Fly Past

ion

nd Chipmunk display team. FlyPast’s Chris Clifford joined them on a practice fl ight

uncle Bill, but he made his aerial

debut in Chipmunk WG308 in

2000 (when he was 11)

from RAF Newton,

Nottinghamshire,

with Sqn Ldr Bill

Purchase at the controls.

Bill was CO of the RAF’s

7 Air Experience Flight and

pilot for the Chipmunks Around

the World project; the story of this

global circumnavigation is ably

told in his book Around the World

at 90 Knots.

But it was a chance meeting with

ex-RAF Tornado and warbird pilot

Charlie Brown that cemented

29-year-old Jon’s path. After

becoming firm friends, Charlie not

only helped to find a new home

for WG308 when RAF Newton

closed, but in his spare time taught

Jon to fly the aircraft. Learning on

a ‘tail-dragger’ couldn’t be more

November 2018 FLYPAST 111

Bottom centre

David Petters in a Ryanair

uniform, in March 2007,

on his fi rst day fl ying

passengers with the

airline. DAVID PETTERS

Bottom right

Jon Higgins (left) and

David Petters hope to

be fl ying publicly as the

Vintage Pair from next

year. KEY- CHRIS CLIFFORD