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When Mike left school in the 1960's he wanted to be a pilot and walked into the recruiting office of the Royal Navy with the single aim of joining the Fleet Air Arm. He was very much taken with the idea of being able to land an aircraft on a ship. The first planes he flew in were 'Chipmunks'.

ΜύHe was on the first course to make use of this type of aeroplane, previously the Tiger Moth war plane was still being used as a training aid.Μύ He also spent time with the helicopter squadron in Cornwall, although he freely admits he was more of a 'dogsbody'. Quickly moving to Jet Provost training at RAF Lynton on Ouse things regrettably didn't work out for his naval career, after he 'bent' one of their planes in training the decision was made to halt his flying career. Consequently he chose to leave the navy and became a policeman on the beat in his native Liverpool.

Pounding the beat for two years in Toxteth gave him an invaluable insight into the workings of the local community. He recalls that in the poverty stricken conditions with families packed into tiny houses the area had a community spirit.

A few years later after rising through the ranks he returned to Toxteth during the period of the riots in the 1980's where the picture wasn't quite so rosy. Major work had taken place which cleared the slums which had the effect of destroying the communities and the area became a notorious spot for criminal activity. Coincidentally the area became the first in the country to introduce police helicopters. Although by this time Mike was following a different career path and as they were piloted by civilians he had no ambitions to pursue his police career in the air.

Promotion meant that a move was likely to be on the cards in order to progress his career which is what brought him to work with the Humberside Force. The area was seen as being similar to Merseyside, with the same kinds of criminal activity prevalent because of the poor economy of the region. As Deputy Chief Constable he went about his business helping to address many of the issues affecting the area before his retirement in 2000.

Today, he's Chairman of the North Coates Flying Club. His wife, knowing of her husband's passion for aviation, encouraged him to train for his Private Pilots' Licence which he duly obtained by training for it at Humberside Airport. He now has his own airplane as pictured above. It's a replica SE5A,Μύ a plane which saw service in the First World War. He bought it from a seller on the South Coast and says the cost of running an aircraft is about the same as a car.

The club, which has around 70 members who fly out of the North Coates airfield, isn't run as a profit making venture. Club members do as much work as they can to avoid the cost of buying in services. Across the year the club has around six 'fly-ins'. People from all over the country are invited to fly in to the airfield where members of the public are able to quiz the owners to find out about flying. There's no charge for people to take part and Mike says the events attract a lot of interest from people who live locally.

The next fly-in takes place on the weekend 6th/7th September. More details can be found on the club's website.