Clive rose

Leaving the computer-programming rat-race behind to become a gyrocopter instructor made for a real lift in lifestyle

INTERVIEW AND PORTRAIT STEPHEN HAVELOCK

FOR 34 YEARS I was an IT computer programmer and commuted to London every day. Six years ago, for my 50th birthday, my wife Liane bought me a gyrocopter experience flight and I was hooked. I’d seen Little Nellie in James Bond’s You Only Live Twice and have been fascinated by gyros ever since. I thought it would be wonderful if I could change my lifestyle and get paid for doing my hobby. I earned my gyro Private Pilot’s Licence and qualified as an instructor last April; I’d done three hours in a Cessna fixed-wing back in 1980. I left my job and joined The Gyrocopter Experience, who operate out of about six airfields in the UK and many more around the world. I’ve logged around 600 flying hours and now…

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Octane (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 1, 2015

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