I was a child of World War Two. I saw films of pilots taking off from aircraft carriers and decided that was the only thing I wanted to do. And it had to be flying from sea carriers. Airfields were not enough.
I read, studied, and learned everything I could find about aviation. It was my greatest desire to become a pilot. I could already picture myself in the cockpit of an airliner or in a military fighter plane. I felt deep in my heart this was my thing!
As a kid I wanted to be a pilot.
I always wanted to be a pilot.
My first inclination was toward flying and being a pilot.
I immediately loved flying from my first flight and knew that in some way it was going to be a part of my future career!
In my teenage years I was put off the idea of a career in flying, because I'd convinced myself that you had to be a boffin with degrees in maths and physics, which were my weakest subjects.
And, so I set my goals on astronaut because, as a military aviator, it was, I considered that to be about the peak of a flying career.
I'll admit I wanted to be a pilot, originally.
I thought I'd join the RAF and become a wing commander. I realised this wasn't possible, although I do have a pilot's licence.
