera I bought in Saudi
Arabia in 2001, this produced many of my successful photographs, I have an underwater housing that is designed for this camera.
I also have a Canon EOS500 with 2 lenses and 2 flash guns, a Minolta Riva Zoom Pico as well as a Sea & Sea MX10 underwater
camera with lenses & flash gun. I have a Sony PC3E Digital moving camera that I use for filming air events, as well as
my own flying from a pilot’s eye view.
My current library consists of over 10,000 photographs, mainly digital.
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Computing; obviously I am used to computers, but I didn’t
fully enter the world of computers until 1995. I regularly use photo manipulation software, movie software and the usual
packages from Microsoft Office. I don’t buy all the latest equipment but do tend to get the most out of what I have. I
can assemble a computer and load software, I can think around computer problems but I am not a programmer.
I am however,
entirely self taught.
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Travel; one of my major loves is travel, I really enjoy the
excitement and feeling of exploration whenever I go on a journey. I realise you might think me strange when I say I love
airports, no TV programme or Film can match an airport for drama, action, hope, despair, fear, happiness and sadness all in
the one area with a cast of thousands.
I enjoy meeting people of different creeds, colours & religions, learning how they
view life and the world. My only regret is that life is not long enough to see the whole world.
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I love my old car; I have a 1971 (K Reg) Hillman Super Imp. This car has been in the
family since new and has only done 63,000 miles, I use it as my normal mode of transport. I have driven it to the West Country
in England, Fife in the middle of Scotland’s East Coast and drove from North of London to Coventry for a long time on
a regular basis. Unfortunately I will have to sell it as I do
not spend enough time in the UK to devote the time it deserves; however, I am selling it to my friend in Jersey, where it
should have many more years of happy motoring.
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Gastronomy; finally one of my great loves is Gastronomy,
a useful tendency in my present, soon changing, career. Food can be bland and boring, but it is so easy to make it exciting
and fun. It always amazes me how many different ways we can cook the same ingredient, depending on where we live.
Whenever
I go away, a main part of my trip is lunchtime and dinnertime.
Selecting different foods from a menu, trying new (to me)
flavours and textures, choosing and trying the local aperitifs, wines and digestives.
When I eat foods I analyse the
visual content, smells, flavours and textures with my senses trying to dissect the recipe into its ingredients.
I think
I am more like the mainland European people, I live to eat, not like many of my countrymen, eat to live.
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