Anthony, a student at FTA is mid-way through his pilot training and loving every minute of it...

My first time in an aircraft was as a child flying to Jersey on a holiday. I vividly remember climbing the stairs to the now obsolete BAC One Eleven and marveling at its beauty. Back then British Airways planes had a super smart Speedbird livery with a coat of arms on the tail. When I saw it close up with its enormous rear mounted engines I was amazed. I never knew at the time but I see it as one of my life's great transition points. Several years later I went with my mother on a day out to Gatwick Airport. There used to be an observation deck in the South Terminal where you could watch aircraft taking off and landing.

It was then, aged about eight or nine, that I seriously began considering piloting as a profession when I heard the words, ''you know, you could do that one day.''

From then on I begged family members and collected anything airline related; books, pictures, old amenity kits and even plastic cutlery! Even today, I have an impressive array of airline memorabilia that goes back a few years.