A Letter from Tony May, Former Aden Airways Pilot

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I was with Aden Airways until 7th August 1967 when we (my wife Christine (nee) Webster, daughter of Dickie and Mavis Webster..... Dickie being 2 i/c Engineering) were given 36 hours to pack and be on the VC10 out of Khormaksar. As I joined on 7th August 1965, it was considered by the powers of BOAC that I had not actually completed two years so, I got compensation of just one month's salary in common with any person who had been out there for only a month. Pissed off? You bet but, with my potential future in BOAC in jeopardy, I kept schtum.

I did get onto the BOAC VC10 and completed both Pilots and Navigators courses. Ken Armstrong (Chief Nav) wanted me to become a Nav Instructor after completing a year but, in 1971 the 'powers that be' said I had to go onto the new B747 Fleet...... so my salary was thus reduced once again. No Nav. Inst. No Bonus.

Whilst (on the VC10) on a Lagos trip, I bumped into MarionKozuba-Kozubski at the Ikeja Arms Hotel. He, at that time, was training the Nigerian airforce to fly against the Biafran pilots. He offered me the post of Major General Gowan's personal DC3 pilot at £1000 per month, tax free, free accommodation and any perks I could desire. At that stage, I was still married to Chris (she, unfortunately is not mentioned in Dacre Watson's book as being a hostess with Aden Airways aged 17) so I turned down the offer. I would have had to fly the aircraft solo as Gowan trusted no-one!! I had flown with Marion for most of the time he was in Aden and he had 'trained me'.

Chris and I split and I made the biggest mistake in my life by remarrying - it didn't end well .

With me being able to select my trips (I chose Anchorage/Tokyo) I was away for ten days at a time........ but my bed was still occupied........ by various of the likely lads of Byfield and Chipping Warden. I discovered this and lost complete confidence. I resigned from the Command Course I was on and joined Cathay on the B707.

Unfortunately, having 3000 hours on the B747 this was not a good move........... I was earmarked for rapid promotion onto whatever 'heavy' Cathay bought. My life was made intolerable by the Oz training captains. I left after 4 months.

Now I found that I was either too highly qualified (B747) or too antique (VC10) my B707 experience was considered too little when on a HK licence. If had been convertible to a UK one, yes, acceptable, but HK? No. Malawi needed another Nav and a pilot and I fulfilled the criteria so, despite not having flown as Nav for six years, I joined them. Here I went onto the VC10 (obviously) the BN Islander and the Viscount........... which had the slipper tank system, thus was refuellable from the copilot's side as with the Aden Airways aircraft where I had flown it initially.

Paddy Driver, Chief Engineer Aden, was also CE in Blantyre and Ralph (ex-Aden GM I believe) had just left the company. Two years here saw me as catalyst in a revolt against the enforced hours. I went crew fatigue in Jo'burg leaving the a/c with 129 miners about to board (whenever their passports turned up) and eventually returned to Blantyre. A couple of weeks later..... after various other trips.....I was asked to leave. The pilots were revolting!

I did and joined Air Ecosse as Deputy Chief Pilot. (Chieftains, Twin Otters, Bandierantes, Shorts 330 and 360). From here I went to Kaduna having accepted the post of Chief Pilot for Express Airways Nigeria. Five months and one week of solid training of crews onto new Bandierantes, rostering, disciplining and writing the operations manual plus liaising with officials and completing 515 hours meant I took my 3 weeks leave entitlement and left on a Saturday, arrived in Aberdeen Sunday, phoned Highland Express on Monday morning first thing. Was asked to go for interview and did so at 2:00pm. Was sat in the Operations Directors office when Ken Armstrong walked in. The serious interview ceased as we talked Navigation!

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Tuesday morning I was phoned and questioned about being on the BA Command Course...... "But nobody leaves voluntarily". "You would have done had you been married to the woman I was with" got me an offer of a job and onto the Pan Am flight to Miami and their B747 renewal course on Thursday. I flew down to LHR on Wed. night and met up with the rest of the course at the Excelsior prior to our morning departure.

Six months later, having just got off the Pan Am aircraft and into the Miami crew hotel, we were greeted with the news that Highland Express had folded........... whilst we were airborne............ and I was in Miami for a command assessment!!!! A week of waiting (at their request) confirmed that my services were indeed terminated. Pan Am did me a favour and flew me back on the jump-seat.

In LHR I phoned Bluie Gardener the operations Director of RyanAir. I had done some training for him on the Bandit whilst on secondment from BusinessAir (in Aberdeen) in my time between trips for Hi-Ho. He invited me back to Dublin and I resumed as a full-time free-lance on the Bandit. Whilst there, Park Aviation gave me a contract onto the B747 for Cargolux THE BEST AIRLINE FOR WHOM I HAVE WORKED. For a year I was happy but my girlfriend wanted me to return to the UK. (we're divorced!).

Don't say it Peter, I know!! Trousers and head !! I said I would only return if I could fly with Monarch. They offered me an interview. I filled in the form in the office whilst half-way through the interview and put Bluie Gardener as a referee. Little did I know that the Chief Pilot, Don Richardson and Bluie were golfing partners. Before I could get home I was offered a job on the B757 glass cockpit.

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The one thing that had both Jeff Hall and Don rolling off their chairs was, when they asked if anyone in Monarch could be my referee, I said "Jack Lawson". It was only later that I found the reason for their mirth. Jack had been caught 'in flagrante' by the police exposing himself in Hemel Hempstead . He then threatened to turn up in court dressed in his Captain's uniform if Monarch did not 'play ball'. He was retired with full pension and travel rights and handed in his uniforms!!

I retired in 1999 having had a mental breakdown. Now I live in Spain with my fourth wife, an Argentinean lady considerably younger than me, with our ten year old son. And yes, I am still waiting for Dacre to return the maps of Aden that I gave him for his book. Going on your site has just reminded me............ and the reason for so doing? An American Embassy friend has just sent me "The 10 Lowest Beat-ups in the World". Not one is as low as that done by Pappy Jennings and I in Beihan. I just wanted to see if I still featured as one of the two pilots by the tail of the aircraft photoed in the pilots section. I think the other is Stan Davies, a freelancer.