THE PLANE HERITAGE TEAM

TONY HOSKINS

Born in 1982 and brought up in Oxford. Always passionate about aircraft, he started learning to glide on a bursary from Oxford Gliding Club in 1995. Solo gliding in 1998, he continued through Inter-Club Competitions to fly his first Junior Nationals in 2000, became an instructor in 2003, and still flew competitively regularly until 2005. A desire to become an Airline Pilot saw him adding a Powered Licence in 2001, but the 911 downturn saw a move into engineering rather than flightdeck. Working for such Vintage aircraft specialists as IWM Duxford and Aero Vintage, he qualified as a Licenced Engineer in December 2003. After working for a year in General Aviation Maintenance, he joined a major longhaul UK airline at the end of 2004 and added European Qualifications to his UK Engineering Licence. He left his employers in September 2009 and now looks after the Plane Heritage fleet at Goodwood.

JON GOWDY

Brought up in West Sussex, Jon also first learned to fly in gliders at Southdown Gliding Club. Sponsored through his commercial licence by Air Atlantique, his first job was flying an Islander for the Coastguard before moving on to become assistant chief pilot for the Classic Flight. Jon could be found flying everything from DC-3 to the de Havilland Rapide, and his personal favourite, the de Havilland Vampire at airshows across the UK, and has also enjoyed fame as the pilot of the Extra 300 from the Swift glider display team, wowing audiences with their on-tow aerobatics. Jon is now a first officer on the A319/320 for bmi at Heathrow.