Greg Cope, a member of the club, gave a fascinating talk on “The Aviation Bug and How I Survived It”.
Eschewing notes, he decided to wing it using a variety of props, mainly comprising some superb model aircraft, to prompt his memories. Greg explained that aeroplanes had been his love for more than forty years. As a teenager, he visited airports to indulge in the hobby of aircraft-spotting. This interest evolved into a long and successful career in aviation, his first real job involving the investigation of noise complaints at Luton Airport. Greg has worked for several companies, including Britannia Airways, British Aerospace and Rolls-Royce, initially in operations management, then moving on to selling aircraft and their engines.
Greg’s occupation involved travelling to Europe, America, the Middle East and Africa. On his travels, his knowledge of French and German has been beneficial, and he also learned some words in Arabic and Swahili, this last language being particularly useful when, in 1992, he made his first aircraft sale to the President of Zanzibar.
Like many of us, Greg has experienced some turbulence during his career, having been made redundant twice, but he has always found new employment and continues to work in the industry as a contractor, still enjoying his chosen vocation.
On behalf of the 32 members present, our new Chairman, Dave Williams, thanked Greg for his extremely interesting talk.
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