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Two new pilots and two promotions for Skybus
8
Sep
2010
Cornwall�s longest serving airline Skybus has recruited two new pilots and promoted two others to fly to the Isles of Scilly.
Simon Williams and Emily Bliss (pictured) have been appointed as First Officers and taken to the skies this summer for the first time. Skybus regularly flies from Land�s End, Newquay, Exeter, Bristol and Southampton to the Scillies.
For both new recruits, flying the Skybus Twin Otters is their first experience of working for a commercial airline, and both say that there is no better way to begin your career as a pilot than flying to and from the islands.
Simon was born in Porthleven and lives in Penzance. He previously worked as a paramedic and pilot for the Cornwall Air Ambulance. He said: �I�m a local man, I love flying and I love the Scillies, so it�s the perfect job. Working for a local company it�s easy to enthuse to holidaymakers, and its nice being able to go the extra mile for the passenger - their holiday starts when they get on the aircraft.�
At the age of 26, Emily is one of the youngest pilots working for Skybus. Originally from London, she moved to Penzance when she was 10 years old. Emily agreed that the interaction with the passengers is one of the best parts of the job. �You get to fly in a beautiful part of the world, and the customers are really appreciative of you showing them just how beautiful it really is.�
In addition to celebrating the arrival of two new pilots, Skybus has just promoted two of their longer standing First Officers, Ian Parsons and Mike Ryan-Fecitt, to become Captains of the Skybus Islanders.
Ian from Porthcurno has been a Skybus pilot since 2008. He said: �The whole style of life with Skybus is different and you would find it very hard to get that with a bigger airline. You can interact with the passengers, and they will always tell you if you�ve done a good or bad job! You would think that flying back and forward from the Scillies would get a bit boring after two years, but there�s always variety.�
Mike was a software engineer in his previous career. He added: �Working for Skybus is great, it�s always interesting and you get to work with people who are really nice and personable. I�ve progressed really quickly, which is surprising in the current climate, and now I am flying the Islander on my own which is a great step up, especially being one of the older pilots.�
Skybus has been operating flights to the Isles of Scilly for over 25 years. The airline operates six aircraft (three De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otters and three Britten Norman Islanders) and more than 60,000 people fly with Skybus every year. Skybus is owned and operated by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, which has been serving the Isles of Scilly for over 90 years.
Ends
6, September 2010
Contacts:
Ryan Martinez
Deborah Clark Associates on behalf of Skybus
01208 77900 / 07887 746569
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