community matters - the plane man

My neighbour, Mick, is an extraordinary man. For the past few years he’s been quietly assembling a plane in his garage - it’ll be ready for its maiden flight later this year.

Mick became interested in aviation as a very young boy and after leaving school he secured an engineering apprenticeship, his first rung on the ladder to the cockpit.  He went on to study engineering and design at University and spent most of his working life at Boulton Paul Aircraft.

Boulton Paul has a proud history. Founded in an ironmongers’ shop in Norwich in 1797 it moved to Wolverhampton in the 1930s and has since become a leading specialist in the design and manufacture of aircraft flight control systems.  Mick has travelled the world with the company and has worked on many prestigious projects including the design of system controls for Concorde.

Away from work, Mick first took to the air as a glider pilot before graduating to motorised flight. Now retired, his pride and joy is the plane under construction in his garage, its single wooden prop burnished to a loving shine.

Here’s what Mick has to say about community …

Q. What does community mean to you?

A. My interpretation of the question leads me to believe that in such an environment one is surrounded by like-minded individuals with similar goals. This leads people to seek out each other for the common good in most cases.

Q. What do you get from community?

A.  As they say "birds of a feather flock together”. I get a sense of being part of the group. As part of the group we all get to share each other’s life experiences if we chose to do so. It’s satisfying to be able to help each each other.

Q. What do you give to the community?

A. I would like to think that I give my candour and sense of enthusiasm. In my working life it was always good to share experiences and provide a sense of direction to others, particularly people just starting out in their own careers. It was satisfying to see people grow in confidence, knowing that maybe I had a small part in that process.